In a perfect world for athlete managers, every professional sportsperson would have the hunger and drive to blitz the commercial world just as they have the same hunger and drive to succeed on-field.
But unfortunately we don’t live in a perfect world. Not every athlete wants to build their public profile and do the work that is required to earn massive money from endorsements, appearances and media deals.
The main focus of an athlete manager’s job is to make their client money. After all that’s how managers make their money. So when a manager has an athlete that doesn’t have the same commercial drive it can be incredibly frustrating.
Before you sign an athlete it’s important to ask them what they think you’re job is. If they think your job is to earn them as much money as possible and they are willing to work really hard for the endorsement dollars, then great, you are both on the same page. You can confidently chase opportunities knowing your athlete will go to work.
However if they don’t care much for the spotlight, aren’t willing to go over and beyond for sponsors, network themselves, or simply have an attitude of wanting to earn money but don’t really want to put in the work required, then you have a problem.
It’s important to ask an athlete the big questions up front. Know exactly what your role is with every client you represent. You will not only save yourself a lot of time and heartache, but you can really concentrate on rewarding those clients who have the hunger to succeed commercially.
Tags: athlete manager, Media
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