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Tiger Woods’ Agent, Mark Steinberg, Talks About Client’s Comeback

Tiger Woods' agent, Mark Steinberg, recently spoke about his client's comeback. Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE
Tiger Woods’ agent, Mark Steinberg, recently spoke about his client’s comeback. Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

Golf agent Mark Steinberg is known throughout the agent community as being very “laid back,” “behind the scenes,” and “reserved.”  Those are some of the words that I have heard agents used when describing the long-time agent of Tiger Woods, among other popular golfers.  However, even the quiet Steinberg opened up to Sports Agent Blog in an interview conducted roughly six years ago.

In that interview, Steinberg said the two most important aspects of being a sports agent are honesty and integrity.  “What I’ve learned in the past 15 years is to be honest and tell the truth,” said Steinberg in that interview.  “What I mean by that is not just to be a yes man or a yes woman, but to tell the truth, speak your opinion and be a straight shooter.  You need to be fair and not take advantage of your clients and if you work hard, you will have a very successful career.”

Late last week, Steinberg went back on the record, providing a guest column to Businessweek on his client, Tiger Woods’ comeback.  He is right – there were a lot of doubters out there and America sure does love a comeback story.  But the most interesting part of the column dealt with Steinberg addressing Tiger’s future potential as an endorser.

“We’re not going to do three more deals in the next two months just because he’s No. 1 in the world and we want to strike while the iron is hot,” wrote Steinberg.  “He already has a lot of sponsors. We’re looking for maybe one more large global deal.”

And then there’s this:

I’ve been doing this for 21 years. I don’t know if I’m a good agent or a great agent or a legendary agent. I try to not let anything be about me. It’s about my clients. I kind of stay behind the scenes.

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.