Entry 6

I only came up once this week.  We decided we would do the midterm evaluation that day as well.  Overall, my feedback was very positive.  The biggest criticism I had was that I am sometimes too timid when negotiating.  I also tend to give in too quickly rather than “sitting with the conflict.”  I remember I struggled with similar issues in class.  In one of the personality tests we took, my result was “conflict avoider.”  When negotiations get heated or a conflict escalates my instinct is to pull back and give in to the more aggressive person.  I need to work on maintaining a more confident demeanor and allow both parties to struggle with the problem before I interfere and try to smooth the issues out.

You can be firm and friendly. When someone says, “This is what I’m offering you,” you can answer back, “Where did that figure come from? Out of your head? Give me some standard; I can give in to some good standards if you tell me the market value, or the appraised value of that building, or the price of that stock. I’m not going to give in simply because you asked for more.”

You want to be unconditionally constructive. Even if the opponent is acting emotional, balance the emotion with reason. If they misunderstand you, try to understand them. Even if they’re not listening, consult them on matters that affect them. Even if they’re trying to deceive you, be trustworthy yourself. Even if they’re trying to coerce you, try to persuade them and be open to persuasion. And accept them as worthy of your consideration.

Entry 5

Most of this week was pretty standard work.  However, one incident stood out that fit perfectly with what I’ve studied during my year in CRES.  I finally had an opportunity to test my mediation skills.  A conflict occurred between a manager, two athletes, and a gym owner.  The conflict centered on both sides being skeptical about the other person’s motives.  Since the conflict involved the transfer of money raised for an amateur fighter’s travel, tempers were heated.  I volunteered to sit with the three people involved and followed a modified format of the mediation procedure we learned in our CRES classes.  The most important part of the process was the act of sitting all of the parties in the same room and allowing uninterrupted time.  A lot of the misunderstanding stemmed from miscommunication.   Although at the end all the sides left with lower tension between them, a sense of distrust still existed.  I wonder if there was more I could have done to help with that aspect.  My supervisor commented that I did well and I can’t except to solve every issue completely.

Entry 4

At this point in my internship, I am taking a more active role in negotiations (under supervision, of course).  One this week stuck out in my mind in particular because it reminded me of our Negotiation class where we discussed the importance of figuring out each party’s values.  This contract was for a Bellator fighter.  The fighter is a black belt in jiu jitsu and one detriment to fighting in Bellator is that he has been banned from any gi jiu jitsu competition (risk of injury).  However, jiu jitsu is very important to him and he misses competing.  His argument was that Bellator gives him a lot of time off between fights and he should be allowed to keep his skills sharp by competing in large tournaments.  He also mentioned that winning gold at the black belt level in these tournaments would look good for Bellator.  Bellator did not want to budge on this policy.  Under Jason’s guidance, we brought up a big issue Bellator has with this fighter: he tends to gain a lot of weight in the off season (he fights at 155; a few weeks after a fight he often weighs 200+ lbs).  When we presented Bellator with the idea that allowing this fighter to compete in jiu jitsu tournaments would help him keep his weight closer to competition level, they were willing to compromise.  This situation reminded me a lot of the scenarios in class and it was very neat to see it work out in real life!  Values are key to negotiation.

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.

Entry 2

This was my first week up to Portland and I am very excited to start an internship that will blend two of my passions—MMA and the skills of conflict resolution I have been practicing over the past year.  I met Jason House and had an orientation around the office and met the rest of his staff.  He discussed with me the basics of his job, what he does, and the path he took to get to his current position.  I brought a list of questions to facilitate the initial sit down meeting.   We discussed the opportunities he had available for me this summer and gave me options regarding which path I wanted to pursue.  I decided my focus would be on the contract negotiation aspect for fighter contracts and sponsorship contracts for the professional athletes.  After the orientation he assigned me a book to read before I return the following week.  The book is called: The Business of Sports Agents (Edition 2) by Kenneth L. Shropshire and Timothy Davis.

Entry 1

I went up once this week briefly to meet the people I would be working with.  I was also given at home reading assignments (book and some packets with information on Iridium Sports Agency).  The rest of my time for this week was spent reading at home and prepping to start working alongside an agent.