With more people participating in sports domestically and internationally, it is key to be the leader of the recruitment process of these players. More and more teams in all sports are now searching internationally to find more players that are suitable for their teams. With baseball, they have looked into the Latin America regions for young prospects to help out with their teams. Scouts are constantly searching for the next big thing. But it seems that more players are being taken advantage of by not only the teams but also their agents and sometimes their families. To really be able to service these players correctly, you have to know what exactly the players will have to deal with and also what the players are looking for themselves.
Most young prospects in international countries are just looking at the big picture. They love playing the sport and they want to be paid for it. When they ink their name on a contract for a 1 million dollars, they believe that will sustain the type of living that they see on television and read about in the papers. But what they do not realize it that they have other expenses to that have to deal with once they become a professional athlete. As their agent you have to be willing to teach the client exactly what needs to done and what they need to do to maintain the life that they want. Most agents take advantage of international players in this aspect. Considering that more and more players from the international world are picked at a very young age and come from low-income families, they want to provide for all aspects of their families which sometimes is at the determent of the player's career. Agents must be to communicate with their clients about the numerous factors that a professional athlete must deal with. From health insurance to paying for the agent themselves, the money that they have just signed for has already dwindled from the moment that they have signed. Communicate with the players that the contract value is not really the money that they have to spend carefree.
Another key thing is to know what expectations that the players have for themselves. When a player comes into the respective sport, ask the player what exactly do they want for their career. If it is all about the sport, how much do they want to spend to get the best trainers and coaches? If they want to have endorsements, what type of companies do they want to represent and what type of values do they hold dear to themselves that want to misinterpret?(e.g. cigarettes) These are some things that agents to need to know about their clients. Many agencies put all their clients in a box and try to get their big time shoe deals or soft drink ads when most players are not worthy enough for these type of deals. Some players do not want that type of lime light and just want to play the sport. The agent must be able to know what the player's wants and needs are.
http://www.sportsagentblog.com/2012/11/21/melvin-roman/
