Many of us have seen the movie Jerry Maguire, but how accurate is the portrayal of player agents?

In the movie, agents are depicted as essentially money-hungry people who are prepared to do and say anything in order to obtain a client. No honesty and no integrity seem to be the primary characteristics of agents.

Most agents are lawyers, but a law degree is not a requirement.

However, an in-depth knowledge of contracts and good negotiation skills are very important.

Some sports require that anyone wishing to represent athletes must be certified.

For example, the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) require agents representing a professional hockey player drafted by an NHL hockey club to be licensed.

If you are not licensed, you cannot negotiate player contracts.

For the NHL, the requirements of certification are primarily completing an application and paying a $1,000 U.S. fee. The certification must be renewed yearly.

In hockey, agents recruit some players as young as 12 to 14 years old who are playing at the pee wee and bantam levels. Some agents do no recruiting at the minor-age levels and wait until the player is drafted into the major junior leagues such as the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).

How does one choose an agent?

Each agent has his or her own method of recruiting. Most agents use the names of players which they represent who play in the NHL. Some attempt to "bribe" some players by offering to pay for such things as the child’s summer hockey school.

It is an investment for these agents, and if their investment does not pan out in a few years, they forget about you.

It is a huge business motivated by dollars and cents.

If you have a child who is excelling and the potential for a professional career is there, he following are things to consider:

1. Don’t be afraid to ask the agent for a list of clients and contract those clients which are playing in the minor leagues, college or university to determine the level of service they are receiving.
2. Ask the agent what other services his agency offers aside from contract negotiations.
3. Inquire whether or not the agency and or agent is certified and in good standing with the professional organizations.
4. Inquire as to what the agency’s fee structure is.

Some agents would have you believe that "they" can make a difference as to how high a player will get drafted and whether or not the individual will play professionally.

Wrong.