Categories
Contract Negotiation MLB Players Sports Agents

Sell Stock In Boras Corp?

You probably missed it, but the Oregionian had a very humorous piece last week which aimed to get in the mind of Scott Boras [Deep thoughts with Scott Boras]. This was one of his generated thoughts:

Indicted?

Thank you, Barry.

Ain’t nobody going to have the time to pile on ol’ Scott now. Indicted. Indicted. Indicted. ESPN’s going to slug this baby as “Breaking News” for the next week and a half. Got news for you, Mouseketeers. This story is broken.

Barry Bonds’ indictment definitely did take the spotlight off of A-Rod a little bit and had people distracted from ripping on Boras for his big valuation mistake. In fact, all of this Bonds nonsense coupled with a big college football weekend and another day of NFL games have had people ignoring all things Boras. But I would never let some important sports agent information pass you by.

In fact, ESPN does not want you to miss this story (they posted two versions on their website), but mainstream media just cannot seem to cover it. Scott Boras lost a very high profile client. His name is Kenny Rogers. And it occurred in the wake of this whole Alex Rodriguez fiasco.

It seems like Boras is forgetting what it means to be an agent, and only concerning himself with the money involved in the business of sports. Hell, even Warren Buffett had to bail him out by giving A-Rod some good advice, which allowed him to save his image. The public first got a glimpse of this when Boras had A-Rod opt out of his very nice former contract with the Yankees for more money than was seemingly possible to acquire. Now, the Detroit Tigers expressed their interest in Rogers, Rogers expressed his interest in the Tigers, and Boras seemed more concerned with seeking out other options [Lefty Rogers fires agent Boras, will represent himself].

I certainly can’t blame the guy for trying to get as much money for his clients, but at the same time, he needs to realize that money is not everything. That is especially true for someone who has already earned a bunch of money and would like to keep a good reputation (A-Rod) or a player who has made top dollars, wants to play in a certain city, and is at the end of his career at the age of 43 (Rogers).

Could Boras Corp have reached its peak? Is it on its way down? If so, it would clear the way for many new, smaller agents and agencies (cough, Dynasty Athlete Representation, cough) that have been restricted in going after baseball’s top talent because of Boras’ top dollar guarantees. Many young players putting their names into the MLB draft believe that the only thing that matters is their signing bonuses and would like to sign with agents who will negotiate until they receive the highest possible salary. But this trend may change as youngsters notice that older players are beginning to become ungrateful with agents who only care about the amount of digits in their contracts.

It will be interesting to note if more clients end up leaving Boras Corp or if young players entering the draft begin to migrate to other agencies.

Stay calm, Scott. Think. Think, darn it! Think!

-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.

7 replies on “Sell Stock In Boras Corp?”

Nice post Darren.

I was planning on writing about this as well, today actually. Barry Bonds really did take the spotlight off of Boras for the time being. But he still will have an “exciting” winter with Andruw Jones. One would think Jones’ subpar season would lower his value…I’m sure Boras will think otherwise.

Clearly, Scott Boras did his job representing A-Rod, after A-Rod by choice opted out of his contract, then chose to go back to the Yankees. My guess is Scott Boras chose to take the fall by asking A-Rod to travel to NY to meet with Steinbrenner sans Boras. This in turn creates the image that A-Rod wants to be a Yankee so bad, that he left his “super-agent” at home, and consulted GS MDs and Warren Buffett. He will be welcomed back by NYY fans with open arms for his courage, while Scott Boras will be crafting the final contract and taking his commission with a smile on his face. Win/Win situation. A-Rod saves face with all Yankees fans and Scott Boras has done his job as an agent.

Actually 4 of them are. Still waiting for your point. We incorporated Dynasty in April and have 6 amazing clients already. Was that supposed to be a diss?

Comments are closed.