Why I Want to Be a Sports Agent Research Paper Example

Why I Want to Be a Sports Agent Research Paper Example Why I Want to Be a Sports Agent Paper Why I Want to Be a Sports Agent Paper KIN 2510 Career Goals and Internship Assignment While everyone else is screaming about the quarterback who just scrambled for a touchdown on fourth-and-seven, that guy at the end of your row may be pondering a different number a 3 percent agents fee on $20 million in guaranteed money, perhaps. . Money hungry, sneaky, dishonest, unscrupulous. These are words that some athletes would use to describe a sports agent that they’ve had bad dealings with. Even a casual football fan has seen the impact of that scramble in the run-up to the current season. This past summer, universities across the South found themselves embroiled in controversies regarding player agent relationships, and one coach Nick Saban, of national champion University of Alabama angrily compared some agents to pimps. A good agent can help a professional athlete attain financial and mental stability during and after his career. An incompetent or dishonest agent can ruin an athlete’s playing career and threaten his financial security for years afterward. I aspire to be a great sports agent in the field of football with hard work, hands-on experience, dedication, and perserverance. What exactly is a sports agent? A sports agent works to market an athlete or products that are related to that athlete to promote the athletes career within his or her given sport. This means that the sports agent is responsible for meeting with team owners, managers, coaches and other individuals to promote the athlete that they represent. Much of a sports agents day is spent networking, talking with other professionals in the sport and keeping abreast of current trends and information that may affect decisions that the agent recommends to the athlete. In team and individual sports the agent works to negotiate contracts that are in the best interest of the athlete. This usually means getting a better salary, making provisions for injuries, or taking other options in lieu of salary increases. The sports agent makes recommendations to the athlete as to which option is best for him or her or which options are better over the long-term as opposed to just short-term benefits. A professional athlete can protect himself from the disreputable agents by carefully choosing an agent and working closely with him. In summary, a good agent does more than help a layer convert his athletic skills into financial security. He protects his client’s rights and, as New York Yankee executive Cedric Tallis said, â€Å"keeps the player in a frame of mind where he can perform best for himself and his team†. The education required to become a sports agent includes a four-year college degree in business or a related major. Most earn a degree in either sports administration (not every school offers it), business administration, finance/accounting or law. A bachelors degree is almost required, although a lot of people even stay a few more years and earn a masters degree. The future sports agent may then also follow that with a law degree. Attending school is usually not enough. Aspiring sports agents will also need to intern and again experience working with a sports agency. If nothing is available, a lot of aspiring agents work somewhere in sports until an agency position opens up. The agent must also understand the market his or her professional athlete plays for. You need to understand what other players of your clients caliber are making, keep a close tab on the market and form a strong relationship with the owner and (sometimes) coach of the team. Sports agents need to have excellent communication skills. They must sell a service, which in this case is a professional athlete. They must present outstanding sales skills like persuasion, persistence and dedication. Agents also need to form a tight bond with the athletes they work for. The career path for a sports agent isn’t as easy as it looks. You aren’t instantly a millionaire either. Almost all sports leagues require sports agents to be certified. For instance,  the NFL requires all sports agents to not only have a post graduate degree but a specific certification as well. Certifications can range from paying a small fee and taking a few courses to spending time and gaining experience within the specific league. Needless to say, networking during these 7 or so years of education is key. Since sports agents are high in numbers and generally low in demand, it is necessary to put yourself in position with the right location and with the right people who can get you in where you want to be. The next step in moving your way up the ladder would be to scout some potential or up and coming sports professionals who you can represent. Chances are, if you do et the opportunity to represent an athlete, it will not be a big time professional right off the bat. Which is normal, your reputation is what you make of it, so starting small and following through will ultimately help you in the long run. Your success with one athlete will eventually attract others, and from there your reputation will begin to flourish. After gaining the degree, certification, experience, a nd clientele, it will be some time before you can really prosper. Big time sports agents have often times branched out of their specialized sport industry and gained clientele in other sports leagues after some time. In doing so, sports agents have the ability to represent a larger amount of professionals, and gain experience in a various amount of sports leagues. But be careful, each sports league has different requirements for its sports agents, how they can conduct business and how much they can charge for their services. Getting to know your league, sport, and industry is key. There are several websites listing endless internships. Whether they be paid or not should not matter when starting off. Experience is key. There is an internship opportunity from a law firm looking for a sports intern. I think that that would be a wonderful opportunity because it’s working with a law firm and so you get earlier hands on experience in the legal department than just interning for a sports team. Also, the Oklahoma City Redhawks have a job opening for Vice President in sponsorship sales. This opportunity would not be something that I would be interested in because I know almost little to nothing about baseball and the field in which I’m interested in doesn’t have much to do with selling sponsorships. But nonetheless it is a great opportunity for someone who is interested in that particular area. One particular internship that caught my eye was with USA Football. In Indianapolis, not far from where I live, a membership services intern is needed. There is compensation, and also I believe that it is a great starting internship because of its description. The job duties consist of researching youth football leagues throughout the USA currently in the database, entering additional league information into the internal database, responding to member inquiries received through online help desk as needed, and entering member data for affiliated organizations. It seems like a great way to get hands on in the business world of football. Even though it is for youth football, it is still experience. Sports agency is definitely the area I am most interested in, particularly the football field. With a lot of dedication, perserverence, hands-on knowledge and experience, I believe that I have what it takes to dominate in this field. Internship Sources Internship 1- sportsagentblog. com/2010/11/03/sports-law-internship/ Internship 2- http://pclbaseball. teamworkonline. com/teamwork/r. cfm? i=35768 Internship 3- http://footballjobs. teamworkonline. com/teamwork/jobs/jobs. cfm/Internships? supcat=321#35320

The Pros and Cons of GMOs From a Vegan Perspective

The Pros and Cons of GMOs From a Vegan Perspective If youre confused about the pros and cons of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), youre not alone. This relatively new technology is riddled with bioethics questions, and the arguments for and against GMOs are difficult to weigh because its hard to know the risks until something goes wrong. Part of this is due largely to the wide scope that the term genetically modified organism includes, though its exclusion of genetic alterations that could be caused by natural mating has narrowed the definition considerably. Still, most argue that not all GMOs are bad. Scientific breakthroughs in manipulating plant genetics are actually largely responsible for the commercial success of crops in the United States, especially that of corn and soy.   New legislation initiatives in the United States are seeking to force products to be labeled as genetically modified as a result of this clarification, and it could lead to a better understanding - or more confusion - of what it means for a good to be a GMO.   What Exactly Is a GMO? The legal definition of a genetically modified organism in the European Union is an organism, with the exception of human beings, in which the genetic material has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally by mating and/or natural recombination. It is illegal in the E.U. to deliberately release a GMO into the environment, and food items containing more than 1% GMOs must be labeled - which is not the case in the U.S. This alteration of the genes usually entails inserting genetic material into an organism in a laboratory without natural mating, breeding or reproduction. Instead of breeding two plants or animals together to bring out certain traits in the offspring, the plant, animal or microbe has DNA from another organism inserted. Creating GMOs is one type of genetic engineering, further broken down into different sub categories like transgenic organisms, which are GMOs that contain DNA from another species and cisgenic organisms, which are GMOs that contain DNA from a member of the same species and is generally regarded as the less risky type of GMO. Arguments for GMO Use GMO technology can develop crops with higher yield, with less fertilizer, less pesticides, and more nutrients. In some ways, GMO technology is more predictable than traditional breeding, in which thousands of genes from each parent are transferred randomly to the offspring. Genetic engineering moves discrete genes or blocks of genes at a time. Further, it speeds up production and evolution. Traditional breeding can be very slow because it might take several generations before the desired trait is sufficiently brought out and the offspring must reach sexual maturity before they can be bred. With GMO technology, the desired genotype can be created instantly in the current generation. If you live in the United States, you are most likely eating GMOs or livestock who were fed GMOs.  Eighty-eight percent  of the corn and ninety-four percent  of the soy grown in the U.S. has been genetically modified to be herbicide-resistant and/or insect-resistant. GMOs may not be natural, but not everything natural is good for us, and not everything unnatural is bad for us. Poisonous mushrooms are natural, but we shouldnt eat them. Washing our food before eating it is not natural, but is healthier for us. GMOs have been on the market since 1996, so if all GMOs were an immediate health threat, we would know it by now. Arguments Against GMO Use The most common arguments against GMOs are that they have not been tested thoroughly, have less predictable outcomes and can be potentially harmful to human, animal and crop health alike as a result.   Studies have already shown that GMOs are dangerous to rats. A  review of 19 studies  in which genetically modified soy and corn were fed to mammals found that a GMO diet often led to liver and kidney problems. Further, genetically modified plants or animals could interbreed with wild populations, creating problems such as population explosions or crashes or offspring with dangerous traits which would go further into harming the delicate ecosystem. Also,  GMOs will inevitably lead to more  monoculture, which is dangerous because it threatens the biological diversity of our food supply. GMOs are transferring genes in a much more unpredictable way compared to natural breeding. One of the built-in safeguards of natural breeding is that  a member of one species  will not produce fertile offspring with a member of another species. With transgenic technology, scientists are transferring genes not just across species but even across kingdoms, inserting animal genes into microbes or plants. This produces genotypes that could never exist in nature. This is far more unpredictable than crossing a Macintosh apple with a Red Delicious apple.   Genetically modified products contain novel proteins that could trigger allergic reactions in people who are either  allergic to one of the components of the GMO or in people who are allergic only to the new substance. Further, food additives that are Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) do not have to undergo rigorous toxicity testing to prove their safety. Instead, their safety is generally based on published past toxicity studies. The FDA has awarded GRAS status to  95% of the GMOs  that have been submitted. One of the biggest controversies surrounding GMOs is labeling. Unlike other controversial foods like  veal, trans fats, MSG or artificial sweeteners, GMO ingredients in food are rarely, if ever, identified on the label. GMO opponents advocate a labeling requirement so that consumers can decide for themselves whether or not to consume GMO products. GMOs and Animal Rights Animal rights  activism is the belief that animals have an intrinsic value separate from any value they have to  humans  and have a right to be free of human use, oppression,  confinement, and exploitation. On the plus side, GMOs can make agriculture more efficient, thereby reducing our impact on wildlife and wild habitats. However, genetically modified organisms raise some specific animal rights concerns. On the negative, GMO technology often involves  experimenting on animals  wherein the animal can be the source of the genetic  material or the recipient of genetic material such as when jellyfish and coral were  once used to create genetically modified mice, fish and rabbits as  glowing pets  for the novelty pet trade. The  patenting of genetically modified animals  is also a concern to  animal rights activists. Patenting animals treats the animals more like  property  instead of sentient, living beings. While animal advocates want animals treated less like property and more like sentient beings with their own interests, patenting animals is a step in the opposite direction. Under the U.S. Food,  Drug,  and Cosmetics Act, new food additives must be proven safe. While there are no required tests, the FDA offers  Guidelines for Toxicity Studies  that include rodents and non-rodents, usually dogs. Although some opponents of GMOs are demanding more long-term tests, animal advocates should refrain from doing so. More tests will mean  more animals suffering  in laboratories.