Accounting Jobs in the Sports Industry
The stereotype of accountants is that they work dull, boring jobs, tucked away in a back room somewhere that is dimply lit and are pounding away on a calculator all day long. But accountants working in sports must understand highly complex information while working in an exciting environment.
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Sports Agent
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Most sports agents come from one of two backgrounds--legal and finance. Some have degrees in both fields. A major component of being a sports agent is to negotiate contracts and agree on a value for the player. Accountants have the ability to crunch numbers and provide financial advice to their clients. Players may also look to their agent or seek an accountant to provide them with financial planning advice.
General Managers and Presidents
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Like in business, the president of an organization may have an accounting background. Paul Beeston, who is currently the president of baseball's Toronto Blue Jays, holds a Canadian accounting designation. He was originally hired as a team accountant before ascending to the role of team president and chief operating officer in 1989. Mike Tannenbaum, president of the NFL's New York Jets, has a degree in accounting.
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Executive Positions
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Every sports organization needs financial officers and those with an accounting background to assist with day-to-day operations. The same goes for entire leagues, and accountants can work at the head offices of sports leagues: Paul Beeston, a Canadian-designated accountant, was the president and chief operating officer of Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2002.
Work With Upper Management
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Many accountants work with upper management of sports teams and are looked upon to assist in a variety of transactions, such as working within the financial confines of a collective-bargaining agreement, ensuring the team stays within a salary cap, if one exists, and also facilitating trades. Steve Fruitman is an accountant who works with the NBA's Toronto Raptors. He was credited with creating a complicated four-way trade in 2009.
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References
- Monster: Play Ball as a Sports Accountant
- Raptors.com: Four-Team Deal Fueled By Creative Number Crunching; Mike Ulmer; July 2009
- Canada Sports Hall of Fame: Paul Beeston
- New York Times: Jets G.M. Follows His Binder to Success; Greg Bishop; Jan. 2011
- NHLPA.com: Certified Agents
- "The Bottom Line": Helping athletes 'get on with the rest of their lives'; Geoff Kirbyson; Sept. 2010
- Photo Credit Balancing the Accounts image by Julien BASTIDE from Fotolia.com
