The aim of achieving a prominent job position is not an easy one to attain. A person who wants to become successful in his occupation should be a skilled tactician who is able to analyze all factors that will influence his/her career advancement at every stage. This will ensure maximization of his/her career advancement. Building a successful career is a time-taking process that needs sufficient motivation of a person. A person should analyze the opportunities that he will get if he attains his/her aim, financial stability, independence, moral satisfaction, and inner and outer harmony will be the results of a successful career. However, a detailed plan should be followed and a multidimensional analysis of the career levels should be performed before you get the desired result. The present paper will be devoted to building a successful career in the sphere of sports management.
In the first place, it is necessary to justify the choice of the field for analysis. There is no denying the fact that the profession of a sports agent is one of the most intriguing and glamorized professions nowadays because of its specific character. Sport is one of the most popular entertainment along with cinema and television. It is one of the most profitable types of business, the field of investment of huge sums of money, and this fact also contributes to the specific character of professional sports.
In the second place, there is the necessity to tackle the history of the field in brief since there is a common erroneous opinion that a profession of a sports agent is a new one. In fact, it is not so. The beginning of the business was attributed to Charles Pyle, who was a theatrical promoter and an agent of many athletes of the first part of the twentieth century. Among Pyle’s clients, it is possible to mention a legend of football Harold “Red” Grange, and Mary K. Brown, a famous tennis star. It is known that the number of sports agents increased in the 1960s, the field of sports agents became diverse since it united people who had different backgrounds. Still, in the 1960s it was a noticeable feature if an athlete had his own agent. Nowadays, it is a common tradition of sportsmen and teams to have their personal sports agents. The present stage of the evolution of sports agencies can be shown with the help of such examples of the companies of global importance, such as IMG, Octagon, Wasserman Media Group, etc. These companies provide leading world athletes with efficient sports agents who assist them in the promotion of their talent and the creation of high demand for it.
If there were a free choice of a sports agency to apply to, the best choice, from our point of view, would be Wasserman Media Group. Wasserman Media Group (WMG) is one of the leading player representation practices, its sphere of operation covers America and European countries as well. Sports agents of WNG represent more than two hundred sportsmen and coaches all over the world. The company’s clients are athletes from different sports, such as baseball, basketball, soccer, etc. Thus, every sports agent has a wide choice of possible specialization according to his skills and qualifications. However, an opportunity to work for such a prominent company will never fall from heaven; a vacancy at WNG can become yours in case if you are an eminently qualified sports agent. Thus, it is necessary to get experience outside WNG first. Due to the specific character of an occupation of a sports agent, our qualification ladder will be modified a bit. On the first level, we will analyze the position of an equipment manager of a college sports team, then, we will analyze the level of a sports agent, and, finally, we will try to describe the position of a spotting agent with special qualification of an attorney and multiple specializations.
It is simply impossible to become a qualified sports agent from scratch. A perfect start will be if one is a professional sportsman who wants to get another qualification connected with sports. However, there is another way to choose for people who are fond of sports but do not go in for sports professionally. Athlete management is the prerogative of large agencies; one can hardly find a way to become a sports agent without any experience. Consequently, the first task of primary importance is to find a job that will provide you with necessary background information about sports in general, a particular kind of sport you are going to work with, the psychology of sportsmen, etc. The task is to become familiar with sportsmen’s milieu. Thus, the job of the first level can be equipment manager. It is possible to become an equipment manager of a college team since this vacancy seems accessible. Let it be the vacancy of an equipment manager at Chardon State College, Nebraska.
This vacancy of an equipment manager of a football team requires a person who will be able to fulfill certain responsibilities. An equipment manager should be able to assist with coaching the players. One of the deities is recruiting for certain football programs. One of the requirements is sufficient knowledge of football theory and history, the ability to follow current changes in the sphere of football. A primary duty of the equipment manager is equipment management that includes maintenance, control, cleaning, etc. Among the duties of the equipment, the manager is the transportation of the teams to the places where games are held.
As for the qualifications needed for this vacancy, it is necessary for a candidate to have a bachelor’s degree. A successful candidate should have experience coaching football players but it is not obligatory. What is really necessary to become a successful equipment manager is the ability to associate with a great number of people, thus, developed communication skills are the most important skills for this vacancy. As for the time, one should hold this position, it should correspond to the demands a candidate sets for him/herself. This job should contribute to the development of communicational skills and the knowledge of the psychology of sportsmen. Still, the period to be spent in this position can hardly be less than a year.
The next desirable level in this career progression is the position of a sports agent. The previous job has provided a candidate with sufficient communicational skills, information about a particular kind of sport; in this case, it is football. The firsthand acquaintance with the psychology of sportsmen will be of great use since one of the primary duties of an athlete agent in communication with a client.
Other responsibilities and duties of a sports agent include negotiations with other people from the sphere of sport. It means that an athlete agent should be able to carry on negotiations with sponsors, team owners, coaches, media, etc. His primary duty is to keep everyone satisfied and to ensure financial stability and suitable working conditions and public relations of a client. The financial success of a client is especially important for an athlete manager since the manager usually gets from four to ten percent from successful contracts he gets.
Enumerating other responsibilities of an athlete agent, it is necessary to mention that an agent should represent his clients to potential employers. An agent gives his client advice concerning the best options to choose to achieve financial success. He also analyzes the possible risks of the offered contracts so that the client could avoid financial loss. An athlete agent should be ready to travel when needed to promote a sportsman and to contract negotiations as well. A sports agent should be well-informed about the trends and recent changes in the sphere of his client and he should keep the client informed.
On analyzing the responsibilities and duties of a sports agent, it is necessary to tackle the qualification and education prerequisites needed for this position. The best choice will be to get a professional education since many universities offer special programs in Sports Management. These programs educate students in such areas as finance, public relations, and management, which are necessary for all athlete agents. Besides, a special license that corresponds to the Uniform Athlete Agents Act is an obligatory requirement for a sports agent. Thus, the best choice will be to get specialized education.
As for the time to be spent in this position before moving to another one, it can be stated that it can take a person a rather long period of time, about ten years approximately. Accumulation of experience is the most important goal of an agent on this level. The establishment of business ties and the creation of a professional reputation are important as well. As soon as one becomes efficient and experienced enough, an athlete agent is ready to move to another level.
The third level chosen for this paper is related to the previous one. If a person has chosen to become a sports agent, the final goal could be to become a CEO of a prominent sports agency, such as Wasserman Media Group. However, this goal is too difficult to achieve, thus, let us concentrate on something more realistic. The third level of this career progression can be the position of a sports agent who deals with clients from different kinds of sport and the one who has the qualification of an attorney. In this case, a sports agent is able to deal with all contracts directly; he has no need to apply to professional lawyers for help since he is qualified enough himself. All the requirements for this sports agent coincide with the requirements for the previous position, only legal qualification is added.
As for the work with sportsmen work in different spheres, it is evident that a sports agent should be equally qualified in all kinds of sport. He should follow all current sports trends and keep his clients well-informed. He should be aware of certain features typical of some particular kind of sports only. Thus, the theoretical background of all kinds of sports he deals with is obligatory. As for the time that can be spent working as a sports agent with legal qualifications and multiple specializations, it is unlimited. The evolution of an athlete agent can be observed based on his clients and their popularity in the world of sports.
Drawing a conclusion, it is necessary to state that to become a prominent sports agent with famous clients, one should pass through several career stages. Each stage will provide a person with the necessary experience, communication, and other skills that will be demanded on the next level. Each stage also requires a certain educational level, thus, a person should plan the way he/she is going to get the necessary qualification. On the whole, this task has great practical value as it helps to plan an activity that will ensure career advancement.