Athletes and Sports Competitors build coordination, judgment and decision making and social perceptiveness skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Gambling Managers (71%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gambling Managers | 71% | $93,220 | +40% | None |
| 2 | First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers | 68% | $63,820 | −4% | None |
| 3 | Food Service Managers | 68% | $69,390 | +4% | None |
| 4 | Flight Attendants | 68% | $63,580 | −5% | None |
| 5 | Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | 65% | $58,170 | −13% | None |
| 6 | Postal Service Clerks | 64% | $62,130 | −7% | None |
| 7 | Postmasters and Mail Superintendents | 64% | $96,660 | +45% | None |
| 8 | First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers | 63% | $55,940 | −16% | None |
| 9 | Farm Labor Contractors | 63% | $58,460 | −12% | None |
| 10 | Correctional Officers and Jailers | 63% | $58,940 | −12% | None |
Compared with Athletes and Sports Competitors, median $66,710. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as athletes and sports competitors (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
71% skill match · $93,220 · +40% pay
Management of Personnel Resources · Management of Material Resources · Management of Financial Resources
68% skill match · $63,820 · −4% pay
Service Orientation · Programming · Systems Analysis
68% skill match · $69,390 · +4% pay
Management of Financial Resources · Management of Material Resources · Management of Personnel Resources
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Gambling Managers (71% skill match, median $93,220), First-Line Supervisors of Gambling Services Workers (68% skill match, median $63,820) and Food Service Managers (68% skill match, median $69,390), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 13 pay more than athletes and sports competitors at the median. The biggest increases: Air Traffic Controllers (+122%, $148,080), Facilities Managers (+60%, $106,660) and First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives (+59%, $106,040).
17 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.