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Sports Business

CAA Is Dominant

Earlier this week, Liz Mullen and David Broughton wrote in Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal the following statement: CAA Sports, in two short years of existence, has become the dominant sports agency in the United States.  Earlier this month, Jason Belzer positioned CAA as the second strongest American agency behind Wasserman Media Group (WMG).  The difference between earning the number one or number two spot is minimal and purely based on the opinion of who is making such rankings.  Both companies and the others highlighted by SBJ and Belzer are doing just fine and have little to worry about in the near future.

The way that CAA and WMG have acheived their successes in the sports domain has been through the acquisition of prominent agents.  Before CAA and WMG; however, the first company name that comes to my head when I hear acquisitions in the sports realm is Blue Equity (BEST).  In fact, BEST may soon see its name up there in the discussion with CAA and WMG as the top companies representing professional athletes.

SBJ’s list of the top five agencies ranked based on the salaries of their athlete clients is as follows:

  1. CAA – $670 million
  2. WMG – $451 million
  3. Octagon – $333 million
  4. Boras Corp – $326 million
  5. Priority Sports – $279 million

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.