Asports agent is a legal representative for professional athletes and coaches who negotiates employment and endorsement contracts on their behalf. Sports agents may also assist with financial planning, legal coordination, and marketing matters, often working alongside lawyers, accountants, and brand managers.^[1]

Sports agents act as intermediaries between athletes and sports organizations, handling contract negotiations, sponsorships, and related business affairs.^[2] Larger firms such asCreative Artists Agency,Roc Nation Sports, andOctagon may also manage brand partnerships, licensing deals, and media relations for clients.

Because professional sports contracts can be complex, many agents have strong backgrounds in law, business, or finance. They are expected to understand salary-cap systems, league regulations, and the economics of sports labor markets.^[3] Agents typically represent multiple clients at once and may begin advising athletes while they are still amateurs or college players, in compliance with relevant league or state rules.^[4]

In the United States, the conduct of sports agents is governed through both state law and league certification systems. Most states have enacted theUniform Athlete Agents Act (UAAA), which requires registration, disclosure of fees, and written contracts between agents and athletes.^[5] Professional players’ associations such as theNational Football League Players Association andNational Basketball Players Association require certification before an agent can negotiate player contracts.^[6]

Films such asJerry Maguire,Two for the Money, andAny Given Sunday depicted sports agents. In England, ITV'sFootballers' Wives included a female agentHazel Bailey. The television showBallers, which started in 2015, also shows a strong depiction of sports agents.

• Tom Condon: co-head ofCreative Artists Agency (CAA) Football. Clients includePeyton Manning (retired) andTony Romo (retired).
• James "Bus" Cook: Clients includeBrett Favre (retired),Jay Cutler (retired), andCalvin Johnson (retired).
• Tory Dandy: co-head ofCreative Artists Agency (CAA) Football. Clients includeA. J. Brown andDK Metcalf.
• Jason Fletcher: former player turned agent. Clients includeAntonio Cromartie,Jamar Fletcher,Clinton Portis,Fabian Washington, andDarrell Bevell.
• Bob LaMonte: founder and president ofProfessional Sports Representation. Current clients include Andy Reid, Jon Gruden, Sean McVay and Doug Pederson
• Joe Linta: In 2013, negotiated the richest contract in NFL history forJoe Flacco, despite the fact that he's never been picked for thePro Bowl.^[7]
• Eugene E. Parker: negotiated the highestsigning bonuses in NFL history forEmmitt Smith andDeion Sanders. Real-life inspiration for flamboyant character "Rod Tidwell" in the filmJerry Maguire.
• Drew Rosenhaus: Clients includePlaxico Burress andTerrell Owens.
• Peter Schaffer: President of Authentic Athletix, LLC. Clients include includingJoe Thomas,Phil Taylor,Barry Sanders,Trevor Pryce,Joshua Cribbs,C. J. Anderson,Mario Edwards Jr., andHakeem Nicks.^[8] and PGA golfers including two-time PGA tour winnerJonathan Kaye andShane Bertsch.
• Joel Segal: President of Lagardère Unlimited Football. Clients include Eric Fisher,Reggie Bush, Santonio Holmes and Chris Johnson.
• Jimmy Sexton, Co-Head of Football and Head of Coaching as a sports agent forCreative Artist Agency. Clients includeSam Darnold,Julio Jones,Laremy Tunsil andDerrick Henry.
• Bardia Ghahremani: Agent and CEO of International Sports Agency. Clients includeGiovani Bernard,Jamie Gillan,Tom Johnson, andMarcus Epps.
• Alexa Stabler-Adams: Owner of Stabler Sports, daughter of the late NFL quarterback Ken Stabler. Currently represents JK Scott.
• Leigh Steinberg: Clients includeTroy Aikman andBen Roethlisberger. Real-life inspiration for fictional sports agentJerry Maguire in the film of the same name (has a cameo appearance in the movie).^[9]
• Don Yee: Clients includeTom Brady andJimmy Garoppolo.

• Ricky Nixon: former player, who was theAFL's first full-time player manager^[10]

• Barry Axelrod: Clients includedJeff Bagwell,Craig Biggio,Rick Sutcliffe, and executiveKevin Towers.
• Scott Boras: Clients includeAlex Rodriguez andPrince Fielder. Boras is known to have negotiated the highest contracts inMajor League Baseball history and the history of sports.
• Casey Close: Clients includeDerek Jeter andRyan Howard.
• Greg Genske: Successor in sports agency formerly run byJeff Moorad (baseball) andLeigh Steinberg (football).
• Randy Hendricks: Partnered with his brother, Allan; they sold their firm to SFX (nowLive Nation), and bought it back again.
• Sam & Seth Levinson: Clients includeDavid Wright andJon Lester.
• Bo McKinnis: Clients includeDavid Price.
• Jim Munsey: Clients includeSam Fuld,Jarrod Saltalamacchia, andSean Burnett.^[11][12][13]
• Lonnie Murray: Clients includeBruce Maxwell; first Black woman agent certified by the MLB Players Association.
• Burton Rocks: Clients includeKip Wells,Jim Riggleman,Mike Easler,Robinson Cancel,Dave Eiland,Paul DeJong,Joe Oliver
• Matt Sosnick: Clients includeDontrelle Willis. Sosnick is subject of the bookLicense to Deal byJerry Crasnick.^[14]
• Arn Tellem: Clients have includedAlbert Belle,Mike Mussina, andChase Utley. Also a basketball agent (see below).
• Joe Urbon: Clients includeJason Bay andGrady Sizemore.

• Rich Paul co-owner ofKlutch Sports Group withLeBron James. Clients includeLeBron James,Anthony Davis,John Wall andBen Simmons.
• Jeff Austin is head ofOctagon's basketball division, and was ranked 11th in the "12 Best Sport Agents in the World" in 2010 byBusiness Insider.^[15] His clients includeDavid Robinson,Moses Malone,Kirk Hinrich,Stephen Curry andJimmer Fredette.
• Doug Davis: Clients includeMetta World Peace andRoger Mason Jr.
• Bill Duffy: Clients includeRajon Rondo,Joakim Noah,Greg Oden,Yao Ming,Klay Thompson, andSteve Nash.
• David Falk: Currently semi-retired. Past clients includedMichael Jordan,Patrick Ewing,Allen Iverson, andDikembe Mutombo. In the 1990s, was generally considered the most influential player agent in the NBA.^[16][17]
• Dan Fegan: Noted for creating several nuances in the most recently expiredNBA Collective Bargaining Agreement. Clients includeJohn Wall,Dwight Howard andRicky Rubio.
• Aaron Goodwin: Terminated byLeBron James,Dwight Howard,Al Horford, andJamal Crawford. Goodwin now represents over 20 NBA players.
• Roger Montgomery: Works for Jay-Z and his company Roc-Nation. ManagedDesmond Mason,Maurice Evans andJeremy Lin.^[18]
• Rob Pelinka: Former basketball player at theUniversity of Michigan and graduate of their law school; worked as an agent before becoming general manager of theLos Angeles Lakers. Past clients includeKobe Bryant andCarlos Boozer.^[19]
• Ticha Penicheiro: 2019 inductee of theWomen's Basketball Hall of Fame as a player; currently an agent with about 30 clients, among themKayla McBride andCourtney Vandersloot.^[20]
• Leon Rose: Former agent ofLeBron James.
• Arn Tellem: Clients includeTracy McGrady,Jermaine O'Neal,Pau Gasol, andJoe Johnson. His clients' total salaries in 2007–08 season added up to more than $210 million.^[21] Tellem left the agent business to become President of theDetroit Pistons.

• Neil Fairbrother: Former England cricket player, now Director of Cricket atInternational Sports Management. Clients include:Andrew Flintoff,Marcus Trescothick,Steve Harmison.

• Miško Ražnatović: Serbian agent. Through his agency (BeoBasket), he mostly represents European basketball players and coaches as well as American players playing in Europe. He represents many highest paid European basketball stars inEuroleague. His notable clients includeNikola Peković,Mirza Teletović, coachDušan Ivković,Vassilis Spanoulis,Nenad Krstić,Dario Šarić,DeMarcus Nelson,Joffrey Lauvergne,Duško Savanović,Pero Antić,Aleksandar Ćapin,Marko Kešelj,Nihad Đedović,Novica Veličković,Milenko Tepić,Aleksandar Rašić,Raško Katić,İlkan Karaman,Emir Preldžić,Marko Simonović,Andrija Žižić, etc. Ražnatović was additionally involved in theDeron Williams' transfer toBeşiktaş during the 2011 NBA lockout^[22] and owns a basketball clubKK Mega Vizura that competes in theBasketball League of Serbia.
• Craig McKenzie: American basketball agent. Worked forEugene E. Parker onDeion Sanders. At 27, was one of youngest agents ever to have lottery pick inBonzi Wells.^[23] Clients included three-sport athleteCharlie Ward, and American International Basketball starsMarcus Brown,JR Bremer,^[24]Demond Mallet andMire Chatman, some of the highest paid players in Europe at one time.^[25]
• Zoran Savić: Serbian agent. Through his agency (Invictus Sports Group),Barcelona-based Savić represents coachXavi Pascual,Milan Mačvan, coachŽan Tabak,Dalibor Bagarić,Ivan Opačak, etc.

• Rafaela Pimenta: Brazilian female agent. Has representedErling Haaland andPaul Pogba.
• Jorge Mendes: Portuguese agent. Founder ofGestiFute. Clients includeCristiano Ronaldo,Radamel Falcao,David de Gea,Diego Costa,Renato Sanches,Ricardo Quaresma,Deco,Nani,Ángel Di María,Lamine Yamal and managersJosé Mourinho,Aitor Karanka andLuiz Felipe Scolari.^[26]
• Pini Zahavi:Israeli agent. Handled deals involving the transfers ofCarlos Tevez,Yakubu andRio Ferdinand.
• Bila Kanza: English-based French Sports Agent and founder of LKI – Lonrisk International Management.
• Jon Smith: English agent who one representedDiego Maradona.
• Paul Stretford: English agent. Clients include,Wayne Rooney. Set up Triple S Sports Entertainment Group in 2009 after leaving Proactive Sports, which he originally established.
• Constantin Dumitraşcu: French-based Romanian agent. His agency (Mondial Sports Management) includeEdinson Cavani,Alexandre Pato,Hatem Ben Arfa,Fernandinho,Nemanja Matić,Douglas Costa andPhilippe Coutinho.^[26]
• Milan Ćalasan: Serbian agent. His agency (Mondialvas) representedChristian Karembeu, managerArsène Wenger andNikola Žigić.
• Claes Elefalk: Swedish agent. Clients includeFreddie Ljungberg,Pontus Farnerud, andNils-Eric Johansson, plus several NHL ice hockey players.
• Roger Ljung: Former Swedish international player, owns his own agency (Roger Ljung Promotion AB). RepresentedFreddie Ljungberg until 2006. Clients includeMarcus Allbäck,Daniel Andersson,Patrik Andersson,Erik Edman,Andreas Isaksson,Kim Källström,Marcus Lantz andTeddy Lučić.
• Martin Dahlin: Former Swedish international player; works for Roger Ljung Promotion AB
• Dirk Hebel: Former German footballer, owns his own agency (Fussballmarkt). Has representedMario Götze,Sunday Oliseh,Goran Sablić andPatrick Weiser.
• Abdilgafar "Fali" Ramadani: Macedonia-born, Germany-based Albanian agent. His agency (LIAN Sports) that he co-owns withNikola Damjanac represents players either from or with family ties to former Yugoslavia such asStevan Jovetić,Lazar Marković,Adem Ljajić,Zvjezdan Misimović,Haris Seferovic andMarko Marin.
• Barry Silkman: English agent. Clients includeDavid Villa,Demba Ba andRavel Morrison.^[27]
• Zoran Stojadinović: Serbian agent.
• Paschalis Tountouris: International agent of Greek origin and founder of Prosport. Clients includeGiorgos Karagounis,Dimitris Kolovos,Fiorin Durmishaj,Knowledge Musona,Kostas Tsimikas youngs starsMarios Vrousai,Anastasios Chatzigiovanis and managerYannis Anastasiou.
• Walter Palombo: Swiss-based Italian sports advisor, and the founder of Palombo Consulting. His notable clients areAndy Carroll,Jack Wilshere,Jermaine Pennant andJermain Defoe & Julian Dicks in thePremier League. Genaro Gattuso in Serie A & Christian Karembeu.
• Kevin Davies: Former English international player, owns his own agency: KCD Management.^[28]
• Rhydian Thomas: Wales-based sports agent. Founder and owner of GSF Agency, which he set up in 2015, having previously founded Complete Sports Management (CSM), which ran from 2001, managing international rugby union players. GSF agency covers South Wales and the West Country, identifying the best academy talent in the region. Notable clients include Sam Pearson. GSF Agency Web^[29]

• Mark Steinberg: Clients includeTiger Woods; former head of golf division atIMG.^[30]
• Andrew Chandler: Former European Tour golfer. Clients include golfersLee Westwood,Ernie Els,Darren Clarke,Louis Oosthuizen,Charl Schwartzel, andChristina Kim.^[31]Rory McIlroy was a client of Chandler until October 2011, when he left for Dublin-based Horizon Sports Management.^[32]

• Mike Barnett: former agent ofWayne Gretzky,Brett Hull,Paul Coffey,Jaromír Jágr,Joe Thornton,Lanny McDonald,Sergei Fedorov,Alexander Mogilny,Owen Nolan,Mats Sundin andDany Heatley.^[33][34]
• Ritch Winter: over 70 clients.
• Gilles Lupien: former NHLdefenceman; current Canadian ice hockey agent. Clients includeRoberto Luongo.
• Don Meehan: president of Newport Sports Management. Over 100 clients in the NHL, includingJarome Iginla,Steven Stamkos,P. K. Subban andChris Pronger.
• Tatiana Ovechkina, two-timebasketball gold medalist, is her sonAlexander Ovechkin's agent. She brokered a 13-year, $124 million contract.^[35]
• Allan Walsh in 2004 merged his hockey representation withOctagon Hockey. His clients includeMarc-André Fleury,Patrik Eliáš,Martin Havlát andMilan Michálek.^[36]
• Pat Brisson – agent ofSidney Crosby, among others

• Alan Miller:Jimmie Johnson
• Keke Rosberg:JJ Lehto andMika Häkkinen, also managed sonNico Rosberg between 2006 and 2008
• Nicolas Todt:Felipe Massa
• Willi Weber: PrimarilyMichael Schumacher

• Peter Carlisle: Clients includeMichael Phelps,Natalie Coughlin,Apolo Ohno,Seth Wescott andChris Klug.^[37]

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• William J. Bruce III former clients include the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase^[38] ofWWE andShawn Harper of theNFL.^[39][40]
• Nachi Gordon, basketball
• Colleen Howe (deceased): ice hockey, late president of Power Play International and Power Play Publications managing hockey careers and business interests of her husbandGordie Howe and their sonsMarty andMark Howe.^[41]
• Joe Kehoskie (now baseball consultant/executive): Small agency; frequent media appearances regardingCuban defectors and baseball in Latin America.^[42]
• Camilo Marin (deceased): Cuban-born horse racing agent. Clients includedLaffit Pincay Jr.,Braulio Baeza,Jorge Velásquez andManuel Ycaza.
• Mark McCormack (deceased): American golf agent, and principal originator of modern sports agency industry.^{[citation needed]} First client wasArnold Palmer. FoundedIMG (originally "International Management Group").
• Jeff Moorad: Former baseball agent and former partner ofLeigh Steinberg, now baseball executive and part-owner ofSan Diego Padres.
• Rob Pelinka: Former basketball player at theUniversity of Michigan. Clients includeKobe Bryant,Carlos Boozer, andBuddy Hield. Pelinka stepped down from being an agent to be run theLos Angeles Lakers in March 2017.
• Charles C. Pyle (deceased): American football; clients includedRed Grange andWildcat Wilson; founder offirst American Football League (1926).
• Mino Raiola (deceased): Dutch-based Italian association football agent. His notable clients includedPaul Pogba,Zlatan Ibrahimović,Mario Balotelli, andPavel Nedvěd.^[43]
• Paige Tatters: First female NHLPA certified agent.^[44]
• Gary Wichard (deceased): American football, three dozen clients, the inspiration for the movieJerry Maguire.

There have been some efforts to transform the sports agency business from an individual, entrepreneurial business, to more of a corporate structure. These experiments met with varying degrees of longevity and success.

• Allegiant Athletic Agency – representing NBA and NFL players
• Creative Artists Agency: "CAA" – acquired various pieces of the sports agency business of SFX (see below), starting with football.
• IMG – International Management Group – corporate agency established by entrepreneurMark McCormack, originally with a specialization in golf and tennis. After the death of McCormack the company was acquired byprivate equity groupForstmann Little.
• Infront - international sports rights vendor, representing Serie A, FIFA, and others.^[45]
• International Sports Management – British sports agency run by former European Tour golferAndrew "Chubby" Chandler.^[46]
• Priority Sports and Entertainment - Agency representing the most NBA players, run by Mark Bartelstein.
• Prodigy Agency - The biggest esports agency in the world, founded in 2019 by Jérôme Coupez.^[47]
• Roc Nation Sports – sports agency founded in 2013 by Shawn Carter, better known asJay-Z. Currently in partnership with CAA; first client signed wasRobinson Canó.^[48]
• Rosenhaus Sports - sports agency run byDrew Rosenhaus.
• Sportfive, formerly Lagardère Sports and Entertainment – international sports agency, sports consulting and event management, active in the football, tennis and golf markets.
• Sports Management Worldwide – international sports agency^[49] and private for-profitsports management training institution,^[50] founded and run byLynn Lashbrook.
• Wasserman Media Group (WME) - acquiredArn Tellem's basketball agency from SFX, and usually represents the most players inNBA lottery draft each year.^[51]
• Imago Sports Management - Imago Sports Management is a Bangladeshi talent and sports based agency.^[52]

Some sports agency firms were once prominent, but are now gone or reorganized:

• Assante Corporation – Canadian public company that acquired the Steinberg, Moorad & Dunn agency, then acquired other than agencies including Dan Fegan & Associates and Maximum Sports Management in an unsuccessful effort to build multi-sport corporate agency.^[53]
• SFX Entertainment (nowLive Nation, a publicly traded company) – in 1998 SFX agreed to pay up to $150 million in cash, stock, and bonuses for F.A.M.E., the sports agency run byDavid Falk, the agent for basketball playersMichael Jordan andPatrick Ewing. SFX also acquired two other major sports agencies,Arn Tellem's agency (Tellem & Associates) and the baseball-oriented firm run byRandy Hendricks and Allan Hendricks.^[54] SFX would later reverse course, and sell off the pieces of its large sports agency business.
• Steinberg, Moorad & Dunn ("SMD") – a multi-sport agency sold in October 1999 for reported $120 million to Canadian financial firm. Defections of principals, and litigation, followed. Originally led by entrepreneurial agentsLeigh Steinberg andJeff Moorad.^[55]

• Entertainment law
• Talent agent - The discussion of the agents that represent entertainment talent and may also participate in sports agency.

• How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, by Darren Heitner, 2014, ABA Book Publishing,ISBN 978-1-61438-916-3
• The Business of Sports Agents, by Kenneth L. Shropshire, Timothy Davis, 2008, University of Pennsylvania Press,ISBN 978-0-8122-4084-9
• License to Deal: A Season on the Run with a Maverick Baseball Agent, by Jerry Crasnick, 2005, Rodale Books,ISBN 978-1-59486-024-9
• An Athlete's Guide to Agents: 5th Edition, by Bob Ruxin with Darren Heitner, 2009, Jones and Bartlett,ISBN 978-0-7637-7611-4
• How To Be A Sports Agent, by Mel Stein, 2008, High Stakes Publishing,ISBN 978-1-84344-045-1
• The Football Agent, by Knut Høibraaten, 2015, HHH Forlag,ISBN 978-8-26900-990-3

• Sports agents
• Business occupations
• Sports business

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