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Agents Researching Athletes

It has been a while since I last wrote a post over at Lewis Howes’ SportsNetworker.com, but my most recent piece should be one that you all enjoy reading.  The title is 8 Ways Agents Should Research Athletes Before They Sign Them, and I list 8 nonexclusive methods, with short descriptions for each one.  Yes, believe it or not, sports agents spend a lot of time researching which athletes they will spend their time, money, and other resources recruiting with the end goal of adding them to their client lists.  I talk about some of my methods, which definitely include items that other sports agents do not use at all.  Here is a peak at one of them:

1.    Scouting services:

Some services are free and some you have to pay for.  In basketball, one of my favorite services is DraftExpress.com.  A site developed by a fellow Gator grad, Jonathan Givony, DraftExpress provides up to date scouting reports on a variety of talented basketball players and hits up almost every showcase on the planet.  In baseball, my pick is Perfect Game Crosschecker (pgcrosschecker.com).  They provide thorough rankings of future draft classes, break it down state-by-state, hit up the major showcases, and provide detailed information for top prospects.  Want to know a prospect’s parents names?  They have you covered.  BaseballAmerica’s Prospect Plus program is also strong, but it stops covering players once they graduate from high school.  In football, I am a fan of the old NFLDraftScout.com.  Since it was acquired by CBS Sports, I have been looking for a suitable alternative.  While it is not strictly a scouting service, I enjoy Neil Stratton’s InsideTheLeague.com, which highlights player movement, which agencies are going after which players, and provides draft expectancy for the next class of players, by school.

Read the other 7 items here.

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.

3 replies on “Agents Researching Athletes”

I believe it’s football. Even players who have no chance at getting drafted have double digit number of firms trying to rep them. Plus, it is very expensive to recruit and then pay for their training leading up to the All Star games, combine, etc. And then after all of that, you are making 3% at most on the team contract.

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