But what about the agents representing these athletes? While any agent would be foolish to profess to have the freakish physical abilities that athletes have, unless of course they used to play the game, agents can offer some pretty interesting insight on the behind the scenes of  the business of sports.

Here is, (from what I’ve seen), the first list of the top 10 sports agents to follow on Twitter. Because of the ever changing nature of Twitter, it should be noted that the statistics mentioned below were taken on December 6^th, 2011 at 9:00 AM. The list was compiled by taking in account a number of factors including but not limited to: 1) number of tweets, 2) diversity in tweeting content, and 3) professional experience. This list provides a nice cross section of different areas of the agent business; with agents representing Olympians, coaches, athletes from all the major sports, and broadcast analysts.

1. @PMGsportsevan

The stats:  7,505  Tweets / 1, 891 Followers / 488 Following / 69 Listed

Evan Morgenstein is the President and CEO of PMG Sports, a company that represents many Olympians. Want a good chance at interaction with an agent? Morgenstein is the king at responding to @ tweets. Morgenstein is also known for frequently tweeting about his lack of sleep. Two things are clear however; Morgenstein has mastered the ins and outs of twitter and he really enjoys his day job. Since Morgenstein responds to so many followers, his commentary on the agent business can get lost in the shuffle, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing since it’s rare to find someone who interacts so much with his followers.

2. @DarrenHeitner

The stats: 11,013 Tweets / 5, 238 Followers / 405 Following / 250 Listed

Darren Heitner started his own representation firm, Dynasty Athlete Representation, and authors this site, SportsAgentBlog.com. With a JD from the University of Florida, Heitner mixes in legal analysis with his tweets about the agency business, creating a unique Twitter account that is a must follow for anyone looking to get into the agency business or interested in a career in “sports law.”

3. @Walsha

The stats: 5,656 Tweets / 14,966 Followers / 445 Following / 950 Listed

Allen Walsh is an agent at Octagon Athlete Representation. Walsh has been certified by the NHLPA since 1996 and is a licensed lawyer in the state of California. For a hockey agent, Walsh has quite the follower base. Octagon has 102 NHL clients, so follow Walsh for an agent’s perspective on the NHL and all things hockey.

4. @RosenhausSports

The stats: 1,719 Tweets / 113,380 Followers / 278 Following / 2,764 Listed

When it comes to sports agents, Rosenhaus is the king. With 150 clients, television, book and movie appearances, Rosenhaus has mastered the art of being in the spotlight and promoting his agency. Rosenhaus doesn’t tweet too frequently, although one would assume with a client base as big and as high profile as his, there wouldn’t be a lot of room for the Twittersphere on his plate. In any event, more tweets from Rosenhaus, who surely has plenty of career advice/stories to share would be welcome. Come on Drew!

5. @JasonBelzer

The stats: 2,800 Tweets / 1,258 Followers / 110 Following / 60 Listed

Belzer is the President at Global Athlete Management Enterprises. Belzer has his law degree, but more importantly, he provides a rare take on the world of coaching representation. Belzer’s agency exclusively represents coaches. While definitely not “new” to the agency scene, Belzer is an up and comer. Check Belzer’s Twitter for updates about a venture he just co-launched with Darren Heitner called Collegiate Sports Advisors (CSA).

6. @RalphCindrich

The stats:  12,102 Tweets / 4,358 Followers / 63 Following / 194 Listed

There is no replacement for experience and Cindrich has 25 years of it representing NFL athletes. His first big name client? Current ESPN analyst Mark May. Cindrich tweets a lot, and for good measure. Some of the best back and forth banter occurs between him and Sports Business Journal’s Liz Mullen.

7. @DavidCanter

The stats: 13,402 Tweets / 4,029 Followers / 617 Following / 154 Listed

Canter’s company DEC management, has a nice size group of clients (San Diego Chargers safety Eric Weddle being one of the more notable). But seriously, is there anyone who tweets more than Canter? The frequent tweets are great, and they range from sports, agency, comedy and where Canter is eating.

8. @SteinbergSports

The stats: 1,529 Tweets / 8,022 Followers / 2,296 Following / 334 Listed

There are very few in the business with the Twitter potential of Steinberg. With over 35 years of athlete representation experience, the Steinberg name carries great weight in the sports agent business. In light of that, the Steinberg Twitter handle has no interaction with followers. Since Steinberg is such a big name, the lack of interaction with followers simply does not matter. Steinberg links pretty frequently to his blog, which provides good supplemental information.

9. @GoodwinSports

The stats: 1,447 Tweets / 3,627 Followers / 680 Following / 156 Listed

Based in Seattle, Goodwin Sports is one of the few “firm Twitter accounts” to make the cut. Goodwin has some fantastic clients, but not too many tweets. Most of the tweets are client related. There is barely any interaction with followers, and mostly posts linking to articles or videos.

10. @EugeneTLee

The stats: 352 Tweets / 555 Followers / 66 Following / 9 Listed

One of the more fascinating people on this list simply because of the lack of tweets! Eugene T Lee had the distinction of being featured on the much talked about ESPN Film “The Dotted Line.” However, Lee has not tweeted much since the show premiere, seemingly missing an opportunity to capitalize on the momentum in the Twittersphere. Based on what viewers saw in the ESPN film, Lee has a lot of great insight and experience to offer. It would be nice to see some more regular tweets from him. Lee comes off as a real genuine personality in the film, and he should let it shine through more on Twitter.

Matthew Weinberger is a sports business enthusiast who is passionate about the intersection between the law and the sports business industry. He regularly writes on timely topics relating to sports business, law, entertainment, media, and technology. Follow him @MattWeinberger

Top 10 Sports Agents to Follow on Twitter from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

I have been a staunch opponent of suppressing athletes’ ability to communicate on social media platforms (including Facebook and Twitter), but I am certainly a proponent of properly educating those athletes regarding the best practices of using those networks.  Athletes need to understand that the platforms make it relatively easy to post text updates, pictures, and videos, but also just as easy for others to instantly be able to access that content.  The hard part is damage control.  Once the content is made available, it is tough to take down.  The content spreads like wildfire.

I was recently forwarded a webpage created by Twitter titled, Twitter for Athletes.  At first, I was surprised that Twitter took the time to create a page dedicated to informing athletes about best practices for using the service.  But the real shock was seeing just how much effort was put forth by the Twitter team to come up with a guide that is actually worthy for all athletes and their agents to view.

In the guide, Twitter covers the proper usage of hashtags, the value of responding to follows and asking questions, and engagement with teammates.  Most importantly, it explains that Twitter can be used by athletes for breaking news and that “a Tweet can be more powerful and personal than a press release.”  The power of a Tweet can be a great thing for an athlete, but also terribly disastrous if written without thinking.

See also: Forcing social media silence not the answer for colleges [SportsBusiness Journal]

Twitter Creates A Guide For Athletes from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The internet is littered with stories of university coaches banning their players from tweeting.  Most recently, South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier joined the ranks of the tweeting ban.  Spurrier said, “Well, we have some dumb, immature players that put crap on their Twitter, and we don’t need that.  So the best thing to do is just ban it.”  Really?  As I tweeted on Thursday, banning Twitter works as well as teaching abstinence.  A parent may be able to control her child’s actions while the child is still under her close watch, however as soon as this child gets the opportunity, chances are that the individual will subdue to her hormones.  Suddenly, your child is Bristol Palin.

Now, I am not saying that every collegiate athlete who is banned from Twitter is going to go pro and ruin his/her career the first time he/she tweets, but I am saying (just as public schools across the nation have learned and implemented through sex ed) that education on the dangers of participating in such an activity, on preventative measures, on protecting yourself and those around you, will prove more beneficial then simply teaching “Don’t do it.”

The ban on Twitter is an attempt to not address the problem – to not educate and develop their team.  Because, after all, that takes time and money, and what university has either of those?  The truth of the matter is coaches (and/or athletic departments) should have their athletes’ education as their number one priority.  They are “student-athletes,” with the “emphasis” being on student first, right?

Gregg Doyel wrote an article today for CBSSports.com titled, “Coaches’ Twitter ban isn’t stunting players, it’s protecting them.”  He suggests that “In the wrong hands, twitter is a dangerous thing.  And a college athlete’s hands are awful.”  Doyel points to such examples as a tweet posted last year by North Carolina defensive lineman Marvin Austin. Austin tweeted pictures of him enjoying a lavish vacation in South Beach, which may have catapulted the investigation (as well as the firing of Butch Davis) into the program.  Doyel concedes that “Twitter isn’t to blame for the offenses — but Twitter got North Carolina busted.”

Again, we see a huge discrepancy in the education of collegiate athletes.  Doyel’s point emphasizes what the NCAA has seemingly accepted, dare I say encouraged, what I will dub the “Jim Tressel.”  If you are doing something wrong/illegal/against the NCAA, Jim Tressel it immediately.  Do not own up to your improprieties, do not learn from them, and definitely do not figure out how to avoid the negative situation again.  Just cover it up and lie.  The problem with Twitter, is that once you have tweeted a picture, well, let’s just say it’s going to take more work then a “My Twitter got hacked” story to cover up your actions.

The real reason coaches are banning Twitter is not for the “player’s protection,” but rather to protect the program.  As Dan Patrick stated while reporting the Spurrier story, “Will it help us [win]? … No.  Can it hurt us?  Yes.”  Listen, I understand and value the need to protect the program as a whole.  Furthermore, I GET that the actions of just ONE player can irreparably damage an athletic program.  However, I do not believe that the best way to protect the player and to protect the program is to strip the players of their ability to tweet.  (Note: I am not even going to address the notion that players may choose to attend a university based on whether or not they are able to tweet because I do not believe that issue is even close to the core problem with the ban.)

Gregg Doyel continues in his agreement with a coach banning Twitter saying, “A couch isn’t limiting his players’ personal growth… Players have plenty of chances to grow as people in college.  Classes, interview sessions.  Public appearances.”  Oh, but not through Twitter.  So you’re allowing your players to do some things (those which you can control), but not others.  In a world where proper Twitter usage is almost as valuable as tackling techniques for a professional football player, I am having a hard time understanding how the ban is not the definition of “limiting.”

Last, the NCAA has stripped nearly every promotional right of the collegiate athlete.  These players work endless hours to perform at their highest ability in order to bring their team a victory.  They have no rights to their name, likeness, number, or anything that they do during their college career.  They are unable to even be taken out to dinner by an agent who wants to inform them of their future career options.

I will not equate these athletes to slaves (as a recent South Park episode did) because I do believe in the value of a free education.  However, the system is nothing short of flawed.  These players bring in billions of dollars annually to the universities that they play for.  These universities stress the fact that these players are “student-athletes,” and emphasize the “value” of the education that their athletes are receiving.  The truth of the matter is that what is a valuable education for me (an aspiring attorney) is drastically different from that of Matt Barkely (an aspiring NFL quarterback).

Universities need to enact programs centered on their athletes.  If you are going to stress the importance of education, then realize what kind of education would truly benefit your players.  Athletic departments need to create programs that are specifically directed at the student-athlete.  Teach them the proper way of dealing with the media.  Warn your players of the detrimental effects of posting false, negative, or simply unnecessary information to the internet.  There are social media professionals who teach these skills as a career.  Find these people.  Hire them.  Spend money on your athletes who bring in billions of dollars for your university.  Equip them with the tools they need to succeed professionally.  After all, isn’t that the purpose of the collegiate institution?

Twitter Education: The Responsibility of a University to Prepare its Athletes from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The NBA draft is right around the corner and whatever number your player is picked, he’s going to have to pick up not only his game, but also his business skills, unless he wants to end up as one of the 60 percent of NBA players who are broke within five years of retirement.  Some pro athletes have it down, and I have been privileged to provide legal counsel to a number of professional athletes who have their act together.  But no matter who your player is, they each face similar issues, and what separates them is how they handle the pressure.  So before your player signs his first big shoe deal, here’s a list of business moves that he should make.

#1:       Get Extra Insurance and a Will

Your player needs to look into getting life, primary and umbrella coverage, and disability insurance, as well as a will.  While the death of your player is unlikely, it’s not unheard of, as more than 100 NBA, MLB, and NFL athletes have died during their careers.  Without a significant life insurance policy on top of the minimal one that may be provided to all players under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, death would mean financial ruin for those who will soon depend upon his income.  This is especially true if there’s a lockout, when benefits could be rescinded or suspended.  When the NFL’s Darrent Williams was murdered, the life insurance coverage provided under the league’s collective bargaining agreement was insufficient to provide for his two kids, causing the Broncos to establish a fund for fans to help provide for his kids’ futures.

Your player also needs a significant primary and umbrella liability policy, which will provide protection from the lawsuits he may be hit with now that he’s a professional.  If he’s using social media, make sure the policy covers claims like libel, which are not always included.

And since he hasn’t yet built up his bank account, a disability policy should be considered to protect him from a career-ending injury leaving him broke.  Your player may not get the same treatment as the NBA’s Jay Williams, whose contract was voided from a career-ending motorcycle injury, yet the Chicago Bulls were kind enough to pay him out.  This is especially true given the pending NBA lockout, because with no guaranteed contract available during the lockout, an injury during an informal workout or other activity could leave your player with no future income and no health insurance.

Finally, remind your player that a will likely only costs a few thousand dollars, but can prevent disastrous consequences.  For example, when the Redskins’ Sean Taylor died without a will, only his daughter inherited, leaving the rest of his relatives that had previously relied on his income with nothing.  When Steve McNair died without a will, he left his family with no access to his $19 million estate for more than a year.

#2:       Play Defense With Money

Given the high income/short career span of your pro athlete, a conservative investment approach is the way for him to get and stay rich.  Many athletes are enticed into alternative investments either by friends, family, or new acquaintances.  Unfortunately, these investments are unlikely to make 50 Cent money, so any opportunity should be vetted by an advisor who is highly qualified and, most importantly, who has no stake in the outcome.  At the very least, your player should set aside only 10 to 15 percent of his liquid net worth for these higher-risk investments.  Learn from Scottie Pippen, who went broke within six years of retirement, losing $120 million in career earnings, with $27 million lost on bad business deals.

#3:        Limit Risk on Endorsements

If your player decides to have an ownership stake in a corporation he’s endorsing, make sure that the company he’s investing in provides insurance and agrees in writing to defend legal claims on his behalf.  And if the product is high-risk, like a nutritional supplement or new-fangled sports device, make the company provide a legal opinion vetting the legality of the product and its marketing claims, since federal law says your player may be personally liable for his endorsements.  At a minimum, he should be very careful about representations he personally makes, about the product or that the company attributes to him.  Both Shaq and Lamar Odom learned this from the class-action lawsuit they are currently facing for their endorsement of Power Balance bracelets, which alleges that they should have known there was no reasonable basis for the marketing claims they made about the product’s benefits.

#4:       Add Value to an Existing Foundation

It’s likely that your player has no time, isn’t an expert in running a charitable organization, and that his pet cause is probably already being served by a qualified, well-run organization.  If true, he may be better served helping out pre-existing organizations, rather than creating his own.  There are obviously positive exceptions, like Alonzo Mourning Charities and the Steve Nash Foundation, but starting and maintaining a foundation costs hundreds of thousands of dollars and requires navigating complicated law.  In a best-case situation, it will likely be years before your player’s foundation makes a significant difference, and at worst, he’ll end up like ex-Cub Sammy Sosa, who was awarded MLB’s Roberto Clemente Man of the Year award for charity work and only one year later, his foundation faced allegations of misuse of funds.

#5:       Get His Online House in Order

Given that more Americans get their news from the Internet than from newspapers or radio, it’s critical for your player to establish an online brand.  Having a lawyer stop the online imposters and cybersquatters is a great way to start.  Ask Chris Bosh, who sued when he got tired of not being able to use his dot-com and not only won it back, but also offered to return more than 800 other cybersquatted athlete domain names to NBA players like Danny Grainger and Jared Dudley.  Ask the ex-New England Patriot Rodney Harrison, who had an imposter use his Twitter handle to pick a fight with the Jets’ Kerry Rhodes without Rhodes realizing it.  Or the Miami Dolphins’ Davone Bess, whose Twitter imposter hosted a fake chat and even got the Tennessee Titans’ Chris Johnson to agree to a footrace.

Once the brand is under control, your player needs to avoid messages that make him fodder for Deadspin and TMZ.  Every post effectively constitutes a press release, so they should be vetted carefully.  The WNBA’s Cappie Pondexter learned that lesson after her offensive Tweets about the Japan tsunami.  So did the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Rashard Mendenhall, whose four-year Champion endorsement deal was recently terminated after his offensive Bin Laden Tweets.  As did both Gilbert Arenas and Reggie Bush, when Arenas was fined by the NBA for Tweets about sexting and Bush was publicly criticized when he Tweeted how much he was enjoying the NFL lockout. And if your player is too busy to post his own messages, make sure that whoever is posting on his behalf is overly cautious.  Learn from Braylon Edwards of the New York Jets, who was sitting in jail after an arrest while someone embarrassingly tweeted, “Good Morning World!”, under his Twitter account.

#6:         Use A Corporation Properly

There is value to your player in setting up an LLC or corporation, although the true value lies in knowing what benefits the corporation actually provides and in using the corporation properly.  Many set up a corporation mistakenly thinking that it’s some sort of tax shelter, but its main purpose is actually to shield the player’s personal assets from lawsuits.  However, that protection will only be available if the player keeps the corporation in good standing with the state and observes other legal formalities, actually enters into business deals through the corporation, pays his staff via the corporation, has his cars owned by the corporation, and generally doesn’t treat the corporation like a personal piggy-bank.  While that all sounds totally obvious, more often than not, we see players fail to abide by these simple rules.

So good luck to your player on draft day.  But remember, what’s really important is not the deal they make today, but what they do over the coming years that will shape their future.

Brian Heidelberger is a partner and Chair of the Advertising, Marketing, and Entertainment Law Practice at Winston & Strawn LLP, a global law firm, and has provided legal advice to a myriad of professional athletes, including Dwayne Wade, Luol Deng, Donovan McNabb and Kevin Durant, and represented Chris Bosh in his 2009 cybersquatting case (bheidelberger@winston.com & www.winston.com/bheidelberger).

Business Moves Your NBA Player Should Make As Soon As He’s Drafted from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Very sad to read Sean Avery's misguided support of same-gender "marriage". Legal or not, it will always be wrong.

May 9, 2011 3:38 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@uptownhockey

Uptown Sports

To clarify. This is not hatred or bigotry towards gays. It is not intolerance in any way shape or form. I believe we are all equal...

May 9, 2011 5:22 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@uptownhockey

Uptown Sports

But I believe in the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman. This is my personal viewpoint. I Do not hate anyone.

May 9, 2011 5:26 pm via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@uptownhockey

Uptown Sports

Usually we cover athletes using social media for wrong reasons.  This time it is an agency Tweeting without care about how those Tweets will affect its brand.  Realize that Reynolds’ Tweets do not only affect his reputation, but that of his company and his clients.  Others may be less inclined to work with a company that Tweets such statements.  Competitors of Uptown Sports may use such Tweets against the agency in future recruiting battles.

Reynolds’ Tweets were made in response to the following video:

Todd Reynolds Will Not Be Representing Any Homosexual Hockey Players from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

With the 94th pick in the draft, the #Jets select druggie Kenrick Ellis, a NT from Hampton.

April 29, 2011 9:10 pm via webReplyRetweetFavorite

@RichCimini

Rich Cimini

This set Shatsky off on a Tweeting spree, where he attacked Cimini for that particular Tweet.  In response, John Phillips of Breakthrough Sports Advisors, Tweeted,

@RichCimini keep doing what you do. If agent is that thin skinned, should stick to selling glass or collecting paperweights- @GalleryofGlass

May 1, 2011 10:34 am via Twitter for iPhoneReplyRetweetFavorite

@mybtsa

John M. Phillips

And then Shatsky’s replies:

@mybtsa Hey clown, how many NFL players have you represented in your career?

May 1, 2011 4:17 pm via Twitter for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@ProFootballMgmt

Howard Shatsky

@mybtsa Since ur an agent, maybe you should worry about your own clients, oh snap I forgot you don't have any!

May 1, 2011 4:20 pm via Twitter for AndroidReplyRetweetFavorite

@ProFootballMgmt

Howard Shatsky

If you are not yet on Twitter, are you now ready to join and follow the Master List of Sports Agents?

Twitter Fight: Howard Shatsky vs. John Phillips from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

When: May 2, 2011 (8 p.m. EST)

Where: First round will be Tweeted by UFL Commissioner Michael Huyghue.  The rest of the draft picks (the remaining 9 rounds) will be made exclusively through UFL head coach Twitter feeds:

• Hartford Colonials – @JerryGlanville
• Omaha Nighthawks - @UFLJoeMoglia
• Sacramento Mountain Lions - @UFLDennisGreen
• Virginia Destroyers – @DestroyersMarty
• Las Vegas Locos - @LocosJimFassel

2011 United Football League (UFL) Draft Via Twitter from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Swisher has already been taken off of Bick’s website.  His client list also includes New York Yankee Brett Gardner, and his biggest client is Boston Red Sox great Kevin Youkilis.  Losing Swish has to sting.  He is not only a great player, but he has created a great following on Twitter, which could translate to huge marketing opportunities, especially if the Yankees are fighting for another championship next year.  While baseball agents typically take 4-5% commissions on team contracts, marketing cuts typically range between 15-25%.  No word on whether Lozano will direct Swisher’s marketing campaign as well.

On To The Next One: Nick Swisher from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

1. An ability to insert relevant promotional ads and links at the foot of text messages written by sports stars.  Many of these ads will be for the athlete’s own merchandise.  For the sports marketing world, the ad system blocks ads that conflict with an athlete’s existing endorsements or the sales guidelines of leagues and players unions.
2. A new payment structure.
   1. Real Merchandise (off-field apparel and headwear): 72% of Net Profits to the players and 2% to their favorite charities or foundations.  MogoTXT will also pay an additional 6% to the athlete’s union or to other charities.
   2. Virtual Goods and Social Games: 50% of Net Profits (to be allocated between Athlete and his Union) and 2% to their favorite charities or foundations.
   3. Mobile Advertising: 20% of Adjusted Gross Revenues, 2% to their favorite charities or foundations, and 3$ to athlete’s union or other charities.
3. Free, professional graphic design services and e-commerce stores for athletes and celebrities on MogoTXT, on Facebook and on the athletes’ own websites to enable athletes to market attractive high-quality merchandise to their fans without any upfront costs, financial risks or hassles.

It seems like quite a few big name athletes have signed up for the MogoTXT service.  As long as it is something that an athlete and/or his team of advisors are getting behind, it could be a good option to promote one’s personal brand, entertain his fans, and earn some additional off field/court revenue.

MogoTXT Increases Services Offered To Athletes from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

In reality, many athlete and agency profiles across various social media platforms are not run by the athletes or top executives themselves.  What too often is the case is that an intern will be given the responsibility of updating Twitter, Facebook, and blog accounts to make it seem like the words are coming straight from the mouth of the athlete or the company CEO, when it could not be further from the truth.  Does this make sense?  In my opinion, no, and if fans/followers/friends catch on (which should not be a hard task), it could be damaging.  Athletes and CEOs, with proper training, can handle the “chore” of posting regularly on these networks, and may even enjoy it.  The one exception for me, is that I will often post updates on my clients’ Facebook Fan Pages just to keep fans updated on achievements of the players and their stats.

It will be much tougher to convince an agency’s CEO to be a regular on social networks than convincing athlete clients (they will probably be on there whether you teach them best practices or not).  After all, why should a CEO bother with the mundane task of sending Tweets containing 140 characters or less, writing lengthy blog posts, or posting updates on Facebook, a site originally created for college students to hookup with and poke each other?

Mashable.com recently talked with Forrester Research CEO George Colony in an effort to understand why so few CEOs are personally using social media and whether or not they should be involved, anyway.

• Fears and issues preventing adoption: Age (most are still trying to switch from the typewriter to the computer), possible regulatory restraints (especially for public companies), risks (of offending customers, partners, BoD and of increased litigation), time.

Casey Wasserman of WMG is tweeting, but he is a young CEO.  Ted Forstmann of IMG and Jonathan Blue of BEST have no Twitter presence.

• Reasons to tweet: Desire (to communicate and to take risks) and audience (will employees and targeted customers listen, participate, comment, criticize?).

If a CEO has absolutely no interest in Tweeting or posting updates to his Facebook page, then there is no reason that the CEO should be forced or encouraged to do so by anybody.  And the CEO also may be someone who is very risk averse.  More importantly, who is the audience for a sports agency CEO?  Is it only the players?  If so, it will be hard to use updates on social media sites to reach those players.  If current clients follow the CEO, they may enjoy reading the updates.  Potential clients will most likely never read them.  But beyond athlete clients, a CEO’s partners, business acquaintances, friends in the media, employees, etc. may appreciate receiving updates, and this granted information may open up doors for opportunities for the CEO’s business.

There is no mandatory number of Tweets or updates for the CEO.  I know that time is a concern, but how often will a CEO be stuck at an airport staring at his Blackberry waiting for the next incoming email to appear?  In that time, why not send out a Tweet updating the world on something that is going on in your or your company’s life?  It makes the CEO seem more like a human being (isn’t that what he is?), which is something employees and clients appreciate.

And it’s not only about posting content.  CEO’s should be keeping up with what is written about them and their companies, and also what others are writing about other companies (including material written by the competition, themselves).  Truthfully, this site should be a bookmark, and CEO’s should also be watching The Master Twitter list of sports agents/agencies.

Should A Sports Agency CEO Be Social Networking? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules