Game days, draft season and trade deadlines look very different — here's a regular in-season weekday:
Watch last night's game tape. Note who is slipping and who is rising.
Scouts pitch prospects. Weigh what they saw against what the numbers say.
Haggle with an agent over a star's extension. Protect the salary cap.
Work the phones with rival GMs. Float offers, bluff, read their replies.
Talk lineup and effort with the head coach. Is it the roster or the plan?
Decide whether to release an aging veteran. Then tell him face to face.
Defend a big trade to ownership. Show the budget and the multi-year plan.
Interview a scout candidate and review analytics staff requests.
Watch from the suite, texting scouts and agents. Always on the clock.
- Decide which players to draft, sign, trade, or cut.
- Negotiate contracts with agents while staying under the salary cap.
- Work the phones to pitch and haggle over trades.
- Hire and fire head coaches, scouts, and front office staff.
- Weigh scouting reports and analytics to size up players.
- Is this player worth the contract he's asking, or should I walk away?
- Do I trust what the scouts saw, or what the numbers say?
- Should I trade future picks for a win-now star, or keep building?
- Is this coach the problem, or is it the roster I gave him?
- Do I cut this veteran now, or give him one more chance?
People usually reach this work through experience rather than a college program.
Explore more colleges →Sports scouts find and evaluate athletes for college and professional teams by watching games in person and on video, studying stats, and writing reports that help teams decide whom to recruit, draft, or sign.
Athletic directors run the sports programs at high schools, colleges, and universities. They hire coaches, manage budgets and facilities, schedule games and travel, make sure teams follow the rules, and keep athletes safe.
Sports coaches teach and lead athletes and teams at the high school, college or pro level. They run practices, build game plans, study film, and mentor players to improve their skills and perform well in competition.
