Exemplary sports negotiator speaks at UCLA

Friday, November 20, 1998

Exemplary sports negotiator speaks at UCLA

SPEAKER Steinberg shows how personal-representation industry has
repaired ‘sleazoid’ reputation

By George Fujii

Daily Bruin Contributor

Leigh Steinberg, sports agent and author of "Winning with
Integrity", spoke to over 200 people Wednesday night at Korn Hall
in The Anderson School at UCLA.

Steinberg spoke about his life as a sports agent, the sports
business in general, and gave negotiation tips.

Steinberg represents several notable athletes, including Troy
Aikman and Oscar de la Hoya. He was a technical consultant for the
film "Jerry Maguire", and has gained fame for requiring his clients
to donate to charities in their communities. His clients have
donated over $50 million to charities such as the San Diego
Zoo.

The event was sponsored by the Anderson School Sports Business
Association.

Rob Vieira, the association’s president, said the group of
approximately 60 members hosts about five speakers a year.

Aaron Enrico, a board member of the group, added that several
former Anderson School students work at Steinberg’s firm.

Steinberg’s career as a sports agent began while he was a
22-year-old UC Berkeley student.

Steve Bartkowski, quarterback for the UC Berkeley football team,
asked Steinberg to serve as his agent when he entered the NFL as
the highest-paid football player at that time.

Steinberg said the publicity from the Bartkowski deal made him
realize that athletes "had the ability to serve as role
models."

Steinberg said that any clients he accepts must fit his model
profile, which includes retracing their community roots.

"I realized what an impact Leigh Steinberg makes on a
community," said Lily Lu, a first-year business and economics
student.

Steinberg also described sports agents as "the ‘sleazoid’
profession of the 1990s."

To combat this image, sports agents now must pass a
certification test including a background check.

In addition to regulation by a sports agent’s association, many
states have additional regulations.

Television money has increased player salaries, Steinberg said.
From 1975 to last year, an NFL team’s share of the national
television contract grew from $2 million to $40 million. Ticket
prices also have increased, meaning agents can demand higher player
salaries since the teams are making more money.

Steinberg then discussed the negotiation process.

"People are terrified by the concept of negotiation," he said.
"People either are overly passive or overly aggressive."

The moving of established sports teams was another concern of
Steinberg. He explained how he led efforts to attempt to stop the
Los Angeles Rams from moving to St. Louis. He proposed the creation
of sports-based theme parks near stadiums as a way to build the new
facilities demanded by teams.

In a question session after the speech, Steinberg was asked
about the NBA lockout. He called the conflict "absurd", because
"the real enemy is other activities that compete for discretionary
funding."

These include other sports, movies and theme parks.

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