At this stage in the social media “game,” casual and passionate Twitter users know how to find their favorite athletes on the Twittersphere. In fact, Twitter has become infamous as a place where athletes, to their benefit and detriment, share their innermost thoughts. Many athletes have extended their brand recognition by being active on twitter (see @ochocinco, @THE_REAL_SHAQ, @kingjames). Furthermore, Twitter has provided an outlet for fans to connect seamlessly with their favorite sports stars.
But what about the agents representing these athletes? While any agent would be foolish to profess to have the freakish physical abilities that athletes have, unless of course they used to play the game, agents can offer some pretty interesting insight on the behind the scenes of the business of sports.
Here is, (from what I’ve seen), the first list of the top 10 sports agents to follow on Twitter. Because of the ever changing nature of Twitter, it should be noted that the statistics mentioned below were taken on December 6th, 2011 at 9:00 AM. The list was compiled by taking in account a number of factors including but not limited to: 1) number of tweets, 2) diversity in tweeting content, and 3) professional experience. This list provides a nice cross section of different areas of the agent business; with agents representing Olympians, coaches, athletes from all the major sports, and broadcast analysts.
The stats: 7,505 Tweets / 1, 891 Followers / 488 Following / 69 Listed
Evan Morgenstein is the President and CEO of PMG Sports, a company that represents many Olympians. Want a good chance at interaction with an agent? Morgenstein is the king at responding to @ tweets. Morgenstein is also known for frequently tweeting about his lack of sleep. Two things are clear however; Morgenstein has mastered the ins and outs of twitter and he really enjoys his day job. Since Morgenstein responds to so many followers, his commentary on the agent business can get lost in the shuffle, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing since it’s rare to find someone who interacts so much with his followers.
The stats: 11,013 Tweets / 5, 238 Followers / 405 Following / 250 Listed
Darren Heitner started his own representation firm, Dynasty Athlete Representation, and authors this site, SportsAgentBlog.com. With a JD from the University of Florida, Heitner mixes in legal analysis with his tweets about the agency business, creating a unique Twitter account that is a must follow for anyone looking to get into the agency business or interested in a career in “sports law.”
3. @Walsha
The stats: 5,656 Tweets / 14,966 Followers / 445 Following / 950 Listed
Allen Walsh is an agent at Octagon Athlete Representation. Walsh has been certified by the NHLPA since 1996 and is a licensed lawyer in the state of California. For a hockey agent, Walsh has quite the follower base. Octagon has 102 NHL clients, so follow Walsh for an agent’s perspective on the NHL and all things hockey.
The stats: 1,719 Tweets / 113,380 Followers / 278 Following / 2,764 Listed
When it comes to sports agents, Rosenhaus is the king. With 150 clients, television, book and movie appearances, Rosenhaus has mastered the art of being in the spotlight and promoting his agency. Rosenhaus doesn’t tweet too frequently, although one would assume with a client base as big and as high profile as his, there wouldn’t be a lot of room for the Twittersphere on his plate. In any event, more tweets from Rosenhaus, who surely has plenty of career advice/stories to share would be welcome. Come on Drew!
5. @JasonBelzer
The stats: 2,800 Tweets / 1,258 Followers / 110 Following / 60 Listed
Belzer is the President at Global Athlete Management Enterprises. Belzer has his law degree, but more importantly, he provides a rare take on the world of coaching representation. Belzer’s agency exclusively represents coaches. While definitely not “new” to the agency scene, Belzer is an up and comer. Check Belzer’s Twitter for updates about a venture he just co-launched with Darren Heitner called Collegiate Sports Advisors (CSA).
The stats: 12,102 Tweets / 4,358 Followers / 63 Following / 194 Listed
There is no replacement for experience and Cindrich has 25 years of it representing NFL athletes. His first big name client? Current ESPN analyst Mark May. Cindrich tweets a lot, and for good measure. Some of the best back and forth banter occurs between him and Sports Business Journal’s Liz Mullen.
7. @DavidCanter
The stats: 13,402 Tweets / 4,029 Followers / 617 Following / 154 Listed
Canter’s company DEC management, has a nice size group of clients (San Diego Chargers safety Eric Weddle being one of the more notable). But seriously, is there anyone who tweets more than Canter? The frequent tweets are great, and they range from sports, agency, comedy and where Canter is eating.
The stats: 1,529 Tweets / 8,022 Followers / 2,296 Following / 334 Listed
There are very few in the business with the Twitter potential of Steinberg. With over 35 years of athlete representation experience, the Steinberg name carries great weight in the sports agent business. In light of that, the Steinberg Twitter handle has no interaction with followers. Since Steinberg is such a big name, the lack of interaction with followers simply does not matter. Steinberg links pretty frequently to his blog, which provides good supplemental information.
The stats: 1,447 Tweets / 3,627 Followers / 680 Following / 156 Listed
Based in Seattle, Goodwin Sports is one of the few “firm Twitter accounts” to make the cut. Goodwin has some fantastic clients, but not too many tweets. Most of the tweets are client related. There is barely any interaction with followers, and mostly posts linking to articles or videos.
10. @EugeneTLee
The stats: 352 Tweets / 555 Followers / 66 Following / 9 Listed
One of the more fascinating people on this list simply because of the lack of tweets! Eugene T Lee had the distinction of being featured on the much talked about ESPN Film “The Dotted Line.” However, Lee has not tweeted much since the show premiere, seemingly missing an opportunity to capitalize on the momentum in the Twittersphere. Based on what viewers saw in the ESPN film, Lee has a lot of great insight and experience to offer. It would be nice to see some more regular tweets from him. Lee comes off as a real genuine personality in the film, and he should let it shine through more on Twitter.
Matthew Weinberger is a sports business enthusiast who is passionate about the intersection between the law and the sports business industry. He regularly writes on timely topics relating to sports business, law, entertainment, media, and technology. Follow him @MattWeinberger
2 replies on “Top 10 Sports Agents to Follow on Twitter”
check out @mattrprt for the action sports side of things!!!
hey thanks for that Matt. Will definitely check it out. Always taking suggestions/ listening to feedback.
-Matt Weinberger @mattweinberger