A sports agent is a new career in the world of athletics. Sports agents refer to the professionals who help the athletes gain and make much from their professional careers. They always promote the clients through the coaches and team owners, negotiate salary deals, and update them of all the field developments for proper advice (Rossi, Semens & Brocard, 2016). Sports agents have their advantages as well as disadvantages. One positive aspect of sports agents is that they make the professional life of athletes easier. Instead of spending time trying to negotiate for salaries, self-promotion, and networking, the sports agents handle that and gives the athlete ample for training and improvement of skills. Additionally, they promote their clients (athletes) and increase their income by brokering deals such as product endorsements on their behalf. Nonetheless, there are negative aspects of sports agents, including bad sports agents that limit the athletes' income through brokering bad deals for them (Rossi, Semens & Brocard, 2016). Besides, these agents can make bad decisions for the athlete, which affects their career and professional growth negatively.
It is essential to complete a college degree in sports management, kinesiology, and other study business to become a sports agent. The college degree must be supported by sports expertise in the field of sports that the agent wishes to practice (Kamberg, 2017). Sports agents should also have good negotiation skills so that they can negotiate good deals for their clients. While it is not entirely necessary to have law degrees, it is considered the best career path towards a sports agent.
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It is relatively easy for one to become a sports agent. Each individual can quickly become an agent. However, most lawyers who have become sports agents have discovered the importance of their legal background as the most significant asset. A lawyer who has become a sports agent quickly understands contract negotiations for their clients, helps in contract enforcement, and appropriately manages the successful endorsements and finances (Kamberg, 2017). Most athletes tend to prefer lawyers as their sports agents, most notably because they swear to uphold the Professional Responsibility Code. At the same time, non-lawyer is not guided by the legal competence and integrity of lawyers. When a sports agent is required to offer their services that need professional judgment, they have always relied on their academic ability to apply the philosophy of law and general body to the particular legal problem (Rossi, Semens & Brocard, 2016). The complexity of contracts illustrates the need for financial and legal experience and skills to craft the documents that fit their clients' needs carefully.
The sports agent competencies and skills have a lot to do with people skills, a love for sports, persistence, and sales skills. Sales and marketing skills are crucial in helping clients get the best possible returns for their athletic abilities. Best deals in sports never come relatively easy, and building a fan base for clients may take a lot of time (Rossi, Semens & Brocard, 2016). Sports agents must be willing to put in several years of work in the business before securing the athletes they need to represent.
References
Kamberg, M. L. (2017). A Dream Job as a Sports Agent. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Rossi, G., Semens, A., & Brocard, J. F. (2016). Sports agents and labor markets: evidence from world football. Routledge.
