Career Guide
About This Role
A Marketing Manager in sport builds the brand and fills the seats. They plan campaigns for season launches, single games, theme nights and memberships, manage the brand’s look and voice, oversee advertising and content, and work with sales, partnerships, community and game presentation so every fan touchpoint feels consistent. In many organizations, marketing also owns fan research and the overall fan experience strategy.
The role varies with scale. At a major league club or global property, a marketing manager may own one area, such as brand, ticket marketing or arena events. At a junior team, minor-league club or national sport organization, one marketing leader may oversee content, media relations, events, game operations and community programs together.
What a marketing manager does day to day
Smaller organizations show the breadth of the job. Shelbi Kilcollins, Director of Marketing and Growth for the OHL’s Peterborough Petes (2021), told SPMA her small department, supported by interns and co-op students, covered digital and print content, delivering partners’ digital assets, media relations, the alumni program, major and virtual events, game operations, fan engagement and community initiatives. Her average day included editing content, coordinating media interviews and working with other departments.
Larger organizations split the work. Gracie Pugliese, Director of Arena Marketing for the Milwaukee Bucks (2019), described a team focused on concerts and special events at the arena and the surrounding Deer District: social accounts, ad buying and promotions for upcoming shows, marketing plans with promoters, and food and beverage promotions.
Brand marketing at global scale draws on agency and broadcast experience. Nicolas Jayr, Brand Marketing Manager at Formula 1 (2020), came through advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy working on Nike and then marketed sporting properties such as the FIFA World Cup and Six Nations for broadcaster ITV, and stressed curiosity about how fans live and experience a brand.
Nicolas Jayr, Brand Marketing Manager at Formula 1, told SPMA in 2020: “As a Brand Marketing Manager, my job is incredibly varied, working together with a myriad of stakeholders from broadcasters & race promoters around the world to our 10 Formula 1 teams & global sponsors, from our creative & media agencies in London to a variety of internal departments & teams.” Jayr described the core of brand work: “Part of the role of a brand marketer is to define what brand associations are most important to bring to life for a specific product, to which fans/consumers, and why.”
What a marketing manager decides, and what sits with others
The marketing manager owns marketing strategy, campaign plans, the marketing budget, brand standards and agency relationships.
Ticket pricing and inventory are usually set with revenue leadership. Sponsored campaigns follow partnership contracts negotiated by sales. Messaging on sensitive matters is coordinated with communications. League branding rules can limit what teams may do with logos and marks. Specialized channels may sit with a Digital Marketing Manager or Social Media Manager.
Skills employers look for in a marketing manager
- Campaign planning from objective to results.
- Brand management and creative direction.
- Data use: research, segmentation and measurement.
- Budget management and agency coordination.
- Collaboration across sales, partnerships, community and operations.
- Leadership of small teams, interns and co-op students.
How to become a marketing manager
Many sport marketers start as marketing coordinators, interns or co-op students with teams, then take on campaigns and eventually a department. Others come from agencies, broadcasters or brands, as Jayr’s path shows. Volunteer roles at events and university athletics marketing teams offer early experience.
When interviewing, ask what the marketing department covers, how goals are set with sales, what budget exists, and how the organization measures marketing success.
Marketing manager jobs on SPMA: what the postings show
Since late 2023, SPMA has listed 41 jobs that match this role, including 12 in Canada and 29 in the United States. Employers used titles such as “Marketing Coordinator”, “Social Media and Marketing Coordinator”, “Senior Product Marketing Manager” and “Spring 2027”. Organizations that posted them include Wheelchair Basketball Canada, Strava, WHOOP, Excel Sports Management and Florida Panthers Hockey Club, Ltd.
Among 11 U.S. postings that listed an annual salary, the middle half of salary midpoints ran from US$100,000 to US$140,000, with a median of US$125,000. Examples of posted pay: Marketing Coordinator, Fanatics Commerce (Winona): US$19.00–US$23.00 an hour; Associate Director, Brand Marketing, TaylorMade Golf (Woodbridge): C$140,000–C$160,000 a year; Marketing Manager, BC Rugby: C$68,000 a year.
Source: SPMA’s database of 3,289 sport job postings in Canada and the U.S., late 2023 to November 2026, matched by job title. Pay figures use the midpoint of each posted range and exclude postings without pay. See current marketing manager openings on SPMA.
Marketing manager salary and job outlook
Pay for Marketing Manager positions depends heavily on the level of sport, the size of the organization and the region. The closest occupation tracked by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is marketing managers, which had a median annual wage of $166,790 in May 2025 across all industries, with employment projected to grow by 7% from 2025 to 2035. Sport marketing salaries are typically well below this all-industry figure.
Treat any national figure as a broad benchmark rather than a sport-specific salary. Jobs with junior, minor-league, university and nonprofit sport organizations often pay below all-industry figures, while senior roles at major professional teams and leagues can pay more. In Canada, use Job Bank’s wage search to check current wages for the closest occupation in your province, and compare with pay ranges in live postings on SPMA’s jobs board.
Common career questions
How much does a marketing manager make?
Pay varies widely by level of sport and organization. The closest U.S. government occupation category, marketing managers, had a median annual wage of $166,790 in May 2025 across all industries, but many sport jobs pay less, especially at junior, minor-league, university and nonprofit organizations.
What does a sports marketing manager do?
A sports marketing manager plans campaigns to sell tickets and memberships, manages the brand, oversees advertising and content, and coordinates the fan experience with sales, partnerships and operations.
How do you become a sports marketing manager?
Start in marketing coordinator, intern or agency roles, build a record of successful campaigns, and take on more responsibility for brand and strategy.
Is sports marketing the same as sponsorship?
No. Marketing promotes the organization’s own brand and products; sponsorship sells partnerships to other brands. They work closely together.
What skills do sport marketers need?
Campaign planning, creativity, data analysis, budget management and collaboration.
Further reading and qualification checks
Related SPMA guides: Fan Experience Manager, Community Relations Manager and Sponsorship Sales Manager.
