By Sam Barker

-A sports agent works to market an athlete to promote the athlete's career within his or her given sport. -Agents are responsible for meeting with team owners, managers, coaches and other individuals to promote the athlete that they represent. What does a Sports Agent do?What does a Sports Agent do? Staff of Rosenhaus Sports, Drew Rosenhaus, second from left

- Sports agents use all the basics of math; including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Algebra is also used. -Math is used when calculating player’s contracts and figuring out whether or not an athlete is being paid a fair amount of money over a certain time period. Agents have to deal with large numbers, usually in the millions.

-There are no standard education requirements for becoming a sports agent. -Many universities and private institutions offer programs in sports management. - Bachelor's degree programs in sports management commonly cover business topics, such as finance, management and public relations, and media-related topics. -A law degree is not a necessity, although some knowledge of the law is essential for working with contracts. The University of South Carolina was the first school to have a separate department for sports management.

-A Sports Agent representing several highly paid athletes can make an upper six- figure salary or more. The type of sport in which their client is working will also affect the agents salary. -The location of a Sports Agent and their clients also affect their salaries. An agent representing a player in a larger city will make more money than an agent representing a player in a smaller city. The median salary of a Sports Agent in New York is $52,500, nearly twice as much as the $30,000 salary of a Sports Agent in Dallas. -Salaries range from about $20,000 to over $90,000 and are potentially much higher for agents of top athletes.

There is no set place that a Sports Agent would have to live. Although, it is recommended that an agent lives close to the majority of their clients. This would give them easy accessibility to meet with clients. Living near host cities to professional sports franchises is also recommended.

Meeting with athletes, coaches, team owners and managers as required. Constant networking is essential in this career. Drawing up contracts, negotiating settlement offers and advising the athlete as to the best possible options for both the short and long-term financial gains. Completing risk and financial analysis on various contract or salary offers and providing this info to the athlete in a timely and accurate fashion. Traveling to different locations to represent the athlete in contract negotiations.

Bibliography Bowe, John, Marisa Bowe, and Sabin Streeter. Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs. New York: Three Rivers Press, Print. "Sports Agent Job Profile." Job Descriptions Online Degrees and College Information to Start Your Career - JobProfiles.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 June "Sports Agent." Premier Online Directory of Degree Programs & Career Planning. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 June 2010.