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Dave Stewart’s Comments On Matt Kemp In Los Angeles

Matt Kemp is not having the season he or I would have liked him to have.  I took him with the first pick in my fantasy baseball league, and my current spot in the standings reflects his drop in production from last year.  Kemp is striking out a lot more when he is up at the plate, but also off the field, where he and his agent, Dave Stewart, can’t seem to find the right things to say to the media.

Beyond negotiating a good contract for a client, and unless the client has a separate public relations firm that is omnipresent and answers all questions presented by the media, the agent will serve, at least to a certain extent, as the mouthpiece for the client.  All agents understand that a way to drive up the relative value of a player is to make owners and General Managers perceive that there is a lot of interest and options on the market for the player.  The way to generate this perception is by either getting direct quotes from decision makers or for the agent to create the scenario himself.  The wrong way to do it is by alienating the player’s current team’s fanbase at the same time.  That’s what Dave Stewart is getting close to doing.

Dave Stewart recently sent the following note to The Los Angeles Times:

“Do you think for one moment I care about the town of L.A. or the fans there?  He’s [Kemp’s] going to be a great major league player.  It doesn’t have to be [in L.A.]. …The big picture is he doesn’t have to play [in L.A.]. There are 29 teams out there.”

I would think that Stewart should care about the town of L.A. and its fans, since their purchases of Dodgers tickets and Kemp merchandise helps to pay his client, and in turn pay Stewart’s commission.  The town’s love for Kemp additionally boosts the likelihood that he receives any type of regional endorsement opportunities.  While the city and team pays the bills, why alienate them in such a way?

Backed into a corner, I am not surprised that Kemp shrugged off Stewart’s statements and told the Times that they could write whatever they wanted.  I also would not be surprised if rival agents start whispering into Kemp’s ear things that Stewart would not be to happy about.  The statements made to the L.A. Times does nothing to help his client and may only hurt the chances that they have a longterm agent/player relationship.

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.

One reply on “Dave Stewart’s Comments On Matt Kemp In Los Angeles”

Don’t most agents have law degrees. I don’t care how many wins you have as a picture that doesn’t make you a good agent and these young players are just going with him because they don’t know any better. IF you are looking for an agents look for the law degree.

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