Sports Agent Jobs
Perhaps the most glorified sports job is that of a sports agent. Long before the hit movie Jerry Maguire debuted at box offices across the country, people have fantasized about the glamour, money, recognition, and endless perks enjoyed by agents. While many of the perceptions are based in truth, there are countless numbers of agents who fly below the radar, maintaining a stable list of clients, but leading a relatively low profile career. In this section, we’ll explore the life of a sports agent and discuss how you can get started in this highly competitive and potentially lucrative space.
What Is A Sports Agent? A Lawyer Turned Sports Agent Explains
Job Responsibilities
In a sports agent job, you must act on behalf of an athlete (client) for contract negotiations. Years ago, this meant signing an athlete to playing contracts in his or her respective sport. Athletes today are highly perceived in the public eye, giving them more earning potential. An agent, therefore, also manages an athlete’s additional revenue streams including endorsements, appearances, and investment strategies.
An agent has many responsibilities and daily tasks that are necessary to stay on top of his or her client’s best interests. Regardless of an athlete’s particular sport of competition, the processes are basically the same. Activities include:
- Communicating with assistant general managers and general managers about their availability and need for a player with a client’s position, experience, and skill set
- Coordinating workouts with teams for prospecting
- Communicating with client about the level of interest in them
- Making sure client is keeping up with conditioning; hiring trainers and strength coaches
- Staying abreast of rules and regulations regarding contact with athletes as stated by related organizations (NCAA, players’ unions, etc.)
- Attending games/competitions and practices to scout for new clients and monitor current ones
- Staying abreast of current contractual activity among similar athletes to help understand a client’s value
- Negotiating with team personnel over terms of a client’s contract – i.e., length, salary, signing bonus, performance incentives, etc.
Some sports agents have clients in several different sports, while others only represent athletes in a single sport. For example, Leigh Steinberg, the real-life inspiration for Jerry Maguire, works primarily with NFL players, but over his career has had upwards of 150 clients in six different sports, as well as Olympic athletes. Servicing many clients makes an agent’s job more intensive, but also increases revenue potential.