What Topics Would You Like To See Covered?

What topics would you like to see covered? What questions do you have about our clients? Our services? Feel free to leave comments whenever a question pops up and I will address it in a future post.

How Did You Become a Sports Agent?

When speaking with group organizers I often get asked, “How did you become a sports agent?” Some people are stunned that I’m young and female in a profession full of older men, others have never know an agent personally and are just curious and still others have watched “Jerry McGuire” one too many times!

My first answer is usually, “Well, I have a law degree.” That usually explains it for most people, since they then realize I didn’t just happen upon this dream job, I actually went to school for 7 years for it. I then explain that while in law school I focused on corporate law and sports law, and interned (for free!) for every sports agent who would hire me. I worked 2-3 internships at a time, while attending law school full-time and working with my own clients. Before I went to law school, I’d begun helping some friends with their endorsement deals and marketing who were professional kayakers. I didn’t grow up my whole life wanting to be a sports agent (I actually wanted to be a veterinarian!), but I’ve been an athlete my entire life, I love being able to exercise my creativity and I love business. Being a sports agent was a great way to combine all my passions into one “dream job.”

If you’re a student out there wondering how you too can someday become a sports agent, here is my best advice…

1. Study very hard in school! Lots of people want to be agents, if you want to be considered, you’ll need good grades in High School to get into a good College or University, and good College/University grades to get into a good Law School.

2. Explore internship opportunities and don’t expect to be paid! Any good internship opportunity will have many, many people vying for consideration. You’ll be lucky if you get an interview! If you need to get paid, get a part-time job and intern the rest of the time. It’s the best way to learn about the business and make the connections you’ll need to get a job someday.

3. Go to law school. A law degree won’t guarantee you a job as an agent, but you won’t have much luck getting a job as an agent if you don’t have a law degree. Agents need to be able to write and negotiate contracts for their clients.

If you have any additional questions about becoming an agent, leave me a comment and I’d be happy to answer either in the comments or in a separate post! For more information about my background, visit www.marquisathletes.com/aboutus

Do Your Clients Ever Do Free Events?

“Hi, my name is John Doe and I’m calling from XYZ. We’re a non-profit/small corporation/school group and we were wondering, do your clients ever do events for free?”

 I get some variation of this phone call several times per day, and the short answer is, “No.” All of our clients are professional motivational speakers, and they have retired from the professional sport they participated in. Speaking is their job, so they charge for it. We have speakers in a variety of fee ranges and certain speakers offer reduced-fee speeches for schools, community groups, etc. but we do not offer free events. Our speakers are excellent and you won’t be disappointed! They are worth every penny they charge.