Drew Rosenhaus attracts many of the NFL’s premiere clients such as Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson, Edgerrin James, Thomas Jones, Lance Briggs, Zach Thomas, Will Allen and former players Warren Sapp, Dan Cody, Tommie Harris, Brian Blades, and the late Sean Taylor. His merciless negotiating tactics and big ego have worked for his clients as Rosenhaus held players out of practices and training camps on the way to negotiating some of the biggest contracts the NFL has seen.
A Shark Never Sleeps: Wheeling And Dealing With The NFL’s Most Ruthless Agent is written in first person and reveals the true ups and downs in the life of a sports agent. Drew is a unique test study as he is one of the top agents in the league and has a fierce reputation with team managers and players.
If you ever watched Jerry Maguire, and wanted to inquire more about becoming a sports agent, then this book is for you. In fact, the character of Bob Sugar, Jerry’s hated rival agent, was apparently based upon Drew Rosenhaus and his real life attributes. According to the book, Drew even helped Tom Cruise craft his agent persona while on set.
The book starts out discussing Drew’s life and what lead him to South Florida to become a sports agent. He begins by discussing his first contract that he negotiated and why he wanted to be an agent in the first place. Readers are then guided through his undergraduate experiences at Miami and how he built relationships with athletes while on campus. The reader gets to see how those relationships develop and learn how his attitude and charisma forges bonds with his clients.
Midway through the book, Rosenhaus graduates from Duke Law School and becomes one of the youngest sports agents in the NFL. He shows a youthful ambition and desire to succeed from the start and constantly carries that around with him. Drew’s cocky attitude is shown in this book as he tells his story without powder puffing anything. His opinions and brash decisions are never questioned and he really believes in himself and his abilities. After reading A Shark Never Sleeps, and understanding the experiences Rosenhaus went through, you really cannot blame him for his attitude. He really is one of the great negotiators in the business and can make any client feel like he has the power over his decisions (like T.O. as a Philadelphia Eagle).
Towards the end of the book, Drew begins to “learn the ropes” of the business, as readers are taken on a fun and entertaining ride through his life. From the exciting and unbelievable NFL Draft day moments, to partying with celebrities like Cameron Diaz and others, Drew lends a first hand account of his run to becoming the ruthless, feared, NFL super agent that he is today.
Even though Rosenhaus is the one in charge of telling this story, he clearly has no problem showing his arrogant, cocky interpretations, and really tells you how it is. This book gives anyone a real insider’s view at the dirty dealings that go on behind NFL doors. Drew Rosenhaus is a determined, brash, and bold agent who gets what he wants for his clients and himself. He has worked hard for that and deserves the success and fame he has attained. Drew is viewed as a top dog in the industry, and reading A Shark Never Sleeps helps to illustrate why he has that status.
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2 replies on “Book Review: A Shark Never Sleeps”
The book is a MUST HAVE… not only does it show you the potential ups and downs of an upcoming agent but it gives you an inside look at what it takes to become BIG. One subject that the book didn’t really get into was the fact that his DAD was “buddy buddy” with some of the players in the MIAMI DOLPHINS. He states it early in the book but doesn’t really go into detail. There’s no way he gets away with the stuff he did without having an “IN” somehow. It seemed like he knew way too much and too many people before he got started.
Agreed. It is almost a prerequisite for anybody who wishes to break into this industry (low level or on your own) to have some sort of connection to a player, coach, company, etc.