The landscape of sports representation underwent a significant shift in May 2025 when Patrick Whitesell, the former executive chairman of Endeavor, announced the launch of WIN Sports Group. This new football-focused agency emerged from the dissolution of WME Sports’ football division, highlighting the complex web of conflicts that can arise when private equity meets professional sports.
From Hollywood to the Gridiron
Patrick Whitesell’s journey from representing A-list Hollywood talent like Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, and Ben Affleck to leading NFL player representation might seem like an unlikely transition. However, Whitesell sees striking parallels between the entertainment industry of the late 2000s and today’s football landscape. Just as he and Ari Emanuel transformed talent representation when they formed WME, Whitesell believes NFL players are on the cusp of a similar revolution in power and earning potential.
The Conflict That Created an Opportunity
The creation of WIN Sports Group wasn’t born from entrepreneurial ambition alone—it was necessitated by conflict-of-interest rules that have been reshaping the sports representation industry. When Silver Lake’s Egon Durban acquired a 7.5% stake in the Las Vegas Raiders in December 2024, it triggered NFL and NFLPA regulations prohibiting team owners from maintaining business ties with player representation entities.
Since Silver Lake became the majority owner of Endeavor through a privatization deal in March 2025, WME Sports was forced to divest its football division. Whitesell stepped in to acquire the business for undisclosed terms, ensuring continuity for both agents and clients.
The new agency launched with all the key personnel from WME Sports, including football leaders Brian Ayrault, Ben Renzin, and Joel Segal. High-profile clients made the transition as well, including Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, and San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa.
The Broader Breakup of WME Sports
WIN Sports Group’s formation is part of a larger restructuring of WME’s sports representation business driven by these same conflict-of-interest concerns. The baseball division faces similar pressures due to Silver Lake’s ownership of Diamond Baseball Holdings, which controls 43 Minor League Baseball teams. According to Front Office Sports, WME is now looking to sell its baseball representation business to comply with MLB Players Association rules that prohibit agents from having direct or indirect ownership of MLB or MiLB teams.
This isn’t the first time these conflicts have surfaced. Three years ago, the MLBPA threatened to decertify WME agents when Endeavor began acquiring MiLB teams. That issue was temporarily resolved when Endeavor sold the franchises to Silver Lake in 2022 for $280 million, but Silver Lake’s subsequent acquisition of Endeavor has reignited the concerns.
Unlike the football division, where Whitesell saw opportunity, sources indicate he has no interest in acquiring WME’s baseball representation business, leaving that division’s future uncertain.
A New Vision for Football Representation
WIN Sports Group enters a competitive but fragmented NFL representation market, including established players like Rosenhaus Sports Representation, CAA, and Athletes First. Whitesell believes this lack of consolidation presents an opportunity, particularly given his unique background bridging entertainment and sports.
His approach focuses on the macro trends transforming football, starting with economics. Whitesell projects the NFL salary cap will rise nearly 40% by 2030 to $390 million per team, driven by media rights revenue. Beyond traditional contracts, he sees vast opportunities for players to build businesses and brands far beyond their playing careers.
“Whether it’s just building out content companies like a lot of people have wanted to do; whether it’s getting ownership, or consumer products; whether it’s having relationships with private equity or Silicon Valley tech companies, venture capital, real estate; wherever they want to sit … I think we’re uniquely positioned to connect all that,” Whitesell said.
His Silver Lake-backed investment platform’s first major bet—an investment in Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions—exemplifies this cross-industry approach. Manning’s production company represents what Whitesell calls “the gold standard for an NFL player building new businesses off relationships and earnings from a playing career.”
Looking Forward
The creation of WIN Sports Group represents more than just a business transaction—it signals a potential shift in how football talent representation operates. With the NFL’s growing cultural dominance, expanding international presence, and rising salary caps, Whitesell believes we’re entering an era where more players will “transcend” like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Patrick Mahomes have done.
“You can see what’s going to come: You’re going to see more Peyton Mannings, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Bradys … people who have kind of transcended, and built their personalities outside of football and built businesses … I think that’s going to come in droves now. And that’s what we’re positioning this company for,” he said.
The NFLPA has completed its review and found WIN Sports Group to be in compliance with conflict-of-interest rules, clearing the way for operations. As the agency begins this new chapter with dozens of clients already on board, including three first-round picks from the 2025 draft, it will serve as a test case for whether Whitesell’s vision of football players as multimedia moguls can become reality.
The breakup of WME Sports may have been driven by regulatory necessity, but it has created opportunities for new approaches to athlete representation. WIN Sports Group’s success will depend on whether Whitesell can apply his entertainment industry expertise to unlock the full potential of NFL talent in an increasingly connected and lucrative sports landscape.
