The legendary Charles C. ''Cash and Carry'' Pyle,
considered by most to be the first sports agent,
negotiated a $3,000-per-game contract for Red Grange to
play professional football for the Chicago Bears in
1933. Today, salaries in the tens of millions of dollars
are commonplace, and instead of theatrical promoters and
impresarios, professionally trained businessmen and
lawyers dominate the business. But whereas rules and
penalties govern the playing field, there are far fewer
restrictions on agents. Incidents of agents'
manipulating athletes, ranging from investment scams to
outright theft of a player's money, are far too
frequent, and there is growing consensus for reform In
The Business of Sports Agents, Kenneth L. Shropshire and
Timothy Davis, experts in the fields of sports business
and law, examine the history of the sports agent
business and the rules and laws developed to regulate
the profession. They also consider recommendations for
reform, including uniform laws that would apply to all
agents, redefining amateurism in college sports, and
stiffening requirements for licensing agents.This
revised and expanded second edition brings the volume
up-to-date on recent changes in the industry, including:
- the closing of one of the largest agencies -
high-profile personnel moves - passage of the federal
Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act - the National
Football League's aggressive and high-profile efforts to
regulate agents |
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