Last week, it was reported that Michael Beasley elected to retain the services of well respected agent Jeff Schwartz. Beasley has stated he wants to take a “more professional” approach to his career and his first step was to secure an agent. Schwartz and his company Excel Sports Management are certainly a great choice considering Schwartz’s extensive experience and exceptional client list, featuring the likes of Paul Pierce, Jason Kidd, Lamar Odom and Al Jefferson…just to name a few. Excel also features an experienced PR and marketing division that surely will be able to get Beasley’s career back on track.
There is often the misconception that an agent simply negotiates contracts and that is it. It seems that Beasley had apparently felt similarly, being that he had fired his previous agent shortly following signing with the Heat. He then stated publicly that he would only hire a new agent when his rookie contract expired. Now, he will certainly see that an agent like Schwartz and an organization like Excel Sports Management will function as much more than just a contractual advisor.
With Beasley’s well publicized turmoil this off-season, a well rounded agency like Excel to assist in getting his career back on track from both an on and off the court perspective is essential. They will likely immediately launch an extensive public relations re-branding effort to repair Beasley’s image and attempt to open up some doors from a marketing and endorsements point of view.
The fact of the matter is that Beasley is an immensely talented player and has huge potential. We can only wish Beasley the best in this upcoming season as the rigors of an NBA season and intense scrutiny that follow a 20 year old, second overall draft pick are obviously intense. But now, with the help of an experienced agent and organization helping to guide this player’s career, he surely will be better positioned to realize that potential.
3 replies on “Michael Beasley Chooses Jeff Schwartz and Excel Sports Management”
Beasley is yound… and hasn’t done too much damage to his reputation. Picking a solid agent like Schwartz can only be a good move. I see him having a big yr on and off the court in 2010
That is a startlingly ignorant comment that he thought agents only negotiate contracts and do nothing else. I guess it’s not surprising coming from a 19 year old. Good thing for Beasley that someone convinced him of the logic of taking the more professional approach and maintaining a long-term relationship with an agent.
I agree with Cruz Herr. While his reputation was damaged, he has plenty of time to recover, and in the scope of athlete misdoings his problems are considered relatively minor.
Both great points, just to expand, I think Beasley’s age can actually be to his advantage here. Just chalk it all up to youthful indescretion, a young player making a few bad choices (ie 2008 Rookie Transition Program incident, post tattoo picture incident). By all accounts he seems to be a good kid and has matured from the whole situation. That would be my approach if I were advising him.