One of the biggest weekends of the year in Gainesville, FL.  While Tennessee looked pretty weak against UCLA, the Gators should never take them for granted.  HHR looks at arguments for both teams.  Happy Rosh Hashanah to all my Jewish people!  Leigh Steinberg will be on the new Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Northern California Wall of Fame.  How about my client, Pete Parise?  He has appeared in all 5 of the AAA Memphis Redbirds postseason games, racking up 4 saves in the process without giving up a single run.  I’m just a little excited about that.  Here are some stories I missed over the past week:

Baseball

• Another great piece by Doug Glanville.  He is turning out to be an excellent writer [Keeping It Real].

Football

• Tank Black tells his story for the first time [Tanked!].
• A football agent’s life, month by month [The agent cycle].
• Jake Delhomme isn’t losing his endorsement deals anytime soon [He can throw; can he pitch?].
• Put a client on a practice squad before sending him to the Browns? Harsh [Sources: Agents steering players away from Browns].
• The Patriots were the driving force behind the 5-year maximum length of rookie contracts drafted #17-32 overall [Patriots’ role in altered CBA ‘clarified’].

Entertainment

• He’s playing an agent on a show girls love [Interview with Robert Buckley, The New Ladies' Man on 'One Tree Hill'].

Sports Business

• From the geek at the sports network to the cool guy at the business network [Darren Rovell: CNBC’s Multi-Beat, Multi-Platform Game-Changer].

Darren Heitner: You are coming close to 20 years of negotiating deals for NFL players. Which period in that long term was your most enjoyable, and why?

Jack Bechta: Probably 1993 through 1998. In ‘93 I had a 2nd-rounder (OL Todd Rucci), a 3rd-rounder (OL Earl Dotson), and a UFA (CB Curtis Buckley) who all went on to be very successful. That was my breakout year, and the next several years were fun because I had the business somewhat figured out. Rucci became a very close friend, and in that period I signed guys like Tim Dwight, Adam Treu and Todd Washington, all of which I grew very close to because my clientele was still small. A few of these guys would live with me in the off-season, and we would travel together to places like Tahoe, Australia and Mexico. Good times!

Darren Heitner: You have negotiated over 200 NFL Contracts. Which one or two were the most creative deals, what were the creative terms, and how did you go about placing those terms into the contract?

Jack Bechta: For Todd Rucci in 1993, he was one of the first players ever to have a voidable clause in his contract under the new CBA. Also, I once had a weight clause in Dotson’s contract. If he reported under 320, he would get $100k bonus. We used it to make a make up a gap. I told Earl the number was 315, so he made it every time.

Darren Heitner: You are one of the brave few agents who has the courage and time management skills to represent talent and blog about it. How do you manage the load?

Jack Bechta: It’s pretty easy, actually. I try to keep my blogs to about 500 words, and I just write about current events and things I know well once or twice a week. Writing has actually made me a better agent, because I now pay attention to every single piece of information in the blogosphere and on our site. I am more informed than I ever have been. I also like educating young people, players and parents on the inner workings of the industry. A lot of agents try to make this business mystical, and I try to demystify it and make it more professional.

Darren Heitner: What benefits do you and your clients get from your regular postings at NationalFootballPost.com?

Jack Bechta: I won’t use NFP as a tool to help myself or my clients. However, they will benefit by getting some national exposure when I write about them.

Darren Heitner: You played college football. How has that helped you relate to clients? Has it helped you in your representation of athletes?

Jack Bechta: I understand what it’s like to go to camp, stay in shape, get hurt, get concussions, get a job, lose a job and be a rookie and a vet. A coach once told me there are football players, and there is the rest of the world. I feel I am in a unique fraternity. Although I played at small Texas A&M, we were big on football pedigree. We had 3 to 5 guys go pro the years I was there, including Hall of Famer Darrell Green. Gene Upshaw was an alum and visited a few times. Basically, it helps me tremendously. I can talk the language, and I am never starstruck.

Darren Heitner: How bad is client stealing amongst NFLPA certified agents? What can be done to curb the practice of client stealing?

Jack Bechta: It’s pretty bad. When a good player nears the doorstep of free agency, the wolves start to circle. So far the NFLPA has done very little to stop it. The problem is they need the player to turn in the wolf, and they won’t do it. I wrote a little bit about a client of mine who was approached by another agent in one of my NFP articles.

Darren Heitner: What’s your beef with Leigh Steinberg all about?

Jack Bechta: I don’t have a beef with Leigh. I actually respect him as a marketer, as he was the first agent to play to the media. However, I have little respect for the latter part of his career because I know some things that are downright disgusting relating to his behavior as a person and an agent. To this date I believe the rookie deal he did for Bledsoe in 1993 exponentially set the stage for rookie contracts today. Unfortunately, i know too much. I am rooting for him, though, to over come his addiction problems, especially since my father was an alcoholic. He’s a pioneer, and I wish him well, but I also tell it like it is.

Darren Heitner: How many years were you in this business before you started earning a profit? What kind of expenses go into being an agent?

Jack Bechta: It took me about 5 years to become a full-time agent. But things were different then. We didn’t have to pay for training, room and board, so my business has always been profitable. A beginning agent will need about $100k to get started.

Darren Heitner: I could not help but notice that you list your high school G.P.A. and class rank on your company website. What’s that all about?

Jack Bechta: I’m not sure, actually. I like to let people know what part of the country I am from. I treat my website like a resume, and college football players are only 4 or 5 years removed from high school, so they can relate. You can never give too much info about yourself – people want to know who you are.

Darren Heitner: What advice would you give to those in their early twenties who want to break into this industry?

Jack Bechta: The #1 rule is: Don’t be naive. This is the most competitive business on the planet. If you want to hear more of my thoughts on this topic, I’ve actually written quite a few posts over at NFP. “Cracking the Agent Business”, “Two Paths to Becoming an Agent”, and “Becoming an Agent Part Two”.

Darren Heitner: Anything else you would like to add for our readers?

Jack Bechta: The sports world can always use more hard working professionals who have the best interest of the players in mind!

Darren Heitner: You are coming close to 20 years of negotiating deals for NFL players. Which period in that long term was your most enjoyable, and why?

Jack Bechta: Probably 1993 through 1998. In ‘93 I had a 2nd-rounder (OL Todd Rucci), a 3rd-rounder (OL Earl Dotson), and a UFA (CB Curtis Buckley) who all went on to be very successful. That was my breakout year, and the next several years were fun because I had the business somewhat figured out. Rucci became a very close friend, and in that period I signed guys like Tim Dwight, Adam Treu and Todd Washington, all of which I grew very close to because my clientele was still small. A few of these guys would live with me in the off-season, and we would travel together to places like Tahoe, Australia and Mexico. Good times!

Darren Heitner: You have negotiated over 200 NFL Contracts. Which one or two were the most creative deals, what were the creative terms, and how did you go about placing those terms into the contract?

Jack Bechta: For Todd Rucci in 1993, he was one of the first players ever to have a voidable clause in his contract under the new CBA. Also, I once had a weight clause in Dotson’s contract. If he reported under 320, he would get $100k bonus. We used it to make a make up a gap. I told Earl the number was 315, so he made it every time.

Darren Heitner: You are one of the brave few agents who has the courage and time management skills to represent talent and blog about it. How do you manage the load?

Jack Bechta: It’s pretty easy, actually. I try to keep my blogs to about 500 words, and I just write about current events and things I know well once or twice a week. Writing has actually made me a better agent, because I now pay attention to every single piece of information in the blogosphere and on our site. I am more informed than I ever have been. I also like educating young people, players and parents on the inner workings of the industry. A lot of agents try to make this business mystical, and I try to demystify it and make it more professional.

Darren Heitner: What benefits do you and your clients get from your regular postings at NationalFootballPost.com?

Jack Bechta: I won’t use NFP as a tool to help myself or my clients. However, they will benefit by getting some national exposure when I write about them.

Darren Heitner: You played college football. How has that helped you relate to clients? Has it helped you in your representation of athletes?

Jack Bechta: I understand what it’s like to go to camp, stay in shape, get hurt, get concussions, get a job, lose a job and be a rookie and a vet. A coach once told me there are football players, and there is the rest of the world. I feel I am in a unique fraternity. Although I played at small Texas A&M, we were big on football pedigree. We had 3 to 5 guys go pro the years I was there, including Hall of Famer Darrell Green. Gene Upshaw was an alum and visited a few times. Basically, it helps me tremendously. I can talk the language, and I am never starstruck.

Darren Heitner: How bad is client stealing amongst NFLPA certified agents? What can be done to curb the practice of client stealing?

Jack Bechta: It’s pretty bad. When a good player nears the doorstep of free agency, the wolves start to circle. So far the NFLPA has done very little to stop it. The problem is they need the player to turn in the wolf, and they won’t do it. I wrote a little bit about a client of mine who was approached by another agent in one of my NFP articles.

Darren Heitner: What’s your beef with Leigh Steinberg all about?

Jack Bechta: I don’t have a beef with Leigh. I actually respect him as a marketer, as he was the first agent to play to the media. However, I have little respect for the latter part of his career because I know some things that are downright disgusting relating to his behavior as a person and an agent. To this date I believe the rookie deal he did for Bledsoe in 1993 exponentially set the stage for rookie contracts today. Unfortunately, i know too much. I am rooting for him, though, to over come his addiction problems, especially since my father was an alcoholic. He’s a pioneer, and I wish him well, but I also tell it like it is.

Darren Heitner: How many years were you in this business before you started earning a profit? What kind of expenses go into being an agent?

Jack Bechta: It took me about 5 years to become a full-time agent. But things were different then. We didn’t have to pay for training, room and board, so my business has always been profitable. A beginning agent will need about $100k to get started.

Darren Heitner: I could not help but notice that you list your high school G.P.A. and class rank on your company website. What’s that all about?

Jack Bechta: I’m not sure, actually. I like to let people know what part of the country I am from. I treat my website like a resume, and college football players are only 4 or 5 years removed from high school, so they can relate. You can never give too much info about yourself – people want to know who you are.

Darren Heitner: What advice would you give to those in their early twenties who want to break into this industry?

Jack Bechta: The #1 rule is: Don’t be naive. This is the most competitive business on the planet. If you want to hear more of my thoughts on this topic, I’ve actually written quite a few posts over at NFP. “Cracking the Agent Business”, “Two Paths to Becoming an Agent”, and “Becoming an Agent Part Two”.

Darren Heitner: Anything else you would like to add for our readers?

Jack Bechta: The sports world can always use more hard working professionals who have the best interest of the players in mind!

Baseball

• Florida Marlins are only spending $27mil more than the absolute minimum [Minimum Salary].
• Travis Snider should be with the Blue Jays, but arbitration stands in the way [Super Two Update: Maybin, Snider].

Football

• Leigh Steinberg sits on the board of directors for Myron Rolle’s nonprofit foundation [Call him a Rolle model: Former Florida State player Myron Rolle a scholar and an athlete].
• Awesome use of $4,000 [A Charitable Chain Reaction].
• $5.8 million guaranteed per year = elite guaranteed money [Eli Manning: Elite Quarterback?]

Social Networking

• Twitter allows sports agents the power to shape their messages exactly how they want it to come across [Breaking News on Twitter].

Basketball

• A talented FEMALE college basketball player leaves school early to play overseas [College Star Epiphanny Prince leaves NCAA for Europe].

Sports Law

• Attorney, former NFL Asst. General Counsel, former sports agent, former General Counsel of Upper Deck…[The David Cornwell Chronicles: A (Semi) Regular Look at Sports and the Law].

Jack Bechta

His latest piece is titled, You’re Fired.  It seems that Bechta got inspiration for writing the post from the recent break-up of Boldin and Rosenhaus, which has been discussed a few times already on this blog.  The article includes quite a bit of Leigh Steinberg bashing, but the main point that Bechta is trying to get across to the reader is that every agent lives in fear of getting fired.  The fax machine is not an agent’s friend.  Certified checks in envelopes are what we prefer.  Bechta does a lot of self-promoting in the piece, but overall, I thought it had some good insight into our profession (or atleast those who want to be football agents).  Competition is brutal.  You must always be on top of your game.  Never underestimate what others are doing while you sleep.

Growing up in Queens, New York with dreams and aspirations of making it as a star on the big screen, Vince and his childhood buddies move to Hollywood where he becomes an A-list movie star. The episodes follow Vince through all his movie roles, contract negotiations, lavish parties, and many other wild experiences within the industry. The show epitomizes the movie star lifestyle in Hollywood and has weekly cameo appearances from many notable celebrities, some including Kanye West, Gary Busey, Mandy Moore, Val Kilmer, Anna Faris, Bow Wow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Seth Green and Hugh Heffner.

Although Vince is the movie star and head of the group, the character that really stands out is his agent, Ari Gold. Ari is an audacious, loud mouthed, tightly wound, super agent who wheels and deals for Vince while uttering ridiculously witty comments. Most believe that Ari’s character is based on real life agent Ari Emanuel, Mark Wahlberg’s current agent. Emanuel founded Endeavor Talent Agency in 1995 after he left the well-recognized agency of International Creative Management (ICM), where he previously represented Jeremy Piven, the actor playing Ari Gold. If that isn’t confusing enough, Endeavor and Emanuel, now signed Adrian Grenier (Vince) as a client a month ago, further intertwining the series with reality.

The role of the brash, conniving, supercilious Hollywood agent is portrayed with perfection in Entourage. Professors, law students, future agents, lawyers and many others love watching agents depicted on the screen. The Ari Gold’s, Eric Murphy’s, Josh Weinstein’s and many other characters in the business of entertainment and sports appear weekly to millions of viewers who watch in awe. From the representation of stars like Brad Pitt to athletes like LeBron James or David Beckham, we deduce much of what we know about agents from the big screen and shows like Entourage. But how much of that is accurate?

Ari’s character breaks away from his job at a big time agency to start from the ground up building his own brand. On the screen, this seems to be rather easy for Ari as he forms the Miller Gold Agency and is extremely successful almost instantly. In reality, it is not that easy to build an Entertainment agency (or any business) from the ground up. Ari Emanuel chose this path, and created Endeavor Talent Agency, which took more than ten years to become a well-established entity in the industry. It still is not as prominent as CAA or other top agencies but is starting to get climb up the ranks as a force to be reckoned with.  Although it is expensive, rough and a lot of work, it can be done.

Entourage overlooks the rough areas that you encounter when starting your own agency. Ari does work out of a smaller office with less staff for about an episode, but this certainly does not represent the true sacrifice one makes when attempting to start their own agency. You can ask this blog’s creator Darren Heitner, who started Dynasty Athlete Representation, how tough it is to create your own agency.

The movie Jerry Maguire, another classic sports agent flick, shows a better representation of the true anguish and sacrifice one makes when starting up an agency. Jerry and Ari both leave big agencies to pursue starting up their own firm. However, Maguire finds it a lot harder than Ari when beginning to build his agency from the ground up. After time and much personal sacrifice you can build an agency to become great. A true example of that is Leigh Steinberg, the super agent that the movie Jerry Maguire is based on. Like the others, Steinberg broke away from a messy situation at a larger agency to form his own firm. He quickly climbed back to where he once was, but not without many changes and sacrifices. Leigh is now viewed as one of the greatest agents of our time.

The path of building your own agency is one that many persistent, motivated and talented agents take. It is romanticized on the silver screen and is not as easy as general perceptions would lead you to believe. Starting your own agency takes a lot of money up front with little in return. The size of your future agency (including agents, clients, staff), along with the type of clients you want to represent are only a few of several other things you need to be aware of.

Before even thinking about starting your own agency you need to become registered as an agent in the particular state you wish to work in. The registration fee can run from $1000-$2500 depending on the state (or cost nothing at all). This goes for athlete and entertainment agents, unless you are a “talent agent” (most state jurisdictions have their own talent agency acts that govern their conduct and some do not require you to register as an agent). The Uniform Athlete Agent Act (UAAA) guides other state laws regarding sports agents.

Once you have paid the appropriate fees and declared yourself as an agent officially, you must then establish your client base. Most agencies are responsible for paying for athlete and entertainers tryout fees, travel expenses, equipment, marketing and much more. All of these fees come from the agency and are not reimbursed until the agent signs that individual client a contract. Depending on the client, this can take a while, and even if a client signs quickly, the money might not get to you until some time after. Agents representing athletes make anywhere from 3%-6% on contract negotiations. Marketing and endorsement contracts, on the other hand, usually give agents anywhere from 15%-25% commission.

On the other side of things, you could be representing Lebron James out of high school when he signed a 90 million dollar deal with Nike. Then again, LeBron James is an extremely rare client to find.

Any way you look at it, starting an agency and becoming an agent has many roadblocks and obstacles standing in the way. High start up expenses with little in return scare most people away from becoming an agent.

Therefore, before becoming an agent ever becomes a practicable option as a permanent job you really must know someone currently in the industry. There, you can get started at a big firm where you can learn the ropes and build connections. An internship at a large firm or talent agency could build solid ties. The other route that will get you there and the route chosen by Eric Murphy, is one where you know the star or athlete personally, well enough to represent him when he eventually becomes famous, like Vince. Drew Rosenhaus got his start in the industry this way, representing his one time college roommate. Those two options are the ones I hear most often by experienced professionals in the industry. Making connections is crucial in the entertainment industry; persistence, the right email, phone call or conversation could realistically get you somewhere.

Shows like Entourage idealize the role of the agent, and reveal only the truly indulging aspects of the business. The industry itself is a cutthroat one; some of the tactics shown on television do not accurately portray the industry and the proper role an agent plays, however some do. Although the lifestyle may look wonderful on the screen, being an agent is a 24/7 job that takes a lot out of an individual, specifically when starting your own agency. Making money in the industry is a lot harder than one would think unless you have the proper connections.

In conclusion, being an agent it is not as easy and glamorous as it is made out to be.  The business has many perks and amazing attributes that come along with the job; at the same time an agent must always be looking out for their clients best interests over their own.  Representing many clients, this can be a work-intensive job that takes a lot out of you economically, mentally, and physically.  However, if you really want to be an agent there is no normal route to reach your goal.  From knowing the right people, to working in a mail room, persistence matched with the right morals and attitude can take you where you want to go.

With his admitted battle with alcoholism, Steinberg recently had another run-in with the law. This time, he was arrested on suspicion of being drunk in public in Newport Beach, CA where he lives.

Police said Friday that Steinberg, 59, was taken into custody about 8 p.m. on Oct. 22 after they got a report about a man “screaming and attempting to climb a hill” above the Newport Auto Center, Lt. Bill Hartford said.

Officers detected a “strong odor” of alcohol and Steinberg’s speech was slurred, although no alcoholic beverages were found, Hartford said. “It appeared that he couldn’t care for himself and others” and Steinberg was taken to the city jail, where he was booked for investigation of public intoxication and released on his own recognizance pending a Dec. 8 court hearing, Hartford said.

A telephone message left for Steinberg was not immediately returned Friday.

Steinberg signed a statement that said police planned to seek criminal charges and promising to appear in court, Hartford said.

But there was no record of Steinberg’s latest arrest in the district attorney’s computer, so it was not immediately possible to determine whether he had been charged, officials in the DA’s office said.

The arrest was first reported Friday in The Orange County Register.

Although he hasn’t been officially charged as of yet, it is safe to say that Steinberg has been making news for all the wrong reasons. At the pinnacle of his career, he represented many of the top QB’s in the NFL, including Troy Aikman, Steve Young, and Drew Bledsoe. His success as a top agent helped inspire “Jerry Macguire,” and it is no secret that at one time, his client list was one of the most impressive out there.

Because of the high profile clients he has represented over the years, Steinberg has become a celebrity in his own right. With that, comes higher expectations from the sports media and public. You usually don’t hear about other agents’ legal infractions, unless they are egregious actions related to representing athletes. While it is rare that the media actually follows the personal life of an agent, in Steiberg’s case, it is just a fact of life for him now. He earned it.

With his string of legal incidents over the past 12 years (In both April 2007 and 1997, Steinberg was arrested for investigation of drunken driving after he hit parked cars), it is both sad and disappointing to hear about such an admired sports agent tarnishing his legacy.

It doesn’t matter how many multi-million dollar contracts you have negotiated, if people remember you as “the sports agent who got drunk and hit parked cars.” I’m not trying to be facetious, as I realize this is a serious issue. I hope that Steinberg seeks out intervention before it’s too late.

With this in mind, I’ve come up with a list of the Top 6 Agents who both represent Athletes and Entertainers. The list is based majorly on how close the Agent reflects true life.

You’re probably asking why 6, well I thought 10 was too many and 5 wasn’t enough!

6. Jerry Dabelstein (Dailan Evans) – Mark Loves Sharon (TV)

Plot: The show takes a behind the scenes look at the life of Mark Wary, an Australian sportsman as he navigates through his career, culminating in his marriage to his girlfriend Sharon. Mark is a bit of a bad-boy, being involved in one indiscretion after another, leaving the job of his Agent Jerry, quite a difficult task.

Agent lessons?: Despite the show receiving lukewarm reviews, the character of Jerry was written and portrayed quite well. Jerry was characteristic of a struggling Agent, with Mark being his only client. He wasn’t flashy and didn’t live in a mansion. He was always at Mark’s side at every press conference after his mishaps. Mark would be lost without him, and this is shown when Mark drops Jerry.

Favorite Quote: “You here that? That is the sound of Mark Wary not in trouble. Beautiful sound, usually only heard when he’s fast asleep…*Alarm rings*”

Watch full episodes here

5. Rick Peck (Matthew McConaughey) - Tropic Thunder (Film)

Plot: A bunch of actors filming a war film are sent deep into the jungle to create a more realistic film, only to discover they are involved in a real war themselves. Rick Peck is the Agent of the film’s star Tugg Speedman, who won’t stop harping on about his Tivo. .

Agent lessons?: Rick Peck’s offices are stylish and sleek, and he is portrayed as a fast talking win at all costs Agent. Rick’s alliances are tested throughout the film, as he is offered a large sum to forget about his client. a highlight of this portrayal is the commitment and integrity shown towards his client.

Quotes: “Now let me get this straight. You want me to let my client of 15 years, one of my best friends, die in the jungle alone, for some money and a G5?”

4. Darren Lamb (Stephen Merchant) – Extras (TV)

Plot: Andy Millman is an extra who finally gets his big break when a TV show he wrote gets picked up by the BBC. Darren lamb plays his incompetent Agent.

Agent Lessons?: Darren Lamb is the perfect example of a terrible, inept Agent. He is constantly bagging Andy, and is more concerned on fattening his bank balance and his other clients. Darren has a very small office, and most of the time it seems Andy knows more about getting roles than he does.

Favorite Quotes: “Will he still get paid even if his performance is crap?”

3. Arliss Michaels (Robert Wuhl) – Ari$$ (TV)

Plot: Arliss Michaels is a Super Agent. He represents a large stable of clients across a wide range of sports. The show features plenty of guest stars, mainly in the sporting arena. Arliss narrates over the show, offering tips and advice of how to succeed as an Agent.

Agent Lessons?: Arliss Michaels was a bit over the top, but never the less much can be taken from the character. The ‘tips’ that he gave were at least in the ballpark of what an Agent is expected to do. The way that the Arli$$ series played out was that you learned what to do at the same time he did. A highlight of the show was the variety of situations in which Arli$$ saw himself. From NFL contracts to NCAA recruiting, a lot of ground is covered.

Favorite Quote: “My name is Arliss Michaels. I represent athletes. These are my stories.”

2. Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) – Entourage (TV)

Plot: Vincent Chase is one of the brightest talents in Hollywood. From indie films to blockbusters, he navigates through this wild ride with his three best friends- Drama, Turtle and E. Ari Gold is his unscrupulous Agent, who often considers himself as one of the gang. The show features many actors playing themselves.

Agent Lessons?: Ari Gold is a self proclaimed ‘Super Agent’ and a true example of how hard work pays off. He started from the ground up, and over a decade has become one of the leading Agents in Hollywood. He has a large house, fast cars and a beautiful wife. Although the show does take things to the extreme of indulgence, the character of Ari is based loosely on Ari Emanuel, who like his character broke away from a major agency to start his own. [Source] Ironically, Ari Emanuel once represented Jeremy Piven.
A dilemma that faces Ari Gold through the series is self interest. Often he’ll play studios against each other in order to get more money for his client. While this sounds good in theory, most of the time it is against the wishes of his clients. Lesson learned? Listen to your clients wants and needs, because if you won’t someone else will.

1. Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) – Jerry Maguire (Film)

Plot: Jerry Maguire is a hotshot Agent who decides to grow a conscience. By releasing a game plan for how he wants the business to be run, he is let go. He enlists the help of an assistant and after a frantic chase to take his clients with him, he is left with one, Rod Tidwell, an NFL player looking for a new contract.

Agent Lessons?: It’s the film that almost everyone gets perceptions about the industry from. Based on one of the finest and most successful (if not most successful) Agent in the world, Leigh Steinberg, Jerry Maguire explores some interesting topics. The path of leaving an Agency to form your own is one many respected and driven Agents take, and as it shows in this film, it’s not as easy as you may think it would be.
Although the film has very romantic overtones, a theme that needs to be explored is the sense of loneliness that Jerry Maguire has. He is effectively married to his job, as he leaves his fiancee early in the film. This highlights the notion that being an Agent is a 24/7 job.

Favorite Quote: “I will not rest until I have you holding a Coke, wearing your own shoe, playing a Sega game featuring you, while singing your own song in a commercial starring you, broadcast during the Superbowl, in a game that you are winning.”

So in conclusion, while a lot of the Agents’ lives you see portrayed on screen are jazzed up and glamorized, this from of media is a great way to research methods of how to be a successful Sports Agent.

One of the real flaws of traditional agentry is that there is no collegiality to it. Agents are so hyper-critical of each other that they don’t advance it as a profession, because they are so competitive that they are unable to acknowledge that other agents negotiate well or do a good job. They rejoice in the failure or difficulties of each other, and without understanding that it is a profession and the more successful every agent is, the better it is. Too often it’s crabs in a barrel.

-Leigh Steinberg (4/27/08)

I have read that section of my interview with Leigh countless times, and every time I look it over, I feel more passionate about giving up some of my time to try to change the landscape of this profession. Leigh and I share many things in common, one of which is the idea that life is not all about money. Happiness is not gained solely through the accumulation of dollars. There is more to it. Enjoying your daily job is one factor, and I believe that we can do something to turn around the sports agent profession to improve the quality of life for all that call athlete representation their occupation.

As I have stated on numerous equations, I created SportsAgentBlog.com for three purposes: 1) It was a vehicle to get my name out there in an industry that has a high barrier of entry, 2) I would be forced to stay up to date with news in the agent world along and continue to read up on relevant information concerning the industry, and 3) I was upset with the terrible stigma that surrounded the sports agent world and wanted to try to root out some of the false assumptions and bad behavior circulating the profession. I believe that I have done a decent job with the first two elements and would like to start focusing a bit more on the third.

In my interview with Mr. Steinberg, he mentioned an organization that once existed called ARPA. He described it as a large group of supportive agents that did things like giving awards for agent of the year and involved many agents sharing negotiating tips and calling each other for advice on negotiations. I decided to do some research to learn a bit more about the organization.

ARPA stands for Association of Representatives of Professional Athletes. It was created in 1978 as a vehicle to introduce self-regulation into the profession. Much like the American Bar Association (ABA) has created its code of ethics for lawyers in the Model Rules of Professional Conduct, ARPA had its own code. The problem is that while the ABA tends to enforce its code from time to time through courts of law, ARPA had no regulatory agency; sanctions were ineffective. Before ARPA was extinguished in 1988, the organization reached up to four hundred members. Since 1988, there has not been any formal group to unify agents under a common code or credo. The only exception may be in the Sports Lawyers Association (SLA), which is catered towards the attorney-agent, which makes up only a fraction of the entire athlete agent profession.

I truly believe that we can bring ARPA back. My goal is to reintroduce ARPA at some point in 2009. With the help from some of the older guard of agents who truly want to see a change and ensure the advancement of sports agentry, I feel that it is possible that we can once again create an organization that encourages the peaceful coexistence between all of us who aim to represent professional athletes.

The idea is to bring sports agents together in a common venue every year. At that point, we will collect membership dues and get the ball rolling once again with ARPA. I believe that ARPA’s purpose should be slightly altered, however. The end goal may remain as self-regulation; however, a lower aim would be just to get the entire sports agent community in one room at least once a year to open up communication lines and put a human story behind each person in the room. Awards may be handed out, but more importantly than making it a competition, it should be an annual gathering of people who truly wish to advance the sports agent profession. It will make us all more cordial toward one another and only yield promising results.

Darren Deloatche’s recent comment just gives all of us agents more of a reason to plan a yearly get-together.  Collective efforts can lead to lower insurance premiums along with a plethora of other advancements for our profession.

If you are currently an agent and would like to help with the implementation of this program, please contact me and let me know how you may be of assistance.

Those are some of the most common questions that I receive by email, even though all of those queries have been answered on this blog and its accompanying Forum.  Yesterday, Sports Law Blog further backed my common answer, which is that there really is none at all.

The most successful agents have attended a variety of law schools.  Some are in the top tier, others you may have never heard of before.  A few have decent Sports Law programs while others do not even have a single Sports Law class (like my lovely UF Law).  See this list that I compiled with the help of our extensive database of interviews along with some additional research:

• Ben Dogra (CAA Football) – St. Louis University Law School
• Scott Boras (Boras Corp) – McGeorge School of Law
• Arn Tellem (WMG) – University of Michigan Law School
• Drew Rosenhaus (Rosenhaus Sports) – Duke University School of Law
• Paul Sheehy (Pro Star) - Whittier College School of Law
• Rick Walden (Dishon & Walden) - University of Texas at Austin School of Law
• Steve Kauffman (Kauffman Sports Management) - University of Pennsylvania Law School
• Mark Steinberg (IMG Golf) - University of Illinois College Of Law
• Steve Herz (IF Management) – Vanderbilt University School of Law
• David Canter (DEC Management) - University Of Miami School Of Law
• Kevin Gold (Longsnap.com) - Widener University School of Law
• Scott Casanover (MAC Sports & Entertainment) - Washington University School of Law
• Peter Webb (Gaylord Sports Management) - New York Law School
• Jim Kuzmich (GAAMES) - University of Oklahoma-College of Law
• Max Eppel (MESA) - Court School of Law (England)
• Leigh Steinberg – UC Berkeley Boalt School of Law
• David Falk – George Washington University Law School
• Rob Pelinka - University of Michigan Law School
• Tom Condon (CAA Football) - University of Baltimore Law School
• Eugene Parker (Maximum Sports) – Valparaiso University School of Law