Why We Love It
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$95,810Potential Avg. Salary
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2.5%Job Growth Rate
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Growing DemandJob Outlook
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Deal MakingCareer Attribute
Sports agents work to place professional athletes with teams and negotiate contracts on behalf of the athletes they represent. They place athletes for a variety of professional sports, including baseball, basketball, soccer, football, and hockey. They may also handle athlete finances and taxes.
Recommended Schools
What is a Sports Agent?
The following job responsibilities are common for individuals in sports agent roles:
- Work with sports scouts, coaches, and athletic directors to find opportunities for placing professional athletes with teams
- Negotiate with sports team leaders on athlete pay, benefits, and other incentives
- Provide advice and guidance to athletes on their career paths, open opportunities, and public opinion
- Recruit new clients
- Manage finances and taxes for athletes
A Day in the Life
Sports agents are hired to represent professional athletes—and aspiring professional athletes—in all matters related to their finances and careers. When a professional athlete is seeking a position on a sports team, he/she often hires an agent to assist with finding suitable positions. The agent works with coaches, scouts, and athletic directors to find teams who could benefit from recruiting their athlete, markets the athlete to hiring managers, and negotiates pay, benefits, and other incentives on behalf of the athlete. The agent also recommends positions when more than one opportunity is available.
Sports agents may work for major agencies, or they may work independently. They may represent athletes from a variety of sports, including basketball, football, soccer, hockey, and baseball. Sports agents who work for major agencies may also have responsibilities similar to that of an accountant, lawyer, or public relations representative. They may manage athlete finances, manage and file athlete taxes, and handle press relations, presenting athletes in a positive light in the media.
While sports agents do often get a lot of the benefits portrayed of the career in popular culture—they may spend lots of time with athletes and celebrities and go to dozens of professional sports games throughout the year—the job requires hard work and long hours. For independent sports agents especially, recruiting new clients and managing all of their negotiations can require much more than a 40-hour work week. However, for those who love the game and the job, a career as a sports agent can be an exciting way to earn a very good living.
Typical Work Schedule
There is no typical work schedule for sports agents. Most work at least 40 hours a week and regularly work well over 40 hours in a given week. Evening and weekend work are commonly required.
Typical Employers
Many sports agents work for the most profitable sports agencies in the U.S.: Creative Artists Agency, Boras Corporation, Wasserman Media Group, Octagon, and Excel Sports Management. Other sports agents are self-employed and take on clients independently.
Recommended Schools
How To Become a Sports Agent
The starting point for a career as a sports agent is an education and background in sports. For this reason, many aspiring sports agents first pursue bachelor’s degrees in sports management. However, others pursue degrees in business administration, accounting, or communications. Effective sports agents are excellent communicators, adept negotiators, knowledgeable in their subject area, and good with math, so any of these degrees can provide skills you’ll use in your career.
After earning a bachelor’s degree, most sports agents go on to earn either a master’s or professional degree. Some pursue master’s degrees in business administration or sports management, while others pursue law degrees in tax or contract law. A J.D. in contract law can be incredibly useful for aspiring sports agents because one of the most important responsibilities they’ll have is contract negotiation. Sports agents often work on commissions—taking a percentage of the negotiated amount of an athlete’s contract—so better negotiators inevitable make more money as sports agents.
Beyond earning the appropriate degrees, aspiring sports agents need experience in the field. Some get this by playing sports in college or professionally, some get it through internships, and some start in entry-level positions at agencies and work their way up. Whichever path you choose, networking, meeting new people, and making a good impression will be required to succeed as a sports agent, to be awarded more prestigious positions, and to break off on your own one day as an independent agent.
Sports Agent Salary Data
We’ve provided you the following to learn more about this career. The salary and growth data on this page comes from recently published Bureau of Labor Statistics data while the recommendations and editorial content are based on our research.
National Anual Salary
Low Range
$40,080Average
$95,810High Range
---National Hourly Wage
Low Range
$19/hrAverage
$46/hrHigh Range
---How do Sports Agent salaries stack up to other jobs across the country? Based on the latest jobs data nationwide, Sports Agent's can make an average annual salary of $95,810, or $46 per hour. On the lower end, they can make $40,080 or $19 per hour, perhaps when just starting out or based on the state you live in.
Salary Rankings And Facts
#74 Nationally for All Careers
Above Average Salary Nationally
Programs and Degrees
Here are the most common degrees for becoming a Sports Agent. a is usually recommended and specifically a degree or coursework that prepares you for the particular field, see below.
Highest Education Among Sports Agents
- 4.4% Doctorate
- 9.4% Masters
- 46.2% Bachelors
- 9% Associates
- 20.8% College
- 9.3% High School
- 0.9% Less than High School
Job Growth Projections and Forecast
2014 Total Jobs
19,7002024 Est. Jobs
20,200Job Growth Rate
2.5%Est. New Jobs
500How does Sports Agent job growth stack up to other jobs across the country? By 2024, there will be a change of 500 jobs for a total of 20,200 people employed in the career nationwide. This is a 2.5% change in growth over the next ten years, giving the career a growth rate nationwide of Above Average.
Growth Rankings And Facts
#533 Nationally for All Careers
Above Avg. Growth Nationally
What Companies Employ The Most Sports Agents
| Industry | Current Jobs | New Jobs Needed | % Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agents and managers for artists, athletes, entertainers, and other public figures | 8,400 | --- | 0% |
| Self-employed workers | 7,500 | 300 | 0% |
| Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events | 800 | 100 | 0% |
