Baseball’s mega-agent topped a group of 15 with more than $20 billion in active-game contracts, setting a record $191 million in commissions.
AAfter negotiating massive new contracts with shortstop Max Scherzer and shortstop Corey Seager, superagent Scott Boras has signed a client list for the 2022 season that includes six of baseball’s highest nine-year salaries. Zoom in a bit on total contract value, Boras is the man behind five of the game’s 13 biggest active deals, along with Bryce Harper, Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon, in addition to Seager.
So it’s no surprise that Boras has become the most powerful agent in North American team sports, earning $191 million in commissions based on MLB agents’ maximum 5% commission and $3.83 billion in active-game contracts. charging is allowed. This broke Boras’ previous record of $161 million in commissions Forbes this list is published, In 2020. Excel Sports Management powerhouse NBA agent Jeff Schwartz is second in commissions with $86 million in commissions, earning a record 4% commission on his $2.15 billion active-play contract.
Boras now leads eight of nine times Forbes Since 2013, the ranking of sports agents has been released. The one time he lost his lead was in 2019, one of six years with Jonathan Barnett and other European football agents, and Boras still holds the No. 2 spot.
How dominant will he be? Boras represents 106 clients, while his five biggest deals alone add up to $1.47 billion, putting him behind only Schwartz. Forbes 2022 free agent class, with a $73 million cap hit.
That’s not to discount the amazing paydays other agents are making. Like Boras, Schwartz increased his commissions by about 18 percent. since the 2020 edition of this list. Collectively, North America’s top 15 team sports agents have signed more than $20 billion in contracts, paying a maximum of $837 million in premiums, both rising slightly through 2020, as the league’s revenue slumped after the pandemic and salary cap growth stalled.
Representatives of individual sports such as tennis and golf, where athletes are not paid, are excluded from this list. CAA, the most valuable sports agency Forbes List of 2022, and there are no agents listed, but that has less to do with the business they do than with how the agency and the list are formed. As the industry becomes increasingly complex, agents are tasked with not only negotiating playing contracts, but also managing pre-project training, media outreach, securing endorsements and content deals, developing business opportunities, and ensuring financial security post-retirement. agents to work with each other and with agency departments. Few of their clients have a single agent or an obvious “lead” agent.
“The definition of ‘customer service’ has changed so rapidly, especially in the last five years, that you can’t just be everyone, because it’s too much work to be an expert at everything,” said co-founder Howie Nuchow, head of CAA Sports. adding: “You have to bring all these resources with you, otherwise it’s not nearly enough. And customers deserve more.”
However, for all the ways the business is evolving, and as athletes place a new emphasis on fashion shows, podcasts, and the metaverse, some things remain fundamental.
“I’ve been doing this a long time, and the one constant is building great relationships,” says WME Sports’ Joel Segal, the highest-profile soccer agent on the list.
THE MOST POWERFUL SPORTS AGENCIES OF 2022
Agency: Boras Corporation
Sports: Baseball
Main customers: Gerrit Cole, Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer
Estimated customers: 106
Contracts to play calculated within management: 3.83 billion dollars
Maximum Commission: 191 million dollars
Scott Boras has an active playing contract of $3.83 billion under management.
G Fiume/Getty Images
Agency: Excel sports management
Sports: Basketball
Main customers: Cade Cunningham, Brandon Ingram, Nikola Jokic
Estimated customers: 35
Contracts to play calculated within management: 2.15 billion dollars
Maximum Commission: 86 million dollars
Jeff Schwartz represents NBA stars such as Nikola Jokic and Cade Cunningham.
Excel sports management
Agency: Wasserman
Sports: Baseball
Main customers: Nolan Arenado, Yu Darvish, Giancarlo Stanton
Estimated customers: 25
Contracts to play calculated within management: 1.16 billion dollars
Maximum Commission: 58 million dollars
Joel Wolfe manages the $1.16 billion active playing contract for Wasserman.
Kyodonews/ZUMA Newscom
Agency: Clutch Sports Group
Sports: Basketball
Main customers: Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Zach LaVine
Estimated customers: 37
Contracts to play calculated within management: 1.36 billion dollars
Maximum Commission: 55 million dollars
Rich Paul represents star clients including LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Mitchell Leff / Getty Images
Agency: MVP Sports Group
Sports: Baseball
Main customers: Manny Machado, Albert Pujols, Joey Votto
Estimated customers: 42
Contracts to play calculated within management: 1.04 billion dollars
Maximum Commission: 52 million dollars
Former Twins third baseman Josh Donaldson with his agent, Dan Lozano.
Hannah Foslien / Getty Images
Agency: Excel sports management
Sports: Baseball
Main customers: Paul Goldschmidt, Kyle Schwarber, George Springer
Estimated customers: 33
Contracts to play calculated within management: 960 million dollars
Maximum Commission: 48 million dollars
Agency: WME Sports
Sports: Football
Main customers: Khalil Mack, Christian McCaffrey, Jaylen Waddle
Estimated customers: 79
Contracts to play calculated within management: 1.41 billion dollars
Maximum Commission: 42 million dollars
Agency: First the athletes
Sports: Football
Main customers: Aaron Donald, Derrick Henry, Dak Prescott
Estimated customers: 45
Contracts to play calculated within management: 1.4 billion dollars
Maximum Commission: 42 million dollars
Agency: WME Sports
Sports: Basketball
Main customers: Scotty Barnes, Luke Doncic, Chet Holmgren
Estimated customers: 31
Contracts to play calculated within management: 1.02 billion dollars
Maximum Commission: 41 million dollars
Bill Duffy is the lead agent for BDA Sports Management, which operates under the WME Sports umbrella following the 2020 investment.
Jeff-Chiu/AP
Agency: ACES
Sports: Baseball
Main customers: Charlie Blackmon, Nathan Eovaldi, Logan Webb
Estimated customers: 93
Contracts to play calculated within management: 810 million dollars
Maximum Commission: 40 million dollars
Agency: First the athletes
Sports: Football
Main customers: Jalen Ramsey, Michael Thomas, Deshaun Watson
Estimated customers: 86
Contracts to play calculated within management: 1.28 billion dollars
Maximum Commission: 38 million dollars
Agency: Leading sports and entertainment
Sports: Basketball
Main customers: Bradley Beal, Gordon Hayward, Kyle Lowry
Estimated customers: 69
Contracts to play calculated within management: 930 million dollars
Maximum Commission: 37 million dollars
Agency: Rosenhaus Sports Representation
Sports: Football
Main customers: Shaquille Barrett, Tyreek Hill, Darius Slay
Estimated customers: 97
Contracts to play calculated within management: 1.23 billion dollars
Maximum Commission: 37 million dollars
Drew Rosenhaus
Chris Sagola/AP
Agency: Newport Sports Management
Sports: Hockey
Main customers: Erik Karlsson, Mark Stone, Matthew Tkachuk
Estimated customers: 91
Contracts to play calculated within management: 860 million dollars
Maximum Commission: 35 million dollars
Agency: Wasserman
Sports: Baseball
Main customers: Javier Baez, Jose Berrios, Ryan McMahon
Estimated customers: 38
Contracts to play calculated within management: 690 million dollars
Maximum Commission: 35 million dollars
METHODOLOGY
Forbes List of 2022 the most powerful sports agents It includes agents focused on North American team sports, ranked by the highest estimated commissions they can earn from the contracts they manage. Unlike previous versions of the list, this ranking does not include European football agents. And not the same Forbes The list of the most valuable sports agencies recognizes that in some large agencies, separate marketing departments are responsible for all or most of the work surrounding these contracts, not just contracts. Therefore, agents who play private sports such as golf and tennis, do not take commissions from their clients’ prize money, and focus on marketing contracts are not included in the rankings.
The contract numbers represent an estimate of the total value of all active contracts, including the amount already paid and the amount still outstanding. To calculate the commission, Forbes the contract price is multiplied by the maximum agent fee allowed by the league’s players association (3% in the NFL, 4% in the NBA and NHL, and 5% in the MLB).
Agents often work in teams or with the support of junior agents; For this rank, the contract value is assigned to each customer’s lead agent. The athlete is jointly represented by multiple agents, and in the absence of a clear advantage, a portion of the contract value is allocated to each agent. Acknowledging the high level of cooperation between CAA representatives and its agents, including several representatives who appeared earlier. Forbes rank-dropped from this year’s list.
All the numbers are there Forbes Estimates for July 2022 were compiled with the help of community reports and databases such as Spotrac, Inside the League, PuckPedia, CapFriendly, and Capology. Forbes total contract estimates are rounded to the nearest $10 million, and maximum commission estimates are rounded to the nearest $1 million. Some customer and contract figures that cannot be independently verified are excluded.