Joel segal sports agent biography of christopher
Sports agent
Agent who procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete
A sports agent is a legal representative (hence agent) for professional sports figures such as athletes and coaches. They procure and negotiate employment and endorsement contracts for the athlete or coach whom they represent. In addition to contract negotiations, sports agents may also help their clients with financial planning, legal issues, and marketing. They may work closely with financial advisors, lawyers, and marketing professionals on behalf of their clients.
Description
Because of the unique characteristics of the sports industry, sports agents are responsible for communications with team owners, managers, and other individuals. In addition to finding income sources, agents often handle public relations matters for their clients. In some large sports agencies, such as IMG, Creative Artists Agency, Roc Nation Sports and Octagon, agents deal with all aspects of a client's finances, from investment to filing taxes.
Sports agents may be relied upon by their clients for guidance in all business aspects, and sometimes even more broadly. For example, hockey agents start recruiting clients as young as 15, allowing the agent to guide the athlete's career before the NHLdraft, which happens usually at 18 years of age.
Due to the length and complexity of contracts, many sports agents are lawyers or have a background in contract law. Agents are expected to be knowledgeable about finance, business management, and financial and risk analysis, as well as sports. It is important for a sports agent to follow trends in sports. Other skills an agent must possess are excellent communication and negotiation skills. Agents must be highly motivated, willing to work long hours, and capable of multitasking. It is very common for agents to be in negotiations on behalf of several clients at one time.
Some agents are part of large companies, and some are o This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading an account? .Agent Joel Segal's Most Notable Free Agent Contracts Of
Tarvaris Jackson, 2 years, $8 million
Santonio Holmes, New York Jets: 5 years, $50 million ($24M guaranteed)
Reggie Bush, Miami Dolphins: 2 years, $ million
Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints: 4 years, $ million
Jamaal Anderson, Indianapolis Colts: One year, $ million
BenJarvus, Green-Ellis, New England Patriots: 1 year, $ million
Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh Steelers: 4 years
Mike Pouncey, Miami Dolphins: 4 years, $ million
Michael Jenkins, Minnesota Vikings: 3 years, $ million
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Chances are you haven’t heard of Joel Segal.
As one of the NFL’s top agents and the president of football for Lagardère Sports, he’s negotiated billions of dollars in contracts and has represented some of the biggest names in the sport: Randy Moss, Michael Vick, Terrell Suggs, Reggie Bush, Chris Johnson, DeSean Jackson, Patrick Peterson, Khalil Mack, Justin Houston—all Segal clients. But he likes to lay low, and this is his biggest week of the year.
Tonight on NFL draft night, during the first round, you’ll see him if you look closely in the background. He’ll be the one with the phone by his ear, sitting with top prospects DeForest Buckner, Josh Doctson, Vernon Hargreaves, and Eli Apple in the green room. In 25 years, Segal’s seen it all, and he agreed to sit down for a rare interview with GQ.
GQ: I was watching one of the cable sports networks this week. And they were doing a live televised event of two men in suits doing a mock draft on television. You’ve been in this game for more than two decades. Are you amazed at how big the NFL draft—and more specifically, the lead-up to it—has gotten?
It’s amazing, isn’t it? I remember going to the NFL draft when it was a much smaller event at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan. Then it moved to the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden, and it felt bigger. Then came Radio City, which was its own whole experience. And now it takes over the city of Chicago for an entire week. The lead-up time itself is amazing, too. Every day since the Super Bowl, there’s been NFL draft coverage on TV. It wasn’t always like this. Things have changed dramatically, but I think it’s for the better.
You call New York City your home. When your players visit the Big Apple, where’s the go-to spot? Subscribe Newsletters This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading an account? . This year's NFL free agency period compressed a summer's worth of contacts negotiations into a time frame of a little more than a week. This forced pro football agents like Joel Segal to close dozens of deals in a matter of days with more to come. Tucked away at a corner table in an empty dining room of a midtown Manhattan steakhouse, you wouldn't think that the man nibbling on a hamburger and fries would be responsible for the livelihood of dozens of pro football's best players. He looks a little like Jerry Mcguire but at the end of the movie, when he's finally figured out all the answers to life. But soon it's down to business at the restaurant, too. Time to talk football and big dollars.
I’ve got a few. A few weeks ago, Khalil Mack was in town. We went to Milos on 55th. Just awesome. Eli Apple and his family were here last week. We were talking NFL draft. I took them to Il Mulino on West 3rd. Vernon Hargreaves loves Ralph Lauren P How Football Agent Joel Segal Made His NFL Clients $ Million In Eight Days
Dressed in blue jeans and a striped shirt, instead of a typical power suit, Joel Segal doesn't look like a guy trying to negotiate $ million worth of contracts in a month.
However, if you saw how quickly the restaurant's staff had worked to find him this private place to hold a quiet interview, you'd understand more of his story.
When we meet, Segal starts by interviewing me, asking about my background and experience as if he might be thinking of adding me to his impressive roster of clients.
This summer's NFL lockout threw the life of Segal and every other agent in football into suspended animation. Unable to sign players or negotiate with teams, they were forced (like everyone else) to study the ongoing lockout talks from afar and try to decipher how the football world was about to change.
When the spell broke on July 25 they all sprang into action, scrambling to complete the wildest free agency season that anyone can remember.
"We're still digesting the new CBA rules," says Segal, "but we're just happy to be bac