Career Explorer Arts, media and sport
Human edge, growing
Athletes and sports competitors
Compete in athletic events.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 88% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it moderate), and US jobs are projected to change by +5.5% by 2035, faster than average. The work leans on physical dexterity and emotional intelligence.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $66,710
- Job growth to 2035
- +5.5%
- Openings a year
- 2,200
- People doing it (2025)
- 22,900
- Usual route in
- No formal credential, then long on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Perform athletic activities for fitness, competition, or artistic purposes
- Promote products, services, or programs
- Coach others
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Evaluate personnel capabilities or performance
What the work looks like
- Assess performance following athletic competition, identifying strengths and weaknesses and making adjustments to improve future performance.
- Maintain equipment used in a particular sport.
- Attend scheduled practice or training sessions.
- Maintain optimum physical fitness levels by training regularly, following nutrition plans, or consulting with health professionals.
- Participate in athletic events or competitive sports, according to established rules and regulations.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Medical appliance techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 89, +3.5%
- Hearing aid specialistsHuman edge, growing, Index 89, +19.4%
- Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfittersHuman edge, growing, Index 91, +6.8%
- Animal trainersHuman edge, growing, Index 94, +4.2%
Also known as: Baseball Player, Golf Professional, Hockey Player, Race Car Driver, Baseball Pitcher, Basketball Player, Major League Baseball Player, Minor League Baseball Player.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.