Comments on: Do you really want to be an agent?

By: Andrew Bouthiller

Andrew Bouthiller — Wed, 09 May 2007 04:02:00 +0000

Harcourt: When in law school you don’t have specific “types” of law degrees, but most students take classes that relate to the area of law they want to practice. Some classes I would recommend are any sports law classes you are able to take at your school, employment law, a heavy emphasis on contracts, negotiation and arbitration classes, labor law, intellectual property, estate planning, and transactional drafting classes. The key is to take classes which will be applicable as an agent and to strive to make connections and gain experience within the industry. I hope that helps.

By: Harcourt

Harcourt — Wed, 09 May 2007 03:04:26 +0000

thanks Andrew for such good information it is very nice of you to have share it well done i have a question what kind of law degree do one need to have to be a sports agent.i hope to be come one and go back to caribbean and help my fellow brothers

By: Josh C.

Josh C. — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 14:01:42 +0000

Fair enough. Thanks again for the insight!

By: Steve Robinson

Steve Robinson — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 21:03:13 +0000

humm… I’ll say this “Don’t ever let any one tell you you cant do anything” (Will Smith) “Determination its a virtue” (Steve Robinson)

By: M.A.

M.A. — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 07:24:48 +0000

Thanks for the article. I’m seriously thinking about joining the Agent realm and found the article informative. My law school does not facilitate much for sports law, but my personal background, prior to law school, helps in getting potential clients. Thanks again, MA

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 17:36:50 +0000

that and he walks around yelling, “Show my the money!”

just kidding, very nice entry Andrew.

By: Andrew Bouthiller

Andrew Bouthiller — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:41:36 +0000

Josh C.: If you remember from the movie, Jerry Maguire eschewed a job at a high-profile firm to focus on better service, fewer clients, less emphasis on the bottom-line and more emphasis on developing personal relationships with his clients. It is my understanding that those similarities, combined with Healy’s representation of only NFL players, are what lead to the Jerry Maguire comparisons.

By: Josh C.

Josh C. — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 12:40:20 +0000

Thanks for the informative article, Andrew. Must ask one question though. How does Mr. Healy, an agent whose most famous client is a kicker, and who “devotes most of his time to real estate law, trusts and estate planning” draw comparison to Jerry Maguire?

Seems a bit silly, but good interview and good write-up!

By: JC

JC — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 02:13:21 +0000

Great Post!!!…
Paying your dues is the toughest part but very rewarding. I spent a year interning for an agent that was unpaid. I was hoping for a job opportunity at the end but it didn’t happen. After that, I spent another 9 months interning (marketing) with the Houston Texans that was also unpaid. Now working on getting certified in hopes of working in the industry.

By: Andrew Bouthiller

Andrew Bouthiller — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 01:12:45 +0000

Darren: It is indeed very disconcerting that some players go into such financial trouble post-retirement. I think this is definitely a reason that Michael Huyghue stressed helping athletes set goals outside of their career as a professional athlete.

Matt: Thanks. There are certainly plenty of barriers to entry for sports agency jobs. It definitely needs to be a career field that people are sure they want to pursue, especially once they start putting money up. I would compare it to starting a small business in that 90% of small businesses fail within the first few years. One of the most mind-boggling expenses deals with the fact that it is customary for an agent to pay all expenses related to pre-draft training and workouts (travel expenses, hotel rooms, workout programs/trainers, personal chefs or meal plans if deemed necessary, and the fees for the camps can reach in excess of $10,000). Essentially, signing a player is similar to making (potentially risky) investment.