Categories
Contract Negotiation Soccer

Major League Soccer Beckham

On January 12th, Chris Lesley was talking about the “milestone in sports,” which was David Beckham’s supposed contract that he was going to be signing with the L.A. Galaxy [Earn it like Beckham].  Hell, every sports news service was going crazy about the $250 million that Beckham was going to earn over 5 seasons.  Sorry Chris, but it seems like A-Rod still has Beckham beat when it comes to money made while actually playing the game (we will see how Beckham does when endorsements are considered as well).

Please do not get me wrong here.  Beckham is still the man, and is making 10 times more than any other MLS player (when you start with the 7th highest paid player).  He will make $6.5 million guaranteed, which is still not too shabby [Beckham’s salary revealed; Reyna top U.S. earner].  And AEG, which is the company that owns the L.A. Galaxy, can decide to give Beckham money beyond whatever his contract guarantees

Throughout all of this Beckham talk, I have been trying to see if the value of soccer players would rise enough to make the market strong enough for more agents to want to get involved in the sport.  If you are lucky enough to represent a Beckham, you will make good money on the contract representation side and definitely the marketing end.  But unless you are going to look overseas and import players to the MLS, you still will not be making much on representing a soccer player in contract negotiations.  The highest paid American player is Claudio Reyna, making $1.25 million guaranteed.

As the ESPN article states, “only the top six players in the league have salaries above the major league baseball minimum of $380,000” and “seventy four percent of the players have base salaries of $100,000 or less.”  Enjoy your small percentage commission on that.

-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.