Player Management

What is player management?

The operational and strategic process of managing athletes throughout their time with a team, including contracts, player personnel, performance optimization, wellness, and career development.

Which department is primarily responsible for player management?

• The sports operations department and the team's front office.

• Personnel in a team’s front office across each league are very similar: scouting, player personnel, operations, financing, and administration

What is the role of scouts?

• To evaluate talent, assess player potential, and determine whether athletes fit a team's needs.

• Constantly analyzing game film, following injury reports, and seeking information about players’ personal lives → acquire the right players to build a competitive roster

What are the two main types of scouting?

• Pro Personnel Scouting

• Amateur/College Scouting

What is Pro Personnel Scouting?

• Evaluating players already competing at a professional level for trades, free agency, and roster additions.

• Trading a player involves an exchange of players, draft picks, or other assets with another team in the league, a decision often guided by scouting reports.

• Alternatively, if a player becomes a free agent, meaning they were not re-signed at the end of their contract, scouts play an\ important role in determining if these unsigned players will be a valuable addition to the roster

• Free agent players can seek employment from any team

What is an unrestricted free agent (UFA)?

A player who can sign with any team without their former team having the opportunity to match the offer.

What is a restricted free agent (RFA)?

A player whose original team has the right to match offers made by other teams.

What is Amateur/College Scouting?

• Evaluating amateur or college athletes who may be selected through the draft.

• The draft typically consists of several rounds in which each team has the opportunity to select a player.

• For instance, the NFL and National Hockey League (NHL) both feature seven rounds of selection, where each team may pick amateur/college players

A team is evaluating university athletes before the draft. What type of scouting is being used?

Amateur/College Scouting.

A team is evaluating a player currently playing in the NFL before making a trade. What type of scouting is being used?

Pro Personnel Scouting.

A player's former team has the right of first refusal. Is the player unrestricted or restricted?

Restricted Free Agent (RFA).

What is collective bargaining?

Negotiation between players' unions and team owners regarding contracts, salaries, revenue sharing, health benefits, and working conditions.

What is a collective bargaining agreement (CBA)?

The formal agreement reached between players' unions and team owners that governs league operations and player employment conditions.

What can happen if team owners and the players union fail to reach a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA)?

• When owners prevent players from working during negotiations → A lockout

• When players refuse to work during negotiations → A strike

What major financial issue is often negotiated in collective bargaining?

• Salary caps → A fixed spending limit on player salaries derived from league revenue to promote parity and competitive balance.

• Used to prevent wealthy teams from gaining an unfair advantage and to maintain competitive balance.

What four major components of a player contract are negotiable?

• A legally binding agreement with a team that defines;

  • Length/Term

  • Base Salary

  • Bonuses

  • Incentives

What is contract length or term?

The number of seasons a player is committed to a team before becoming a free agent or negotiating a new contract.

What is base salary?

Guaranteed money a player earns during the season.

What is a signing bonus?

Money paid immediately when a player signs a contract.

What is a roster bonus?

• Money paid to a player for being on the roster on the first league day of the year.

• For example, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers signed a contract extension with a $57,500,000 signing bonus in 2018.

• In addition, Rodgers made $7.8 million on the first day of the NFL league year in 2018, representing his roster bonus for making the roster in a given year

What are incentives?

Additional compensation tied to achieving performance goals or statistical targets.

What does LTBE stand for?

Likely To Be Earned. The player achieved the target statistic the previous season.

What does UTBE stand for?

Unlikely To Be Earned. The player did not achieve the target statistic the previous season.

A player earned 20 points per game last season and has an incentive for scoring 18 points per game this season. Is this LTBE or UTBE?

LTBE (Likely To Be Earned)

What is optimization of performance?

• Providing services that support athletes' physical health, mental health, performance, and long-term well-being

• Team doctors, physical therapists, and mental health professionals all may help optimize player performance

What is career development?

Opportunities that help athletes maximize professional growth and prepare for life after sports.

What are examples of career development opportunities?

Financial planning, business education, brand building, management training, and transition programs for retirement from sport.