Comments on: Utility In A Sports Management Masters Degree

By: Kellie Harris

Kellie Harris — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 22:31:41 +0000

Hello,
My name is Kellie Harris and I am a sophomore at Temple University. Right now, my major is Sport and Recreation Management, but I am strongly considering going to Marquette and getting a joint J.D/MBA in sports law. I wanted to know what the industry is like for females, minority females at that, and since I have to do a junior and senior internship, what agencies in philadelphia are the best, and what is your advice on getting ‘In” or connections with current agents as networking tool?

Thank you,

Kellie harris__ and you can email me the answer if you’d like… my email is kellie.harris@temple.edu

By: Kevin

Kevin — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 21:27:54 +0000

Hey guys,

I really want to become a sports agent. I got good grades in high school and could have gone to an ivy league school if I wanted to. Does going to law school really give you an upper hand? I am friends with a descent amount of college football players who have a good shot at going pro and would hire me as their agent. Would taking an 8 week online course to learn how to become an agent and negotiate contracts be enough so I could represent these athletes? Could I make it on my own by having a handful of clients while getting a certification from an online course?
Thanks,
Kevin

By: Justin

Justin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 19:23:01 +0000

I think it comes down to maximizing your potential within the constraints of your situation. For example, if you have the ability to finance law school, and understand the amount of hard work it takes to achieve success (high class rank); why not make the investment in yourself. In my situation, I already hold an MBA and work in NYC for a software company (global marketing), but am intrigued regarding a change of career into sports (former D1 athlete, 25 yrs old, passion for sports). I am looking at NYU for sports business exactly for the aforementioned “within the constraints” theory (in my case, the ability to go attend part-time while working).

There is never one “right” path for your success; your hard work, mixed with some luck will determine your success.

And remember, it comes down to being able to relate and communicate with others. This skill is most valuable and will be used no matter which path you choose.

All the best…

By: Kam

Kam — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:49:26 +0000

Hey Dylan, sorry for the late late real late reply. Email me on ksd52@hotmail.com and we can talk about stuff..Looking forward to hearing from you.

By: Jay Vaidya

Jay Vaidya — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 02:55:02 +0000

Hey guys,

I have been doing a lot of research on the topic for the past few months, and I have learned some interesting facts while talking to a few industry natives. There are two major routes (that I know of, I’m sure there are plenty more) you can take with sports agentry: Law, which enables you to negotiate contracts and fulfill the roles typically assigned to Sports Agents; and Financial Investment, in which an MBA comes in handy. I agree with the statements made above that suggest the hardest part of breaking in to the sports agentry industry (regardless of what route you take) is making the connections.

I myself have been studying for 3 months for the GMAT for my applications to MBA programs, but more importantly, I have been working to make as many viable connections as I possibly can!

I hope this helps clarify some things.

By: Darren Heitner

Darren Heitner — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:48:41 +0000

If you want to obtain a law degree then get your undergrad degree, take the LSAT, and start applying to law schools.

By: Joe

Joe — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 01:42:12 +0000

Hey guys what is the best route to take on obtaining a degree to become a sports agent? Ive heard 1.Sports law
2.Business law
3.Get certified

I want to obtain a law degree to be a step above others that are only certified…..what should i do?

By: Darren Heitner

Darren Heitner — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:18:48 +0000

Jon-

I completely agree with your comment that a sharp business mind is more important than anything. For example, in the NBA’s first round of a 2 round draft, agents really have little to no influence on a player’s salary. I tell a lot of potential clients that when they are thinking about choosing an agency, the difference in what I negotiate or another agent negotiates in terms of a playing contract will be of little consequence. In any given situation, I may be able to get the player a little more than another agent or a little less. It’s everything else that separates us from the rest.

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 17:00:30 +0000

One more thing… while many aspects of athlete representation are legal, majority of it requires a business approach. We are in an age where contracts are pretty standard. A draft pick is almost locked into a salary range, and depending on his performance over the first few years in the league, he will sign an extension. I don’t think you have to have balls of steel and Einstein’s brain to realize what a player is worth. It does, however, take a sharp business mind to successfully manage a player and the business that a player eventually becomes.

(No offense to the ladies)

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:53:39 +0000

I know I’m a little late… but Dan I am a similar situation as you. While I aspire to respresent athletes, I am just as interested in marketing and PR. With that said, it makes absolutely no sense for anyone to go to law school if their sole intent is to become a sports agent. Law school will cost over 100k and if you arent in a top 10 school it may prove to be a bad investment, economically at least.

I’m in my senior year of undergad majoring in Advertising and Public Relations. I went into this major hoping to learn the art of persuasion, with the intent of going to law school. While law school is still a possibility for me (despite low gpa – 3.1), I have also considered going to NYU or Columbia to study Sports Business, and most recently I have considered getting an MBA.

I think it’s important to take the time necesary to make the best decision for yourself. I think too many people get caught up in their pre-designed path to becomming an agent that they waste tons of money and years of their life without moving towards their goal. At the end of the day, you have have an MBA, JD, and MS in Sports Business – and still not have a single client. While many have discounted the MS in Sports, I think that may prove to be the most valuable in terms of landing a job in sports (the contacts are key). However, it is also the most narrow degree and your 2 years of study would be better spent on something else if you want to be able to earn a decent wage in the future.

Aspiring to become a sports agent is no different than aspiring to play pro sports or become a musician. It is a dream job! While it’s important to hold on to your dreams and do something you love, eventually there comes a point where you have to branch out and do something (non-sports related perhaps) that will allow you to provide for yourself and your family. I’m pretty sure if sports agent’s were getting paid 10 bucks an hour the field would not be as desirable.

In regards to communications jobs in sports, keep in mind that many teams hire companies to do work for them… meaning you may have to look at firms that have sports teams as clients, rather than aspiring to work for an actual team.

I hope this was helpful, and I hope it isn’t too old of an article that this goes unnoticed.