Do you enjoy sports? Have you ever wanted to become the general manager (or GM) of a sports team? The general manager is in charge of negotiating player contracts, acquiring the rights to players, and reassigning (trading) or dismissing players no longer wanted on the team. He or she may also be in charge of hiring the coaching staff for the team, including the head coach.

Most general managers of sports teams have experience playing in the sport, or worked their way through the ranks of a team. Others have experience in business and management and brought that knowledge to the sport. Whichever road you decide, you can become a general manager of a sports team if your heart desires!

• Learn everything there is to know about the sport you would like to manage, from the rules to all procedures.

• Take a course in management, public relations, and/or business.

• Study successful teams in the past in your sport and what has made them winners. Different managers have different philosophies but they know how to build a winner.

Play the sport until you retire and you are selected to be the general manager. Steve Yzerman played 24 years in the NHL before becoming the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

• Get a job with a sports team and work your way up. There are many positions from a scout to an assistant. The story of Kim Ng, the assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is a good tale of how someone started from the bottom and almost worked her way to the top.http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/community/executives/ng.html

• Some general managers were sports agents and may have not played or worked for any team before being hired. NHL general managers such as Peter Chiarelli of the Boston Bruins had no NHL experience but were noted player agents.

• Have a great general manager as a parent. Ray Shero of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Stan Bowman of the Chicago Blackhawks are examples of GM's who were sons of successful GM's (Fred Shero and Scotty Bowman respectively).

• Be fair and understanding in any negotiations and dealings with staff. Players want as much money as they can get, but as a GM you must decide if paying a certain salary will weaken other positions.

• Do not let personal feelings cloud your judgement.

• Be careful you follow all rules and procedures when submitting contracts and trades.

• Build a winning team!

Most general managers were players or coaches in their respective sports, but a number of them only have backgrounds in ownership or management. Tampa Bay Lightning GM Steve Yzerman played 24 years in the NHL. Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis was a player agent.

Learn all you can about the sport, from the rules to the qualifications required for each position. You are ultimately responsible for the entire team, from the players to the coaching staff.

You are working on behalf of the sports club during contract negotiations so have the team's best interest at heart.