Leigh Steinberg has little left to accomplish as a sports agent, so when he held court last week for a group of people looking to break into the industry, the attendees listened intently.
Steinberg, 75, a Newport Beach resident, has represented more than 300 professional athletes, helping them to secure in excess of $4 billion combined. His clients have included 62 total first-round picks in the NFL draft, a group that features eight players who went first overall in their respective draft class.
Over the course of the two-day agent academy at his offices in Newport Beach, informational sessions discussed topics ranging from recruiting athletes and negotiating contracts to the importance of charity and community.
Steinberg began the second day with an overview of the agent industry, emphasizing the need to forge local connections in an effort to dominate a region. The attendees were encouraged to not only seek out athletes, but to talk to entire social circles, including coaches, directors of player personnel, friends, parents, scouts and trainers.
Steinberg also urged the class to be mindful of the fact that agents should intend on having lifelong relationships with their athletes. An agent can show they’re invested in a client’s long-term health by learning about innovation in the medical field, he said.
“When you have clients, you’ll be able to help them in a bigger way,” Steinberg said. “Your commitment has to be to their long-term health, and no one’s going to tell you that at an agent seminar. What they’re going to tell you is how to make money and how the salary cap works.
“You’ve got to have a larger fiduciary responsibility. You’re going to know that player in 20 years, and you don’t want that player in dementia or hopping around in ways that are not necessary. Traditional medicine is changing and growing.”
Steinberg also noted an agent can be an asset to an athlete by setting the stage for their next job after their playing career. The agent can facilitate that by asking the athlete about their outside interests and helping them in networking situations.
The emergence of NIL (name, image and likeness), gambling, and conference realignment in college sports are changing the industry, he said. “Eventually, gambling will be the existential threat to sports.”
With all that being said, Steinberg added, “The best way to recruit … is take care of your current clients. If they’re happy, they’ll talk to the next group.”
Brooklynn Rios, a sophomore business administration major at USC, grew up going to Trojans football games. In fact, she attended her first game at just three weeks old, she said. It sparked her interest in athletics, and she got involved in the Sports Business Assn. on campus. Steinberg spoke at a summit put on by the organization, which was the first time the two had crossed paths.
Key takeaways from the academy for Rios included overcoming fear of rejection and being kind to one’s future self.
“One of the things Leigh really focused on was athlete’s physical and mental wellbeing and understanding what kind of injuries come around and how you can be of assistance. In the role of an agent, you’re really just doing a lot of different things. … Being kind to your future self was kind of part of that, making sure that you set yourself up with the skills and knowledge now to be successful later.”
A number of breakout sessions also let the attendees put what they had learned into motion. Rios said she participated in a workshop that allowed her to work with former NFL players Mike Sherrard and Carnell Lake in a recruiting exercise.
Additional scenarios that came up included working on a hypothetical brand deal for Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, crisis control in the media, and an opportunity to practice negotiating skills.
Ari Naiman, a senior psychology major with a pre-law emphasis at USC, was partnered with Rios for the negotiating exercise.
“I think that Leigh really tried to make it clear that we were wanting to concede to [a general manager’s] needs, as well, so that they didn’t feel like they had to be defensive or feel like they were giving too much, and kind of exhausting them,” Naiman said. “I think it’s similar with any relationship, that everything’s a two-way street, that there’s never just one side to something.”
Naiman said becoming a general manager or a sports agent has been on his radar for a long time.
“I wonder a lot about where I can do the most positive change, like where I can instill a lot of positive change in people’s lives,” he said. “I think that through talking with Leigh and through listening to all the things that he does for players — setting them up with these philanthropy organizations and nonprofits — I think it became clear to me how much good you can do as an agent.
“I went into the weekend with the idea that I was wanting to lean towards being an agent, and I think that over the course of the two days, that was reinforced for me, that I think that would be my target.”
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Andrew Turner is a sports reporter for the Daily Pilot. Before joining the Pilot in October 2016, he covered prep sports as a freelancer for the Orange County Register for four years. His work also has been used by the Associated Press and California Rubber Hockey Magazine. While attending Long Beach State, he wrote for the college newspaper, The Daily 49er. He graduated with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and history. (714) 966-4611
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