Have you ever heard of the Latin quote "mens sana in corpore sano"? It says everything about what people think about doing sports. Apparently, practicing some sort of sports has a huge beneficial impact to our state of health, especially in these modern times when we seem unable to go somewhere by foot and when we spend long hours on a chair in front of a computer. We hear a lot of advice like do some sports, take a walk, go out, and so on and so forth. But there is a way to do sports without really doing sports i.e. getting yourself a sports job. At least for the beginning, you might impress an employer with your good physical shape and you might even stay away from practicing one sport. But my guess is that in time you will be tempted to try it too.
Careers
Believe it or not, sports have become a whole industry, and even a profitable one. Even though it is considered to be quite interdisciplinary, there are a few categories I would like to mention about sports careers: there is the sports media - positions conceived for marketing, public relations, broadcasting or sport writings; there is the administration segment including coaches, referees, instructors; there are the engineers in sports related fields who are in charge with providing devices for training through computer assistance, or electronic games, or facilities for stadiums; there is the sportive medicine with its sports nutritionists, orthopedics, psychologists, athletic trainers and sports rehabilitation specialists; and there are other openings for sports law, statistics, sales, management and finances or retail. As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities and working in sports which doesn't necessarily make you a sportsman.
Athletes
Athletes are people who make a living from sports. They pass daily practice sessions; they stay in good shape for specific competitions where they fight against other athletes for winning medals, fame and, of course, money. If it's about team sports, they are usually instructed in high schools, club teams or colleges. If they are gymnasts, tennis players or other types that usually perform individually, they are instructed through group or private lessons. There's no need for me to tell you how hard it is to be an athlete, how much hard work and dedication are required and how their days are about hours and hours of painful exercises. It takes a lot to do this. Read about art athlete's earnings here: athlete's salary.
Coaches
They are the ones who permanently train professional athletes as well as amateurs. One thing is sure that you cannot achieve performances without the help of a coach. Many of them achieve these positions after a successful career as athletes; even though there are specific public schools specialized in training coaches that offer bachelor's degrees. But one cannot succeed as a coach only with the instruction of a secondary school, real experience in that particular sport is imperative.
Trainers
Trainers are responsible with taking care of the athlete's health and they usually work as being supervised by physicians. They also instruct athletes to prevent injuries. You cannot perform these tasks without passing through a specific accredited program or without having a bachelor's degree. But many of them know it's very important to take their studies on higher grounds by doing a master too. Keep in mind that this is an extremely desired working position, considered to be heading to a new level of development as requirements for this job continue to increase significantly.
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