Most are cutthroat and only devote their time to
their top, money clients.
In real life you may think of baseball agent Scott
Boras. Rumor has it Boras was a major reason Stanford pitcher Mark Appel, who
was predicted to go first in the baseball draft last year went eighth—teams did
not want to negotiate with Boras. Appel ended up back at Stanford for another
year.
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| Storm Kirschenbaum |
However, not all agents fit this mold. Storm
Kirschenbaum of Metis Sports Management is one of the good guys.
He prides himself on serving his clients with a
personal touch and exemplifies honesty, integrity, and loyalty in his work.
He was recognized this year by Crain’s in its 40 under 40 list; and his agency was named by Masters
in Sports Administration as one of the Top 100 Sports Agencies Scoring Big in
2012. He is the co-founder of the Michigan Boxing Hall of Fame and sits on the
board of the Inner City Exposure Foundation.
On October 22 of this year he was inducted into the Michigan
Jewish Sports Hall of Fame for his stellar collegiate baseball career. He
played for the then No. 1 ranked University of Florida alongside teammates David
Eckstein, Brad Wilkerson, Mark Ellis, and Josh Fogg (all major leaguers), hitting
.312. He played his last two seasons at Long Island University – C.W. Post
(Division I), and continued hitting at a good clip, finishing with a .306
batting average.
Storm joined Hank Greenberg, Aaron Krickstein, and
his dad (who served as Michigan’s boxing commissioner from 1981-92), among
others in the Hall of Fame.
Kurt David, a transition consultant for professional
and Olympic athletes, an author, a TV host, and a speaker, who was featured in
this blog at the end of March, commented on Storm’s recent honor:
“Storm’s induction into the Jewish Hall of Fame
solidifies a long string of honors bestowed upon him over recent years. What’s
amazing is the fact that he’s accomplished so much already in his life, and
will no doubt continue to positively impact others. I consider myself fortunate
to have Storm in my corner.”
His agency serves both current and former athletes
offering a range of services. They currently represent 70 professional baseball
players−15 who are vying for spots on major league rosters this spring.
I talked to Storm about life as a sports agent.
PJ:
As an agent what is your role going up to the NFL draft?
Storm: When we have a player who is going to be
drafted and he is done with his last college game we meet and he signs a
contract. Then he takes a day or two off to gather his belongings and goes to
training to prepare for the NFL combine and Pro Day. We invest in them at this
point. We pay their housing; give them a car and an allowance, while in
training.
From their last game to the draft, our job is to put
them on the map…get them in the best shape possible and talk to teams, and set
up visits with teams. We develop depth charts on each team to see where the
player with their skills fits.
The draft is out of the agent’s hands. It is a
misconception that agents manipulate. We generate an interest level. Teams
draft players. All we can do is help them.
PJ:
There is a lot of money involved. How and when does an agent make their
portion?
Storm: The reality outside the signing bonus is that
there is no guarantee. Form the third round down players will be competing for
a spot on the roster. As agents we only get paid when the player gets paid. We
invest between $5,000 and $50,000 up front depending on the round the player
goes in. Yes, the model in football is a poor model. It’s high risk on our end.
We front a lot of money. We take care of them…they are broke college kids
hoping to make it.
PJ:
How do you make money on players that are undrafted free agents?
Storm: Our fee for undrafted free agents is $10,000.
We break even only if he makes a team and plays every game during the season.
It could be a losing venture. For the undrafted, we generate a lot of interest
from certain teams (Saints/Lions/Colts, etc., who are known for signing
undrafted free agents). We try to make sure the player gets calls after the
draft and can choose which team he goes to. We send film to teams and scouts
who attend Pro Day. We do interviews with players and show how he comes across in
a one-to-one setting, so they can see his character, etc. And, make lots of
phone calls. During this time we have a high phone bill!
PJ:
It must be hard for these players to watch the draft and not be selected. How
do you help them through this?
Storm: It’s natural to watch the draft and think…I played against that guy and I am better
than him and he got drafted. My job is to curb expectations. I tell them
from the fifth round down you never know…a lot of things can happen. Be ready
for whatever gets thrown your way. And, that them vs. a fifth round pick is the
same. They aren’t getting paid a base salary because they are not playing yet.
PJ:
What happens with these undrafted free agents?
Storm: Some guys are late bloomers and might make up
for things with character, classroom knowledge and impress a coach. This is
what you hope for. I pick character guys, students of the game, who work hard,
always have a chip on their shoulder, and are always competing. A lot of
variables come into play. Look at the Colts, Saints, and Jags…teams that take
an undrafted free agent every year. A great example is Victor Cruz of the
Giants. He was undrafted and now he’s a stud.
PJ:
You also handle baseball players in your firm. What is your typical investment
in a player?
Storm: We spend up to $1,500 in the beginning for
bats, gloves, shoes. The bats that the team gives them are not great…guys what
their own bats with their names on. We get equipment deals with Rawlings, etc.
The team gives undershirts, maybe batting gloves, and shoes, if you are lucky.
We provide guidance to the players. There are a lot
of off-field things we take care of. Remember, these are high school kids
lacking in real-life skills. We coach them and are there for them. We help them
get contracts for winter ball; obtain jobs for them in the off-season, and do
public relations. This is similar to the investment side in football.
PJ:
What other challenges do you face?
Storm: Maintaining clients and providing enough
services so they are satisfied. So, if they do make it, they won’t leave. We
are battling sharks and there are a lot of sharks out there. We try to make it
a team approach so they trust what you’ve done in the past to get them a good
contract.
I had represented a player for six years. We had a
strong relationship, we were friends. At arbitration he switched to another
agent. This was a hard, gut-wrenching call. But, I’ve learned from it and hope
to prevent it from happening again.
PJ:
How do you try to differentiate your firm from others and stop the migration of
your clients?
Storm: It’s a shame when kids sign with bigger
agencies. It sounds good, but you will be low man on the totem pole and when
you need them they won’t be there. With us, a boutique firm, you get personalized
attention. We strive for our services to be better than the big firms. We are
in communication with our clients all the time. The locker rooms are small and
when guys see our clients on the phone with us a lot, you can only hope they
are interested in knowing more about us. It’s the little things that set us
apart from the competition.
We signed around 45 new players this year and I like
to think we are the fastest growing agency in the country. We are moving pretty
quick.
