Building a Career in Sports Management

From his childhood in Venezuela through his high school days in Broward County, Rafael Cabrera was a passionate sports fan. In college, he turned his passion into a career.

After earning an MBA at the Universidad Europea – Escuela Universitaria Real Madrid, Cabrera leveraged what he learned into a job as senior manager of communications and content for Inter Miami CF, South Florida's Major League Soccer franchise.

And while he's still a fan, Cabrera stressed that it takes more than love of a team to succeed in the competitive business side of sports. Skill development, a passion for networking, high-level education and a knowledge of what you can offer to an organization are all key to a successful career.

"It's fun, but it's also a business," he said. "We have to be able to sit down with a player or coach and explain the business purpose of everything we do."

Cabrera shared his story, as well as his thoughts on how to build a career in sports management, at a talk presented by FIU Business, its Professional MBA Online in Sports Management program and the partnership between FIU and Real Madrid Graduate School – Universidad Europea over the summer.

"WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SIT DOWN WITH A PLAYER OR COACH AND EXPLAIN THE BUSINESS PURPOSE OF EVERYTHING WE DO."

Rafael Cabrera

The Real Madrid sports management graduate program was, in fact, an important steppingstone in Cabrera's career. He opted for the Real Madrid MBA program to gain a European business perspective, experience Spain's passion for the sport, and learn directly from team leaders.

"It wasn't just sitting down and reading a book about partnerships," he said. "It was learning about how Real Madrid closed a deal and speaking to the partners who did it – that real-world, in-the-moment experience."

Cabrera shared advice for those starting out in the field: volunteer for a low-level job, show your work ethic and talk to those you meet about their jobs. If you're applying for a position, he said, look to LinkedIn to make connections with employers and ask questions about the skills they're seeking.

"The biggest thing for me was understanding what people do day-to-day, to see if I would like that job," he said. "If you can do that with different departments and different clubs, you'll have an idea of what you want to do."