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Contract Negotiation MLB Teams

Special General Managers

All of the major sports news sources were covering the announcement of the 2007 Forbes Business of Baseball report a couple of days ago. Personally, I do not believe that the report is all that important for agents to dissect. The value of the Yankees is $1.2 billion, the Marlins had an operating income of $43.3 million last year, and many argue about the study’s validity.

Instead of wasting your time looking at the numbers, go ahead and take a look at the Forbes.com Baseball’s Best General Managers section. These are the guys that you will have to sit down at the negotiation table with when you hopefully sign your first baseball client. It helps knowing a bit about the person you are in negotiation with. Omar Minaya looks scary!

-Darren Heitner

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.

4 replies on “Special General Managers”

I think you are sort of on point in that the Forbes report may not be very instructive. However, check the article via the link below, which was in the Wall Street Journal recently:

http://www.soxtalk.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=57971

Also, Darren, where are you thinking about going to law school? For aspiring sports agents, what will they really learn in law school courses that they can use when representing clients?

And, my man, you never got to my other questions. Maybe take us through how you would go about representing a player in this year’s NFL Draft (like that tight end from some other Florida school) and a player entering this year’s NBA Draft (maybe an underclassman who is a borderline first round pick). Keep it real and good luck taking over one city at a time…

Jordan-

I’ll make sure to check out that Wall Street Journal article. Thanks for the tip!

Also, I have not officially declared where I will be going for law school. To use a sports analogy, let’s say that I have made a verbal commitment, but I have yet to sign. Rumors on ESPN say that I will be staying with my orange and blue boys at the University of Florida Levin College of Law.

And I will get to your questions. I have them all saved. If there is a slow news day in the next couple of weeks, I will make sure to get to them. I am finishing up finals and will be graduating on May 6th. Then I will be doing Birthright in Israel from May 13-24. Afterwards, I will have all summer to work on this blog and “taking over one city at a time.” 🙂

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