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The Sports Agent’s Constitution

The UAAA...add another A and it starts getting crazy
The UAAA, otherwise known as the Uniform Athlete Agents Act is a document that you should become familiar with if you have not already become accustomed to it.

Created in 2000, it has been adopted by 33 states, Washington D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands as of July 20, 2005. Those states can be seen here. If you are licensed in any of those states, you must adhere to the UAAA.

The act has brought increased uniformity for the Sports Agent registration process along with a standard regulations among all states that have adopted the UAAA. The following comes directly from Carol A. Cartwright, chair of the NCAA executive committee and Myles Brand, President of the NCAA:

the UAAA provides the following:
* Uniformity of state laws. Uniformity increases the likelihood that agents will register with the appropriate state agency. The UAAA is designed to provide a single set of regulations and registration requirements for athlete agents.
* Reciprocal registration. Reciprocal registration and a reasonable fee schedule create an efficient registration process in UAAA states, which increases the likelihood that athlete agents will register. Reciprocal registration also diminishes agent confusion over individualized state agency requirements, while at the same time facilitating efficient multistate agent registration.
* Consumer information. The UAAA ensures that student-athletes, parents and institutions have access to agent information, both professional and criminal, which allows the consumer to make an educated decision before entering into an agency contract.
* Notice. The UAAA provides notice to institutions when a student-athlete signs an agency contract. This provision ensures that institutions do not allow an athlete to participate in an activity that would subject the institution to damaging sanctions.
* Subpoena power. The UAAA authorizes the secretary of state, or another appropriate agency, to issue subpoenas in an effort to obtain materials relevant to enforcement of the Act.
* Penalties. The UAAA provides for criminal, civil and administrative penalties at the state level.

The actual UAAA can be read here. I encourage that all Sports Agents read it at least once, because it is an important piece of legislation that should be adopted by more states in the future (33 is already a substantial amount).

And while you are at it…check out the NCAA Bylaws governing Athlete Agents.

[tags]UAAA, Uniform Athlete Agent Act, Sports Agent, Athlete Agent, NCAA[/tags]

By Darren Heitner

Darren Heitner created Sports Agent Blog as a New Year's Resolution on December 31, 2005. Originally titled, "I Want To Be A Sports Agent," the website was founded with the intention of causing Heitner to learn more about the profession that he wanted to join, meet reputable individuals in the space and force himself to stay on top of the latest news and trends.

Heitner now runs Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., which is a law firm with many practice areas, including sports law and contract law. Heitner has represented numerous athletes and sports agents as legal counsel. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington from 2011-2014, where he created and taught a course titled, Sport Agency Management, which included subjects ranging from NCAA regulations to athlete agent certification and the rules governing the profession. Heitner serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he teaches a Sports Law class that includes case law surrounding athlete agents and the NCAA rules.

4 replies on “The Sports Agent’s Constitution”

[…] Since the post made about the UAAA (Uniform Athlete Agents Agent) on January 6th, one new state has passed the act, making it 34 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S Virgin Islands as adherents. Alabama is one of those states. Section 8-26A-4 of Alabama’s state act under the UAAA says: (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b), an individual may not act as an athlete agent in this state without holding a certificate of registration under Section 8-26A-6 or Section 8-26A-8. […]

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