Labor and Agents

Three first-round picks from the 2020 NFL draft have switched playing contract agents recently, including Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa. Athletes First NFL agents Ryan Williams and Austin Lyman signed Tagovailoa for on-the-field representation. Athletes First had been representing Tagovailoa for off-the-field work since before he was drafted...

Virtually every athlete today finds a way to give back through a charity or foundation benefiting a cause close to their hearts, and Priority Sports & Entertainment ’s NFL Draft class has started early. Six of Priority’s draft prospects have...

CAA is "now representing women's hockey players," hoping to "minimize the gender gap and help grow the sport." The agency has signed eight women's hockey players to its initial roster, "promising to provide the same level of services it does for NHL clients." CAA represents "some of the top...

The Familie has entered the football business with a splash, hiring three NFL agents and signing two-time national champion Georgia cornerback Kelee Ringo for representation in the NFL Draft. The Familie hired NFL agent Erik Schmella , who most...

NBA agent and former NBAer Mike Miller was “resistant to the idea at first” when LIFT Sports Management co-founder Donnie McGrath asked him if he wanted a role with the firm, according to Mike Vorkunov of THE ATHLETIC. Now, 2 1/2 years later, LIFT Sports has “been crafted in...

Ian Ayre , who for a decade had "helped run Liverpool Football Club, starting as commercial director and ending as CEO," had gone into semi-retirement at age 55 in the summer of 2017. Six months later, he still owned his digital marketing business in England that...

L AA Sports was fast out of the gate when college athletes were able to market their name, image and likeness and signed Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers in the summer of 2020. Eric Dounn , LAA...

Players from Australia's National Rugby League have "taken the extraordinary step" of refusing to deal with the NRL "when it comes to all media and promotional requests" as the dispute over a new collective bargaining agreement continues to play out . The players have "decided to abandon all...

In this week's SBJ cover story, our  Erik Bacharach sits down with Jaster Athletes CEO Jordon Rooney , whose marketing agency's only pro client is Bills safety Damar Hamlin. He was also its first client; when Hamlin entered the NFL Draft in 2021, he approached Rooney about being his...

This week's SBJ cover story is on Jordon Rooney , who has been "by Damar Hamlin ’s side" ever since the Bills safety collapsed on the field: "Not because he’s Hamlin’s marketing rep. But because they’re friends." The CEO of agency Jaster Athletes was almost 1,000...