{"id":593,"date":"2013-01-01T08:35:33","date_gmt":"2013-01-01T14:35:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/roykessel.com\/?p=593"},"modified":"2019-02-18T09:21:12","modified_gmt":"2019-02-18T15:21:12","slug":"17-tips-for-selecting-a-sports-agent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/roykessel.com\/17-tips-for-selecting-a-sports-agent\/","title":{"rendered":"17 Tips for Selecting a Sports Agent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Roy
Roy Kessel ready to represent players<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

One of the most important decisions that a college football\nplayer has to make is the selection of an agent to represent them in their\nmission to reach the NFL**.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, there is nothing that prepares these players,\nnor their families for this process.  \nJust like the recruiting process in high school, the athletes go thru it\none time.  The agents have typically been\nthru the process dozens or hundreds of times. \nSo the agents know the rules, know the hot-buttons and know how to\nmanipulate the information into a format which is most digestible for the\nplayer and their family (or most slanted to the agent’s favor)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is really an unfair advantage, and an unnecessary\none.  The schools could do some basic\neducation about the process.  This would\narm their student-athletes with the information that is easily available.  It would allow the players to get a grip on\nthe process before the agents start recruiting them.  We will have a follow up article about how\nthe schools could do a better job educating players and managing the process,\nbut for today, we are examining the most important things a player needs to\nknow in order to select the best agent for themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So here are 17 tips\nfor making a good selection of an agent:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Big Names are not everything<\/strong><\/li>
  2. Complete trust is the single most important\nelement in choosing your agent<\/strong><\/li>
  3. More money does not equal better\nrepresentation<\/strong><\/li>
  4. But, more money can help provide you with\nimportant services<\/strong><\/li>
  5. Beware of promises<\/strong><\/li>
  6. Do not believe everything you hear<\/strong><\/li>
  7. Make sure that they behave professionally<\/strong><\/li>
  8. Make sure that they have their own\nsuccess(es)<\/strong><\/li>
  9. Understand the process before you start<\/strong><\/li>
  10. Best time to meet with agents is after\nSpring football before fall camp starts (for those who are planning ahead for\nnext year)<\/strong><\/li>
  11. There is nothing an agent can do for you\nduring your senior season (legally)<\/strong><\/li>
  12. Training facilities are rarely the\ndifferentiating factor<\/strong><\/li>
  13. Beware of bundled services<\/strong><\/li>
  14. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket<\/strong><\/li>
  15. Make sure you are comfortable?fully\ncomfortable<\/strong><\/li>
  16. You have to be open and honest throughout\nthe whole process<\/strong><\/li>
  17. There is no rush-do your own due diligence<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Big Names are not\neverything<\/strong>?it is great that some of the big names” are interested in\nrepresenting you.   But you have to ask\nyourself the question, Is that the type of person\/agency that I want to be\nrepresented by.”  There are many good\nindependent agents so make sure you consider some of the following factors.  Your agent does not need to be with the\nbiggest organizations.  The agent’s\nexperience is definitely relevant, but the real question for you becomes the\nagent’s ability to service your needs. \nWill the agent give you the personal attention you desire?  How much effort will they put in if your\ncareer runs into some bumps along the way? \nWill they stick with you and help even if you fail to live up to the\noverall expectations.  I have heard many\nstories of players, even high draft picks, who failed to get proper help and\ncommunication from their agents because the player was running into\ndifficulties and not living up to his potential.  While larger agencies can provide some\nadditional perks and benefits, remember that the most important part of the\nagent’s role is to help guide you through the draft process and the contract\nnegotiation.  The other perks are\ntypically relatively minor in comparison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Who do you fully\ntrust?<\/strong>  TRUST is the #1 most important element in this\nrelationship.  If you do not trust\nEVERYTHING that your agent is telling you (because of lack of experience,\npotential conflicts of interest, other agendas), then you will have a very\ndifficult time having a productive relationship.  One of the hardest parts going into this\nprocess is the feeling that you are in it alone and you do not have anyone to\ntrust.  The person you trust the most SHOULD\nbe your agent.  If you do not get that\nfeeling about an agent you are considering, (or that is currently representing\nyou), then you should look elsewhere. \nThere will be many frustrations as the process proceeds, you need\nsomeone you can rely on, and someone you TRULY believe is giving you honest and\naccurate information (as opposed to the information that YOU want to hear or\nthe information that THEY want you to hear). \nOther players will yap in your ear, other agents will try to steal you\naway and often even college coaches, pro scouts and training facilities will\ntry to have an impact on your selection. \nIf you fully trust your agent, that should just amount to background\nnoise.  If you do not fully trust your\nagent, then that chatter will become a big distraction and continually create\nthe doubt which will undermine your relationship with your agent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    More money does\nnot equal better representation<\/strong>?Over the years I have seen many, many\nagents jump into the process, spend a ton of money, make a quick splash and\nthen flame out quickly.   Often they\nflame out because they fail to properly evaluate prospects and spend in the\nwrong places.  Other times they flame out\nbecause they were more concerned about the splash and the image than they were\nabout working hard on behalf of their clients. \nMany people are not willing to put in the effort that it takes to\nrepresent athletes. Once they realize that the business side of being an agent\nis not about being at parties, events and games, they get easily discouraged.  While it is nice to be taken to an expensive\ndinner, and to be given other perks as part of the agent recruiting process,\nyou would NEVER select other professionals (accountants, lawyers, financial\nadvisors, etc.) by how much they spend entertaining you.  You should not select an agent based on that\ncriteria either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    More money does help\nprovide you with important services<\/strong>?Money is not necessarily evil.  Money is a very important element in this\nprocess.  No agent can represent you well\nwithout having the resources available. \nSomeone struggling in their own life may not be in a position to do a good\njob for you.  If they are stretched thin\nas a result of business demands, family demands, divorces, business failures or\nother draining events, their ability to help you might be limited.  It takes a lot of money to pay for the\nrequired travel, training and other expenditures that are part of the\nrecruiting, training and draft process. \nThe biggest agencies can offer many of these perks, but there are many\nsuccessful agents who operate in a smaller agency environment and do a terrific\njob for their clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Beware of promises<\/strong>?nobody\ncan promise you what round you will be drafted in, what team will draft you or\nwhich teams will offer you opportunities as an undrafted free agent.  This is especially true early in the process\nwhen you have not had the Senior Bowl, East-West Shrine or any other all-star\ngames, you have not been to the NFL Combine, and you have not gone through your\npro-day workout.  People can give you a\nfairly accurate idea of where you might fit in to the overall ratings (based on\nearlier scouting reports), but you have to recognize that many of those rating\nsystems are flawed and are only early projections.  Until the entire process is completed, you\nshould be wary of these promises.  Do you\nown homework.  Each year there are\nsignificant changes between the top players projected coming into the season,\nand where they end up in the draft.   I\nonce met with a father of a DL at Michigan. \nHe was upset because I told him his son was a 7th<\/sup> round pick\nor free agent.  He said he had other\nagents promising him that he was probably a 2nd<\/sup> round pick or at\nworst” a 3rd<\/sup> round pick. \nNeedless to say, he signed with another agent and didn’t get drafted.  Just because one agent is giving you information\nyou do not like to hear, that does not mean he\/she does not believe in\nyou.  In fact it might be a signal that\nthey are being more honest with you.  If\nthey did not want to represent you, they would not be recruiting you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Do not believe\neverything you hear (or that is presented to you)<\/strong>?make sure that you\nunderstand the sources of the information being presented to you.  A lot of the information you receive from\ndifferent agents should be the same.  If\nit is inconsistent with what several other agents have told you, it is worth\nfurther examination. Unfortunately, many agents misrepresent some or all of the\nfollowing information:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    • their client lists<\/li>
    • work that they have done for NFL players<\/li>
    • their work history and background<\/li>
    • contracts that they have negotiated<\/li>
    • how much their players rose” in draft rankings\nafter they started representation<\/li>
    • the degree of customer service<\/li>
    • their ability to get your marketing\/endorsement\nagreements<\/li>
    • the extent (and value) of their relationships\naround the league<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Listen to everything that they say. \nStudy it carefully.  Do some of\nyour own due diligence (as we explain later) or ask someone else that you trust\nto help.  Some of the misrepresentations\nare very well disguised and hidden.  In\nhis book about the agent game (Illegal\nProcedure: A Sports Agent Comes Clean on the Dirty Business of College Football<\/em>)\n, Josh Luchs gives some terrific examples of how agents completely changed\nprojected draft orders of prior seasons early draft projections so that they\ncould show how much they had helped their clients climb up the draft boards.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Make sure that\nthey are professional<\/strong>?you do not need someone else to party with.  You do not need a person who wants to hang\nout” with you.  The person you are hiring\nas an agent is there to provide you with professional services.  You have plenty of other people to hit the\nclubs with.  You agent needs to spend his\ntime networking with scouts, player personnel and coaches.  In weeks like the Senior Bowl or the Combine\nhe\/she should be out late and working those networks.  But your agent has his\/her role to perform,\nand if they are looking for the party scene, they are probably not a good\nchoice to provide you with the professional service that you are looking for.  Obviously nothing wrong with the agent going\nout with you for dinner or drinks or spending time together at a club, but make\nsure you keep an eye on the frequency and extent to which they are living this\nlifestyle”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Make sure that\nthey have their own success<\/strong>?This is one of the most important\nitems.  If you agent is dependent on YOUR\nsuccess, than that means they are not established and have not achieved their\nown success.  Even if you choose to\nselect a less experienced agent, make sure that they have been successful in\ntheir prior endeavors (i.e. law practice, accounting, financial services, other\nbusiness).  Too often I see players\nsigning with individuals with no demonstrated track record of any kind.  They select someone they became close to (or\noften an agent or runner became close to the athlete with this in mind).  These are the situations where the agent can\nbecome dependent on the athlete’s success and that level of desperation may\ncause the agent to take actions which are not in the player’s interest (i.e.\ngiving in too easily to contract demands, asking the player for loans, not\ntaking trips or attending events that the agent should be at).  The professional track record of the agent\nyou are selecting is very important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Understand the\nprocess yourself before you start<\/strong>?This is something that you can easily\ndo to help protect yourself.  DO NOT\naccept all information given to you by agents as a given.  Unfortunately, many of them want you to believe\nthat they are giving you some proprietary secrets.  They rarely are.  Much of the information is available online\nthrough the NFLPA website or other easily accessible resources.  One of my pet peeves is that many of the\nschools do a very poor job<\/strong> of\neducating their athletes.  This failure\nallows the agents\/runners to get closer to the players and provide them with\ninformation, misinformation or other inappropriate items.  If the schools took time to educate the\nplayers about this process earlier in their college careers, they would be\nreducing the perceived power and value the agents have.  A brief program of educating players would go\na long way.  And by educate, I am not\ntalking about the NCAA rules, university regulations or other life skills\n(though those are also important).  They\nneed to educate the players specifically about the draft process, the agents,\nthe timing, the expectations and the frustrations.  My analogy is this:  1) the universities’ refusal to educate the\nplayers about the agent process under the rationale of they don’t need to know\nabout agents until they are done with college football because they don’t need\nan agent before that”; would be like\nsaying,<\/em> 2) I am not going to talk to my kids about sex, drugs and\nalcohol until they are done with high school because they don’t need to be\ndoing any of those things during high school.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Training\nfacilities are rarely the differentiating factor<\/strong>?Training is\nimportant.  No question that good\ntraining can help you in the draft process. \nGood performances at all-star games, the NFL Combine and your pro-day can\ngo a long way to solidifying your draft position.  Read that again:  Solidifying. \nNot necessarily changing.  If you\ntalk to NFL personnel, they will tell you that most of your grade comes from\nyour performance during your college career, your character and your perceived\nability to contribute (taken from observations, conversations with your coaches\nand interviews).  Estimates vary, but I\nput the number at no more than 10% of your overall grade being determined by\nyour actual physical performances at the NFL Combine and\/or your pro-day.  So if you take that number, ask yourself how\nmuch better any one facility needs to be in order to have a dramatic impact on\nyour draft position?  Find a place that\nyou are comfortable with BUT DO NOT<\/em><\/strong> select your agent\nbased on your like\/dislike of a particular training facility.   Trust your agent to have you in a good\nspot.  If you are selecting an agent you\nlike less because he has reserved slots at a training facility you like more\nyou are asking for trouble.  I still believe\nthe colleges could eliminate almost this entire problem by training their\nathletes for the combine.  Some schools\ndo that, but at many schools the players training for the NFL Draft are viewed\nas a distraction rather than an asset and the staffs are happy to get them away\nfrom their current players.  I think many\nplayers would do well training in familiar environments with a support network\nin place and some familiarity.  Instead,\nthe current trend seems to be to send the players away from their comfort zone,\naway from classes (if they still care about graduating), away from people that\ncan allow them to be a normal person. \nWhen they get in the draft culture”, they have too much unstructured\nfree time which can often become difficult for many of the players to manage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Beware of bundled\nservices<\/strong>?I have never been a fan of the model that allows the agents to\nvirtually require a player to utilize all of the services that they offer.  The important role of the agent is to be at\nthe center of the circle with the player. \nThe other service providers should be independent people\/organizations\nin order to provide the best chance for checks and balances.  If an agent says Don’t worry, I will take\ncare of everything,” you should be concerned. \nIn today’s world, no one person has the ability to handle their duties\nas an agent, as well as issues relating to: insurance, marketing, financial\nmanagement, marketing, social media, training and conditioning, nutrition,\nlegal services, accounting, etc.  And\njust because you have a great relationship with one agent, that does not mean\nthat you should necessarily be stuck with their people” for all of those\nservices.  The most healthy structure for\nthe athlete is where all of those services are provided by independent people\nthat can serve as checks and balances and prevent misuse of power or help you\nthrough difficult times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Don’t put all of\nyour eggs in one basket<\/strong>?related to the point above, I put this as a\nseparate item just to make sure that you read it again.  Do not give any one person\/organization all\nof the power.  Make sure that you develop\na strong group and strong team to represent all of your interests.  The different perspectives of your team of\nprofessionals will give you a valuable overview of what is going on in your\nworld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Make sure that you\nare comfortable<\/strong>?Your doubts will only increase as times goes by.  If you are not comfortable now, you will\nprobably not be comfortable later.  You\nneed to go in with full confidence and excitement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Have to be\nentirely open and honest throughout the process<\/strong>?Your job is to find the\nbest agent.  Do not try to hold back\ninformation or play games with the agents. \nThe agent can only do as good of a job as you allow.  If you are holding back on your agent, that\nis a signal that you may not fully trust them (as discussed above).  That will be extremely detrimental to the\nagent’s ability to represent you.  As I\noften told my clients when they consulted me on legal issues, you have to tell\nme everything.”  We make decisions based\non the information in front of us and we develop strategies which allow us to\navoid landmines and other problems.  If\nthere are hidden issues, that could undermine your own interests.  If you are unhappy or upset or uncertain\nabout things along the way, you have to realize that is to be expected.  Your agent is there to help you resolve those\nissues and feelings.  But if you get\nupset about something and do not discuss it with your agent, you are not helping\nyourself.  You are building up the\nbarriers and the resentment.  If you are\nultimately not comfortable with the way your concerns are addressed or with the\nexplanations you are given, then you may need to look for different\nrepresentation.  However, if you fail to\nhave the conversation with your current agent, you will not know the difference\nbetween normal insecurities and concerns as opposed to significant\nproblems.  If you ultimately have ongoing\nproblems, then look for someone you trust so that you can discuss with them\nwhether your concerns are a sign of real problems, or just needing a different\nperspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The best time to\ninterview and meet with agents is after spring football and before fall camp\nstarts<\/strong>?We included this section in here for the players who are\nstarting to think about this process for next year, or in the future.  Take advantage of the summer.   Most schools will let you meet with the\nagents on campus if the agents are registered with your school and your state\n(as they are supposed to be).  This\ndemonstrates to the agent that you are in control of the process, that you\nintend to keep everything above board, and that you expect them to comply with\nall applicable regulations.  Whether you\ndo it on campus or not, make sure you meet with several agents, hear their\nvarying pitches and give some thought to which 2-3 agents you might want to\nconsider as part of your final process after your senior year.  A lot can change during your senior season\n(for better and for worse).  Let the year\nplay out.  Take the time to get to know\nthe agents who are recruiting you.  See\nwhether they honor your requests and give you the space to play your season\nwithout distracting you from the task at hand. \nYou will learn a lot about them when you observe how they treat you\nduring this period and it should be considered an important part of the\nprocess.  So get those interviews out of\nthe way when you are not playing football. \nAnd then make sure you tell the agents that you need to concentrate on\nfootball.  The professionals in the\nindustry understand that.  They will stay\nin touch but should not be intrusive and should not be disruptive your football\nschedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      There is nothing\nan agent can do for you (legally) during your senior season<\/strong>?The most\nimportant thing you can do during your senior season is play football.  And play well.   Having a successful senior year greatly\nexceeds anything else that can be done in the draft process.  So by the time you select an agent (and they\ngo to work on your behalf) recognize that YOU<\/strong>\nhave done the hard part.   There is\nnothing an agent can legally do for you during your senior season that will\nhelp you in the process.  They cannot pay\nfor things, cannot take you places and cannot do any of these things for your\nfamily and\/or girlfriend.    Agents can stay in touch with you and are\nlikely to email, text or call.  But they\nshould do that at times that do not disrupt the demands of your football or\nschool schedules.  Many will want to stop\nby and visit for a few minutes after games to show you that they are still\ninterested in you.  But if you lay out\nthe boundaries over the summer during your interviews, you should be able to\nexpect the agents to respect those requests. \nIf an agent is doing improper things to recruit you, then you have to\nask yourself whether they will be just as likely to do those things TO YOU at a\nlater date.  Any promises which violate\nNCAA, university or NFLPA regulations should be an immediate concern to you\nabout the long term viability of the representation relationship, even if the\nimmediate reward\/perk being offered is enticing.  You should report any improper activities to\nyour compliance officer.***<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      There is no rush<\/strong>?Too many people rush the process. Too many\nagents will put pressure on you to make your decision. The reality is that\nother than selecting a training facility, the agent will have plenty of time to\nwork on your behalf. I always told my clients I liked to have our\nrepresentation in place prior to the Senior Bowl so that I could use that week\nto discuss my players with NFL personnel such as scouts, coaches and others\nthat can influence the draft process. \nYou do not need to sign as you walk thru the tunnel after your bowl\ngame.  You do not need to sign the day\nafter you may have had a tough bowl loss. \nThis is an important\ndecision.  Take the time to consider it\nproperly.<\/strong>   If you have followed\nthe advice above and have interviewed agents over the summer, you should feel\nless rushed when your senior season ultimately comes to an end. Larry\nFitzgerald did not sign with an agent until very late in the draft process\nbecause he had a very good understanding of the process, had people around him\nwho helped him through the process and knew he was going to be a very high\npick.  He is an exception.  But the point is DO NOT MAKE A DECISION UNTIL YOU ARE FULLY COMFORTABLE<\/strong>.  Regardless of what pressures” are put on you\nby an agent, this decision is too important to rush.  Make sure you do your own due diligence or\nhave someone you trust help you with that process.  The person helping you should NOT have any\ntype of vested stake in the results of the investigation (i.e. should not be a\ncurrent teammate, former teammate, college coach, university official or other\nplayers you know in the NFL—because\neach of these groups have significant potential conflicts of interest<\/em>).  The only type of information you should get\nfrom those groups is their perspective on the type of service and the integrity\nof the agent you are asking about. \nRemember, people will typically be VERY willing to tell you about things\nthat they are unhappy about in their investigation.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      As you go through the process, remember that you are\nselecting a person to represent your interests in a high stakes professional\ncareer.  It is a very personal decision.  There are many very good agents who are\nqualified to represent you.  Think about\nyour own values and the type of personalities you are comfortable with.  Those should be your guiding principles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      * This\narticle can apply in principal to many other sports and the agent selection\nprocess involved therein.  Each sport has\nits own culture” and its own set of rules. \nIt is important to select someone familiar with the landscape for the\nsport you are playing because that makes it more likely that they will have at\nleast some of the relationships which will assist in representing you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      ** Though\nsome players acknowledge their willingness to work their way up through the CFL\nor AFL, the reality is very few players make it on this path and nobody’s\ncareer goal is to play at that level (though some are willing to accept it).\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      ***yes, I\nrealize many people reading this will tell me that is a fairy tale expectation,\nbut I still believe that if the players were given education and an easy\nmechanism to report this conduct, it could be handled more effectively by the\nuniversities, the NCAA and the NFLPA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      One of the most important decisions that a college football
      \nplayer has to make is the selection of an agent to represent them in their
      \nmission to reach the NFL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":542,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[294,290,11],"tags":[316,314,317,296,6,315],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/roykessel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/roykessel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/roykessel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roykessel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roykessel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/roykessel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roykessel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/542"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/roykessel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roykessel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/roykessel.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}