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Common Background Checks on Sports Players, Front Office, Others

Tammy Cohen, PHR, SHRM-CP
November 3 2016
We all have our favorite sports and our favorite teams, and we all love to gossip about them. Whether it’s a player or a coach, each person who works on for a sports teams might as well have a spotlight aimed directly at them.

Due to fan interest, attraction of media outlets, financial draw, and the mere fact you are in a literal spotlight with thousands in attendance, sports franchises are responsible for ensuring they add positive members to their staff. You must know who you are hiring so you can make well-informed employment decisions that support your team’s reputation and success.

 

Nine Common Background Checks for Sports Staff

InfoMart has an excellent track record with our sports clients. We have assisted many popular franchises in creating, implementing, and managing customized background screening programs that meet their staffing goals.

 

Basic Checks for Vendors and Support Staff

Lower-level sports employees tend to interact with customers in vendor or service roles, and one bad hire can risk the reputation of your entire team. For example, a parent could file a complaint after learning that one of your ice cream vendors employs a registered sex offender to serve children.

Some of the more common screenings conducted on our clients’ vendors, as well as entry-level and support candidates, include the following:

  • National Social Security Searches match the Social Security Number to the issued name
    to verify a candidate’s identity and reveal an applicant’s aliases and/or additional addresses.
  • Criminal History Searches can include county, statewide, federal, and international
    criminal searches, depending on the scope requested.
  • Multi-State Sex Offender Searches go through a comprehensive, private sex offender
    database for almost instant results.
  • Education Verification ensures that your candidate’s education history is accurate as
    reported.

Background screening solutions are not one-size-fits-all and can vary widely. Programs are customizable and sensitive, and they should meet the needs of the franchise.

 

Expanded Checks for Front Office, Executives, Coaches, and Athletes

Expanded checks take a more detailed look at a candidate’s qualifications and history to ensure they will be effective in their position and protect the brand’s reputation. For example, a candidate’s discriminatory comments on social media could alienate both fans and stakeholders.

The following screenings, supplementing the above list of basic searches, provide a more comprehensive picture of candidates who work in the front office or may be spotlights of media attention, such as executives, coaches and athletes:

  • Previous Employment Verification confirms a candidate’s employment experience.
  • Driving Records/Motor Vehicle Records verify an applicant’s driving history and identify
    any risks associated with allowing a candidate corporate driving duties.
  • Drug Testing identifies drug use and/or history of use.
  • Credit Checks are pertinent to asset management jobs and recommended for applicants
    slated for financial or cash-handling positions.
  • Social Media Searches collect information from publicly available, user-generated Internet
    content and strip the data of any protected-class information.

Whether you’re hiring stadium security, concession vendors, or athletes, comprehensive background checks are essential to mitigating risk and protecting your franchise’s reputation. When you employ thoroughly vetted talent, you set your team up to entertain your loyal fans while avoiding scandal over a bad hire’s negative past behavior.

About Tammy Cohen

Tammy Cohen, an industry pioneer and expert in identity and employment screening, founded InfoMart 30 years ago. Deemed the “Queen of Screen,” she’s been a force behind industry-leading innovations. She was most recently the first-to-market with a fully compliant sanctions search, as well as a suite of identity services that modernizes talent onboarding. Tammy revolutionized the screening industry when she stepped into the field, developing the first client-facing application and a due diligence criminal search that has since become standard for all background screening companies. Cohen has received national awards and honors for her business and civic involvement, including Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Top 25 Women-Owned Firms in Atlanta, Enterprising Women Magazine’s Enterprising Women of the Year award, the YWCA of Northwest Georgia’s Kathryn Woods Racial Justice Award, and a commendation in the 152nd Congressional Record. To learn more about Tammy, visit www.tammycohen.com.

About InfoMart

InfoMart has been revolutionizing the global background and identity screening industry for 30 years, providing businesses the information they need to make informed hiring decisions. They develop innovative technology that modernizes talent onboarding, including a first-to-market biometric identity authentication application and a verified sanctions search. The WBENC-certified company is a founding member of the Professional Background Screening Association, and they have achieved PBSA accreditation in recognition of their consistent business practices and commitment to compliance with the FCRA. The company is dedicated to customer service, speed, and accuracy, and it has been recognized for its success, workplace culture, and corporate citizenship with over 45 industry awards. To Get the Whole Story on InfoMart, please visit www.InfoMart-USA.com, follow @InfoMartUSA, or call (770) 984-2727.

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