Entry 3

I went to Portland three times this week.   On Monday we discussed the book I read and any notes/questions I brought.  Each of the days this week I shadowed the contract negotiation process between either Iridium Sports Agency and the athlete or the sports agency and a promotion wishing to sign a professional athlete for an upcoming MMA card.  It was interesting to watch the slightly different approaches Jason used based on the people involved and the situation.

The ability to successfully negotiate a contract is the most impactful obligation an agent has to his client.  On this visit, I delved into a discussion regarding “how necessary is it to have a law degree in your field?  Is this a career I could pursue with a CRES masters?”

This was the paraphrased answer I got from Steven, one of the agents:  

Lawyers who represent athletes have generally been trained in the fundamentals of contracts and should be familiar with the current market value of their client relative to other athletes within the same sport. However, it should be noted that hiring a lawyer is not required (nor is an agent for that matter) to secure deals for the athlete. Some athletes do not wish to hire an agent for a variety of reasons, including having to pay commissions or other fees associated with the representation. Since the athlete has unique talents, abilities, and skills, their contracts are categorized as personal services contracts.

You must work very hard and make yourself a valuable commodity. Skills gleaned from formal education are important for this industry, but just as important (or, arguably moreso) is the ability to network within the sport.  Building relationships with the right people is crucial.  Take good care of your reputation. Do not make promises you cannot keep. Do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it.

I asked Jason the same thing.  His answer:

Going to law school or at the very least having a solid foundation in the law is very important. All I do is advocate, negotiate and enforce. Why would you hire a non-lawyer to do lawyer work? Most non-attorney agents either hire lawyers or just wing it. Why would someone hire a person to secure and enforce a legal document that has no training in doing so? I want to be the one who does everything – the responsibility starts and stops with me and that’s how I like it.