While staying with his father in Merritt, Florida, in 1971, Sparks joined the United States Coast Guard and was Initially stationed in Puerto Rico, he transferred to work on the Tennessee River.

As director he was responsible for overseeing the construction of the headquarters office, procuring equipment, hiring and training staff, and field verifying street addresses for over 30,000 homes and businesses.

However, he responded that the media in question was time-sensitive, and that the then-Commissioner had scaled back his involvement in the department's operations following his own defeat in the gubernatorial primary a few months earlier.

[7] During his first term as Commissioner, Sparks pushed for country-of-origin labeling for food and agricultural products, citing health problems and under-cost dumping associated with imports from certain countries.

In what was regarded as an upset, Sparks defeated Congressman Artur Davis in a landslide in the Democratic primary on June 1, 2010.

Tensions over Davis' opposition to healthcare reform legislation, along with Davis' decision to not seek the support of traditional Democratic Party groups and his ignoring the needs of his constituents in his congressional district, led voters to overwhelmingly vote for Sparks in the Democratic Primary.

[citation needed] After his loss in the 2010 General Election, Sparks was rumored as a possible candidate for Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party.

[21] In a December 6, 2010 article in the Montgomery Advertiser, Sparks said he would support former State Supreme Court Justice Mark Kennedy, son-in-law of former Governor George C. Wallace, for the post of party chairman.

Senator Doug Jones hired Sparks as his Regional Director for the Middle District of Alabama, which includes Montgomery and Dothan.