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Contract Negotiation

Who Wants to Represent a Women’s Basketball Coach?

Hold up that 1...for 1 million

Many people were wondering the same thing about men’s collegiate and professional coaches not too long ago. The value of coaches has risen dramatically in the recent past if one were to look at salary figures alone. The newest addition to the millionaire club is the community of coaches in women’s collegiate basketball.

Brought to my attention by an article on ESPN, Pat Summitt (coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols’) has become the first women’s basketball coach to obtain a $1 million+ contract. Not only is it a landmark statement for women’s athletics, but it’s a huge statement for women coaches. Geno Auriemma (the male head coach of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team) is also gauranteed to receive more than $1 million in 2007.

Sports Agents no longer have to represent the actual players of sports in order to make a decent salary off of contract commissions. Lonnie Cooper, President and CEO of Career Sports & Entertainment, is known throughout the country as “The Coach Agent.” He runs a very successful company that boasts a client list full of coaches from the various professional and collegiate sports. With the introduction of college women’s basketball coaches into the millionaire club, a new interest may be created for Sports Agents to devote more time into acquiring women’s basketball coaches as clients.

[tags]vols, pat summitt, tennessee, lonnie cooper, coach agent, college[/tags]

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

5 replies on “Who Wants to Represent a Women’s Basketball Coach?”

Andre- have Darren contact you (if he hasnt already), you are probably just what dynasty is looking for in terms of a nobody looking for an agent. Good luck

Jamal

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