Many people interested in sports agency start and finish with thinking that they will get involved with the NFL, being a representative for professional football players. But breaking into that industry is very tough; there are roughly half as many certified agents as there are active roster positions across all NFL teams.
Opportunities are slim when it comes to representing NBA, MLB and NHL players as well. But there are still other options, as any professional athlete could use the service of a strong negotiator who is willing to work on a commission basis.
I say the aforesaid, because yesterday the 2018 WNBA Draft was held with very little fanfare. While women’s professional basketball does not have close to the viewership of the NBA or other major sports, it also has less agents competing in the space. And while the ceiling on commissions is lower as a byproduct of players earning smaller salaries than the more popular sports, the barrier to entry may be lower.
But even in the WNBA, there are powerful agent players who have absorbed a lot of power over the years. Take for instance Wasserman, which represents the first overall (A’ja Wilson) and fourth overall (Gabby Williams) selections in last night’s WNBA Draft. Each player is represented by Wasserman Senior Vice President Lindsay Kagawa Colas.
It’s the fourth straight year and seventh time since 2010 (only 2012 and 2014 outstanding) that Wasserman has been the agency of record for the first overall pick in the WNBA Draft. So even if you were to get into the field of being a woman’s basketball agent, you would still have a real uphill battle to represent the very best players entering the draft on an annual basis, which limits your ceiling even further.
The bottom-line is that being a sports agent is incredibly difficult no matter the sport or gender you focus on. The margins are small, the sleepless nights are abound and the competition is fierce. Maybe not so fierce for a later round pick in the WNBA Draft, but what professional doesn’t want to shoot for the stars and at least aim to represent the best in every class?
