About Lincoln Sports Careers Magnet
We are excited to offer the new Sports Career Magnet.
Through the success of our MST Magnet, Lincoln staff recognizes the defining characteristics of a successful Magnet: 1) passionate teachers committed to the theme and its objectives, 2) an innovative curriculum, 3) active student leadership and alumni and parent involvement, and 4) a positive reputation within the community and at feeder schools.
Ultimately, students who attend our new Magnet will be exposed to a diverse range of careers in sports and provide hands-on experiences related to a specific career focus. Some careers might include journalism, broadcasting, coaching, psychology, management, analytics, and sports medicine. Take the medical field; some careers might include an athletic or fitness trainer, X-ray technician, physical therapist, nutritionist, licensed vocational or registered nurse, physical assistant, and emergency medical technician (EMT).
The three primary areas of focus of our Magnet will be sports medicine, with an emphasis on health, nutrition and fitness; media arts and entertainment, including video production, broadcasting, and journalism; and sports management, business and entrepreneurship. All students who attend in their freshmen year will be exposed to these three career specializations and by the end of their sophomore year should decide to commit to one career direction.
Students will engage in hands-on experiences, outdoor activities and real-world applications. We expect all students who join the Magnet to participate in one of our nine sports teams, serve as a team manager for one of our sports, or provide coverage of sporting events at Lincoln and within our community.
In addition, students will gain experiences and life skills developed through participation and involvement with athletics. Sports participation teaches many values beyond knowledge or skills, such as spirited competition, teamwork, leadership, self-discipline, commitment, communication, handling adversity, and self-improvement. The values and lessons learned on the field are some of the most meaningful lessons learned in high school. This commitment complements our schoolwide learning outcome of developing thoughtful and responsible individuals who are accountable for personal actions.
Relevance Today
Never has the interest in athletics and sports been higher than in 2024. Increased opportunities for jobs in sports-related fields has grown; in the United States, in 2022, there were over 8 million sports related jobs. This year’s Super Bowl was the most-watched program ever in the US, averaging 123 million viewers. The most-watched primetime telecasts in 2023 found that 56 out of 100 slots went to sports. Los Angeles has two sports teams in the three sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB), the Dodgers spent $1.21 billion this offseason despite baseball’s rumored declining interest, and TV contracts are as lucrative as ever. USC and UCLA are moving into a new league for national exposure and increased revenue. Women sports have become increasingly more popular and a greater number of females have broken into broadcasting, officiating and coaching. We often hear of the push toward encouraging more females to pursue STEM careers, but many sports careers have had limited representation by women until the last two decades. And most importantly, students express repeatedly that involvement in our athletic program is the one factor that fulfills them and keeps them attending school. It’s an exciting time to offer a relevant and compelling Magnet program to the students of the Los Angeles and Lincoln Heights communities.