An Effective NFL Offseason for Marketers, Managers, and Agents

The offseason for the NFL is here. It’s a time where many fans, athletes, coaches, and sports managers start to see some of their time free up. Before we know it, the summer will arrive and baseball will take the center stage as the only sport of the Big 4 that’s in season. There may be no scheduled physical competition in the offseason, but the business never stops for athletes and their agents. In fact, the offseason can become the busiest and most important time of the year for athletes looking to build business relationships. For the NFL specifically, events with networking opportunities pop up all over the country in the offseason. Events that are made specifically for football purposes are becoming increasingly networking purposes for athletes’ managers and agents. Exploring the opportunities attached to these events and navigating them successfully is crucial in assisting athletes with their off the field endeavors.

The Super Bowl alone is one of the largest sports business and corporate networking events in the world. Without even buying a ticket, thousands of sports professionals flock to the event each year to network with brands who may be interested in the services of their athletes. The Super Bowl is PR heaven as well. On Radio Row, hundreds of radio hosts are constantly in search of athletes to bring on their shows. Leading up to the big game, agents and managers work diligently to get their athletes featured.

On a much smaller scale, the Reese’s Senior Bowl has become a relatively important networking event as well. While most of the public sees this game as a chance for the NCAA’s best senior football players to show off their skills, sports agents and managers see it as an opportunity for new business and connections. The event itself has accommodated for this as well. Not only is there a football game, but a sports business summit fills the Thursday beforehand. This year, in addition to Keynote Speaker Gary Vaynerchuk, there were five-panel discussions spanning across various different Football topics. While this is more of an official gathering of agents and managers looking to get involved with former college athletes, the NFL Combine and Draft (geared mostly towards scouts and team officials) also serve as unofficial networking events where professionals will go to meet with and observe the players while making connections.

Events are not the only things keeping athletes, agents, and managers busy in the offseason. In general, athletes’ schedules begin to free up, making brand partnerships easier to execute. Agents and managers need to work diligently in this time frame to take advantage of their athletes' open schedules. Creating partnership opportunities and attracting new clients are two crucial functions that can happen most frequently within this time frame.

While the season may be over, athletes, managers, and agents won’t slow down. Preparing for the upcoming season and capitalizing on the success of past seasons is necessary for this “off time.” Creating new business opportunities can be just as competitive as any sport, so start preparing!