A Lot More Than Negotiating Contracts

What is a sports agent? Originally he (I say he because it took a while for women to enter the field) was in charge of making sure that his athlete clients did not get screwed when signing deals with professional clubs. An agent’s main task was to read over the contract with a fine comb and then serve as the representative of the athlete in negotiations with a team owner. Eventually, agents realized that there was a lot to be made in representing athletes for their marketing and endorsement deals. Now, an agent who also serves in a marketing capacity typically takes 15-25% on any deal that he/she is able to secure for a client. Chores include: reading over contracts, serving as a representative in discussions, and possibly aiding marketing efforts. Seems like enough to take up an entire day, especially when coupled with recruiting new clients. Don’t make me start laughing…

Honestly, a sports agent’s work is really never complete. There are not enough hours in a single day to accomplish everything that a sports agent could potentially do for his clients. In today’s business, a sports agent has new duties, which include: find endorsements, organize charity events and set up meet-and-greets with potential love interests. Book travel arrangements, arrange financial services and put a spin on controversy. Besides finding the endorsements, the rest is done free of charge…talk about pro bono work! As an agent, you now must also wear some other hats, those being: life coach, business advisor and wish granter. If you are not willing to add these jobs to the traditional role of being an agent, then it is time to find the door. You are replaceable, bottom line. There are too many hungry, greedy, starving agents out there looking to poach your clients the second you slip. Do everything you can to meet what the profession currently demands of you and then think outside of the box to do even more.

For instance, Jason Peck brings up the idea of adding transparency to your business. Advantages include your potential clients knowing more about you at the outset, creation of trust, and others valuing your honesty. All three elements sound good to me. Peck gives a shout out to Dynasty Athlete Representation as being the only sports agency that he knows of that is in the business of blogging. And I will agree with Peck that most of my success thus far with Dynasty stems from the fact that I decided to start this blog and make my agency transparent. I have nothing to hide, and I believe that there is a lot of equity in this blog other than the money obtained from the sponsors located on the right sidebar of this page. This is my way of thinking outside of the box to bring a new element to the business of sports representation. It allows me to stay abreast of current sports agent issues, build connections with others in the industry, promote my clients, and much more. How will you shift the balance of power in this profession?

By the way, go ahead and friend Dynasty on MySpace.