The Business of Sports Agents

Published May 16, 2016 by University of Pennsylvania Press.

ISBN:: 978-0-8122-9279-4

Successful sports agents are comfortable with high finance and intense competition for the right to represent talented players, and the most respected agents are those who can deal with the pressures of high-stakes negotiations in an honest fashion. But whereas rules and penalties govern the playing field, there are far fewer restrictions on agents. In The Business of Sports Agents, Kenneth L. Shropshire, Timothy Davis, and N. Jeremi Duru, experts in the fields of sports business and law, examine the history of the sports agent business and the rules and laws developed to regulate the profession. They also consider recommendations for reform, including uniform laws that would apply to all agents, redefining amateurism in college sports, and stiffening requirements for licensing agents.

This revised and expanded third edition brings the volume up to date on recent changes in the industry, including: —the emergence and dominance of companies such as …

Successful sports agents are comfortable with high finance and intense competition for the right to represent talented players, and the most respected agents are those who can deal with the pressures of high-stakes negotiations in an honest fashion. But whereas rules and penalties govern the playing field, there are far fewer restrictions on agents. In The Business of Sports Agents, Kenneth L. Shropshire, Timothy Davis, and N. Jeremi Duru, experts in the fields of sports business and law, examine the history of the sports agent business and the rules and laws developed to regulate the profession. They also consider recommendations for reform, including uniform laws that would apply to all agents, redefining amateurism in college sports, and stiffening requirements for licensing agents.

This revised and expanded third edition brings the volume up to date on recent changes in the industry, including: —the emergence and dominance of companies such as Creative Artists Agency and Wasserman Media Group —high-profile cases of agent misconduct, principally Josh Luchs, whose agent certification was revoked by the NFLPA —legal challenges against the NCAA that may fundamentally change the definition of amateurism —changes to agent regulations resulting from new collective bargaining agreements in all of the major professional sports —evaluation of the effectiveness of the Uniform Athlete Agents Act (2000) to regulate agent conduct —issues faced by the increasing number of agents representing athletes who work abroad as well as athletes from abroad who work in the United States.

Whether aspiring sports agent, lawyer, athlete seeking an agent, or simply interested in understanding the world of sports representation, the reader will find in The Business of Sports Agents the most comprehensive overview of the industry as well as a straightforward analysis of its problems and proposed solutions.

3 editions

Ben Waber reviewed The Business of Sports Agents by Kenneth L. Shropshire

A Great Introduction to the Industry

4 stars

This book covers all the bases, reviewing the history of sports agents, the structure of the industry, agents' operating models and their roles and responsibilities, and the problems that have plagued the industry since its inception. This is a very unique kind of work, and as such understanding the peculiar nature of this fluid and continually changing field is instructive as to how radically different and complex work can become. For those interested in breaking into the field itself this will be a good jumping off point, although there's only cursory coverage of the legal landscape and most of the discussions around building a client base are about scandals. Overall, this is a great read if you're interested in the business of sports or work more broadly. Highly recommend

Ben Waber

rated it

3 hours ago

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