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Matt Sosnick Speaks At UCSB – SPORTS AGENT BLOG
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Matt Sosnick Speaks At UCSB

20080924100455_sosnick-matt-1Matt Sosnick stopped by UC-Santa Barbara last Friday to speak to a Sports Management class.  He was very frank in his discussion with students about his former business, his college days, and how Sosnick and Cobbe Sports ended up becoming the large California baseball agency that it is today.  Here are some things that Matt said to the class:

“I could have tried to do this [become an agent] another ten times and would not have been successful. I had a decent skill set for it but I had a ton of money on my own and more importantly caught a couple huge breaks

When he [Dontrelle] started to become a household name, I was terrified that he was going to switch agents.  If Dontrelle didn’t make it, it was going to be hard for me to make it long-term.

I don’t need to roll the dice and risk a player getting less guaranteed money for his future, especially if he has family to take care of. This is where I am completely different than Scott Boras.”

And a question that is always asked to an agent when he/she is giving a speech to students: “What is your advice on becoming an agent?”

“Don’t do it. It’s a much easier deal to become a money manager and handle a player’s money until they’re through to retirement.”

I am a big fan of Matt, but do not buy his closing statement.  Just because something is “easier” does not mean it is the proper direction that you should take.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Heitner created Sports Agent Blog as a New Year's Resolution on December 31, 2005. Originally titled, "I Want To Be A Sports Agent," the website was founded with the intention of causing Heitner to learn more about the profession that he wanted to join, meet reputable individuals in the space and force himself to stay on top of the latest news and trends.

Heitner now runs Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., which is a law firm with many practice areas, including sports law and contract law. Heitner has represented numerous athletes and sports agents as legal counsel. He has also served as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington from 2011-2014, where he created and taught a course titled, Sport Agency Management, which included subjects ranging from NCAA regulations to athlete agent certification and the rules governing the profession. Heitner serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, where he teaches a Sports Law class that includes case law surrounding athlete agents and the NCAA rules.

4 replies on “Matt Sosnick Speaks At UCSB”

I’ve never heard an agent be that cut and dry (“Don’t do it”). Most of them say to practice law for a few years, gain some capital, get experience negotiating contracts, and then pursue a career in agency. Sounds like he’s trying to scare away competition.

Ryan Ballard: I’ve never heard an agent be that cut and dry (”Don’t do it”).Most of them say to practice law for a few years, gain some capital, get experience negotiating contracts, and then pursue a career in agency.Sounds like he’s trying to scare away competition.

Honestly, I don’t think that Sosnick is worried about scaring away competition. You and me are the least of his worries, and guys like Scott Boras do not care about what Sosnick is saying to college students in a Sports Management class. I do agree that if you do not give this profession your all (or any profession, for that matter), don’t do it. But if you are willing to take the ride on the highs and endure the lows, then do not let Matt’s statement discourage you.

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The theme running through all sports agent’s comments of attempting to discourage anyone from being agents is so common now it’s getting boring.

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