The Sporting Life

I am the director of the sports division of the Irene Marie Management Group in Miami Beach, Fla. Irene Marie is a talent agency representing people in the fashion and entertainment industry, such as musicians, actors, and models. We manage the careers of our clients by acting as business advisers who tend to their long-term best interests.

A full-service sports management firm can act as a financial adviser, marketing adviser, contract negotiator, and day-to-day business manager for the athletes it represents. Our sports management division specializes in marketing professional athletes, representing them, and handling all their “off the field” sports-related issues.

Most of my time is spent recruiting professional athletes to join the agency. In 2005, nearly $1 billion was spent on U.S. athletic endorsements and sponsorships. That is why the marketing and branding skills that are taught in an MBA program are important for today's sports industry.

I graduated from the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School in 2005. There is no specific educational path to take to become a sports agent, but the management, marketing, and negotiation skills that are taught in an MBA program are invaluable to the job. Oxford served as a stepping-stone to my career because it is extremely international, both in curriculum and student body (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/18/06, “International Mobility at Oxford”). The sports industry, like most business sectors, is an increasingly global business, so it useful to have an international background.

6:45 a.m.—Get out of bed to start the day. The morning sun shines brightly in Florida, so I rely on the bright sunrise for my wake-up call.

7:00 a.m.—Walk several blocks to the News Café on Miami Beach to get breakfast. I catch up with the major news headlines by perusing headlines of international papers.

8:30 a.m.—Make my first call of the day to Jenna Shoemaker, a professional tri-athlete we represent. We're scheduling a photo shoot to create her portfolio, which will be sent to prospective clients for endorsement and advertising campaigns. I handle every detail—even finding her an Olympic-size pool to train in while she's in town for the shoot.

8:45 a.m.—I go through the never-ending e-mails in my inbox.

9:00 a.m.—Attend a meeting with the company president and founder, Irene Marie. We go over...

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