Are you someone that loves sports but is not talented enough to play professionally? Maybe you still want to be around sports for your career. You can learn how to become a sports agent and work with athletes.
This is a very exciting career choice and can be incredibly lucrative. If you want to work around sports, this is one of the top career options. You’ll get to manage athletes and help them in many different ways.
Becoming a sports agent will require good interpersonal skills. You will also need plenty of education. Before you go down this career path, make sure you understand the job duties. Let’s look at both the job duties and how to become a sports agent.
Job Duties of a Sports Agent
When you become a sports agent, you will be representing and managing professional athletes. Your days will be filled with many different tasks, including negotiating contracts, dealing with public relations concerns, recruiting new talent, and more. You will be a big part of the business side of the sports industry.
Most sports agents will deal with legal issues, finances, and marketing. You will use your professional skills to protect your clients. Some of the many job duties of sports agents include:
- Meeting recruits at high schools and college
- Negotiating the contracts of athletes with teams
- Working on endorsement deals for clients
- Writing extensions to contracts for players
- Managing the finances and investments of athletes
- Overseeing the marketing strategies and branding for players
- Look at the stats from your clients to help make better decisions
- Handle public relations, including social media communications for athletes
These are some of the job duties you will deal with as a sports agent.
How To Become a Sports Agent in 5 Steps
Step #1 – Finish High School
You will need to get into a bachelor’s degree program. This will require you to finish high school and do well. The better your grades, SAT scores, ACT scores, and extracurriculars, the better the program you can get into. This can make a pretty big difference in your career as a sports agent.
If you use a good SAT or ACT test prep program, you can score higher on these tests. Higher scores can lead to a better degree program.
Step #2 – Get Your Bachelor’s Degree
You might be able to get an entry-level job without a college degree. However, if you want to become a sports agent, you will need at least a bachelor’s degree. Typically, you will want to get a degree in sports management. However, you can also get a degree in another major that fits with this type of career.
Step #3 – Get a Law Degree/Study Law
You don’t need a law degree to become a sports agent. However, it can be very helpful, and some of the top sports agents have a law degree. Without a law degree, you will need to take some law courses if you want to become a sports agent.
If you decide to get a degree in law, you will need to pass the LSAT. Getting the right LSAT prep course can make a huge difference in your score and passing this test.
You can also work as a law intern or a paralegal to get some law experience. This can help you land a sports agent job if you don’t have a law degree. Those looking to become top sports agents will need a law degree.
This is important since you will be writing and negotiating contracts for your athletes. Without law training, you may not qualify for many sports agent positions.
Step #4 – Work in Sports
You want to gain experience in sports to become a sports agent. This can be one of many different types of experience. Working as a sports management intern is a popular way to gain experience. This type of position can lead to becoming a sports agent. You will likely work for senior sports agents as an intern.
Step #5 – Become Licensed or Certified
In some states, you will need to become licensed or certified to work as a sports agent. This will likely include submitting an application with the necessary fee, along with a background check. Every state is a bit different, and other requirements will be necessary.
You may also need to become certified in some cases. A certified sports agent allows employers to ensure athletes receive the right type of representation.
Necessary Skills for Sports Agents
As a sports agent, you need to be excellent at many things, including:
- Communication – Sports agents will need to have excellent communication skills. You will need to work with coworkers, athletes, lawyers, and many other people. Being able to communicate is vital to your job as a sports agent.
- Sales/Negotiation – As a sports agent, you will need to sell your clients to earn endorsement deals, along with negotiating contracts for them. You will need excellent sales and negotiation skills for this type of career.
- Organization – Your ability to stay organized will make a pretty big difference. You will need to keep your client’s finances, contracts, and assets organized. Keeping track of all this stuff will help ensure your clients get the service they desire.
- Persistence – It’s important to be persistent in this line of work. The best deals are not made overnight. It will take time and work to get your athletes the best deal.
There are many other skills you will likely need. However, these skills will be very important to your career as a sports agent.
Frequently Asked Questions About Becoming a Sports Agent
How much can I make as a sports agent?
The salary of a sports agent can vary quite a bit. It depends on the type of athletes you work with, your training, and your background. Some of the commissions you can earn each year include:
- NFL – $14,400 to $1 million per player
- Arena Football League – About $240 per player
- Canadian Football League – $3,780 to $10K CAD per player
- NBA – $16,769 to $680K per player
- MLB – $22,200 to $1.36 million per player
- NHL – $31,500 to $621K per player
- Minor League Baseball – $1,000 to $1,500 per player
- Minor League Hockey – $400 to $20,000 per player
- Major League Soccer – $1,635 to $213K per year
You can also take on clients in many other sports and countries. Most sports agents will earn a commission based on how much the player makes. You can also earn commissions on endorsement deals and other paying gigs you get for your clients.
According to PayScale.com, the average base salary for sports agents is about $51K per year. It’s also common for sports agents to earn up to $23K in commissions each year, too. Glassdoor.com puts the average base pay closer to $61K per year for sports agents.
What type of environment does a sports agent work in?
Sports agents may work for themselves or for an employer. Either way, they will likely work more than a 40-hour workweek. Many sports agents will work weekends and evenings often. Travel is common, especially when clients will be playing games in other states and cities.
The environment for a sports agent is also very fast-paced and rather competitive.
What type of schedule will I work as a sports agent?
Your schedule will usually vary, depending on the type of athletes you work with and the employer you work for. If you work for yourself, you will likely work longer hours and need to be available more often for your clients. Sports agents tend to be on-call most of the time for their clients and the job is never done.
Can I become a sports agent without getting a college degree?
Most sports management companies will not hire sports agents without a college degree. If you don’t have a college degree, you will need five to seven years of experience and certification to become a sports agent. This is a far more difficult path to become a sports agent, however. It’s easier and more common for sports agents to get a bachelor’s degree and even a law degree.
How long will it take me to become a sports agent?
You will likely need many years to become a sports agent. You might become a lawyer first, which will take around eight years of education. If you go the sports management degree route, you will still need four to six years before you can work in the industry.
If you want to build your career to a high level, it can take more than ten years to get there. There are many sports agents that get a law degree first and even work as a lawyer before going into the sports industry.
Becoming a sports agent is a great way to enjoy your career. If you’re a former athlete or just love sports, this is a good career path to consider. Now that you know how to become a sports agent, you just need to follow the necessary steps.
Jordan Fabel
Covering different 'paths' that people's lives can take. Creative, foster parent, ticket dismissal, you get the idea. Exploring the requirements, certifications, exams, and obviously, approved courses along each path.