Pro Sports is Entertainment, Too!

Football players are entertainers, too!!  And like the Beyonces and Justin Biebers of the entertainment industry, ball players need individual management representation, too.  Contrary to popular belief, managing the career of a professional athlete stretches far beyond the arenas and stadiums.  Like entertainers, life goes on after a one-hit-wonder.  A professional sports business manager is retained to look at and manage, with a bird’s eye view, the athlete’s big picture.  They represent, promote, negotiate and mind the matters of professional athletes.

As influential as an individual player is to a professional athletic team, they are still just a number on a jam-packed roster.  Lots of things can get overlooked.  Denise White, CEO and Founder of Entertainers & Athletes Group (EAG) recognized the athlete-to-career gap over one decade ago.  Agents turn gigs.  This is great.  It can mean endorsements for athletes and a short-lived financial gratification while the athlete is on the rise.  White’s answer to the ever-growing problem has been “tailored career assistance and development.”

The only thing that separates an entertainment manager from a sports manager is the scope in which they represent the entertainment industry. (Yes.  Professional athletes are entertainers, too.)  A professional sports manager manages endorsement deals, public relations, business management, career development, and brand management for their client.  A sports manager tackles the really, really important stuff off of the fields and courts.

Berdon LLP, a group of CPA’s and advisors for professional athletes, have identified the number one reason professional athletes go broke within two years of retirement.  The athletes managed the game while no one managed their books.  Someone has to take control over appearances, endorsements, cash flow, retirement, and taxation while the athlete’s head is in the game.  That’s where a pro sports managers comes in.

Much of managing a professional athlete is about developing the athlete’s brand for life after the hard hits.  Let’s face it, (against all of our wishes), injuries are likely to happen and joints and speeds will likely diminish.  That’s just how it works.  The question then becomes, “What now?”  Pro Athlete Business Group describes this management strategy as, “empowering athletes to create successful business opportunities after their pro career.”

Professional sports managers stay ahead of the eight ball of the athlete’s career.  Football happens.  Basketball happened.  Hockey happens.  But careers in each of these areas are planned.  In addition to bragging about the athletic talent and creating money-generating exposure off the fields and courts, professional sports business managers prepare the athlete for the “what next”.