Sport Agents and Amateur Athletes
Sport Agents and Amateur Athletes
Katie Brown
7/18/2013
Introduction
Sport agents typically handle contract negotiations for athletes, as well as any public relation issues, finance issues, and endorsement deals (Evans, 2010). Over the years, however, sport agents have become more to athletes than just a contract negotiator; they have taken upon the additional tasks of marketing their client’s ability, persona, and brand. With the increasing friction from collegiate athletes over the fact that they continue to be unpaid while simultaneously generating millions in revenue, agents look increasingly more inviting with the cars, money, and gifts they offer promising young amateur athletes. The competition to acquire these young star athletes has become intense, and agents are willing to give or do whatever it takes to get the athlete to sign on the dotted line for representation.
As of 2006, the NFL Player’s Association reported that there were over 1800 certified player agents. Of these 1800 active agents, less than half had an actual client (Davis, 2006). This sentiment is echoed throughout the other major leagues; many agents have no clients and subsequently have to resort to unethical tactics to find the next big star athlete that can continue to provide revenue streams. Agents have shown that they are willing to do anything for collegiate recruits and can be harmful to the athlete in question’s reputation. Furthermore, the universities with which the athletes have signed can suffer the consequences even if the university had no knowledge of any unethical transactions.
In terms of ethical approaches that sport agents or players may take in regard to certain situations, many of the ones frequently reported in the news and through the media react to ethical situations with a teleological approach. The NCAA and federal rules and regulations for sport agents and amateur athletes clearly take a
Katie Brown
7/18/2013
Introduction
Sport agents typically handle contract negotiations for athletes, as well as any public relation issues, finance issues, and endorsement deals (Evans, 2010). Over the years, however, sport agents have become more to athletes than just a contract negotiator; they have taken upon the additional tasks of marketing their client’s ability, persona, and brand. With the increasing friction from collegiate athletes over the fact that they continue to be unpaid while simultaneously generating millions in revenue, agents look increasingly more inviting with the cars, money, and gifts they offer promising young amateur athletes. The competition to acquire these young star athletes has become intense, and agents are willing to give or do whatever it takes to get the athlete to sign on the dotted line for representation.
As of 2006, the NFL Player’s Association reported that there were over 1800 certified player agents. Of these 1800 active agents, less than half had an actual client (Davis, 2006). This sentiment is echoed throughout the other major leagues; many agents have no clients and subsequently have to resort to unethical tactics to find the next big star athlete that can continue to provide revenue streams. Agents have shown that they are willing to do anything for collegiate recruits and can be harmful to the athlete in question’s reputation. Furthermore, the universities with which the athletes have signed can suffer the consequences even if the university had no knowledge of any unethical transactions.
In terms of ethical approaches that sport agents or players may take in regard to certain situations, many of the ones frequently reported in the news and through the media react to ethical situations with a teleological approach. The NCAA and federal rules and regulations for sport agents and amateur athletes clearly take a
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