I know many of you always wonder who are the power firms in sports and who are the so-called best agencies. Well would you judge the best by most clients or most high profile athletes? The ESPN NFL Draft Derby by Len Pasquarelli stacks the various firms against each other. Please keep in mind this article was written on the 2006 NFL draft. Pasquarelli had a point system based on what round the agencies’ clients went in.
Of the agents or agencies that scored big, 9 of the 15 are considered small or boutique agencies. Sportstars, who was the winner of the Derby, is a small firm based in Manhattan, NY. The company uses a training facility in New Jersey and is known for its hard work, relationships, and trust. For a long time, Sportstars recruited locally in the Northeast just to be able to compete. Now they can recruit nationwide.
Personally, I favor small firms, and if it were up to me, that is where I would like to be working. Interestingly enough, the smaller the firm, the tougher it is to get an internship or a job. So far I am 0-2 with Sportsstars, but this summer I hope to make it 1 for 3. True integrity, trustworthiness, and that close bond to clients are best exemplified through the smaller firms. To no surprise, the college players also see this. Joel Segal, Gary Wichard, Todd France, and Bus Cook are all agents who work alone and I believe that all have been very very successful.
-Paul Schackman
One reply on “The NFL Draft Derby”
Very informative stats. What’s the ideal process that an athlete that’s looking to try out for arena football? Since those athletes are not in very high demand, do agents really pay much attention to them?