AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 27-2021.00
Will AI replace Athletes and Sports Competitors?
Athletes and Sports Competitors: AI can already handle 6 of 9 tasks; the work mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 9 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Athletes and Sports Competitors, from most to least exposed. 6 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participate in athletic events or competitive sports, according to established rules and regulations. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Receive instructions from coaches or other sports staff prior to events and discuss performance afterwards. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Represent teams or professional sports clubs, performing such activities as meeting with members of the media, making speeches, or participating in charity events. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Lead teams by serving as captain. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Assess performance following athletic competition, identifying strengths and weaknesses and making adjustments to improve future performance. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Maintain optimum physical fitness levels by training regularly, following nutrition plans, or consulting with health professionals. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Exercise or practice under the direction of athletic trainers or professional coaches to develop skills, improve physical condition, or prepare for competitions. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Attend scheduled practice or training sessions. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain equipment used in a particular sport. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 9 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 9 of 9. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 80% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 15,070
- Median annual wage
- $66,710
- Middle half of earners
- $36,790 to $109,880
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +5.5%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure60
- Athletic Trainers 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure41
- Coaches and Scouts 62% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure43
- Sports Medicine Physicians 60% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure48
- Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes 57% skill overlap, about 15 months to move Exposure64
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Athletes and Sports Competitors and AI
Will AI replace Athletes and Sports Competitors?
AI already handles 6 of the 9 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 58 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +5.5% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Athletes and Sports Competitors?
58 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 9 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 9 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Athletes and Sports Competitors tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Participate in athletic events or competitive sports, according to established rules and regulations; Receive instructions from coaches or other sports staff prior to events and discuss performance afterwards; Represent teams or professional sports clubs, performing such activities as meeting with members of the media, making speeches, or participating in charity events. They are three of the 6 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 80% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Athletes and Sports Competitors, and what do they earn?
15,070 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $66,710 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +5.5% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Athletes and Sports Competitors. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/athletes-and-sports-competitors
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