Troy Aikman, Steve Young, Tony Gonzalez, Drew Bledsoe, Warren Moon, Evander Holyfield, Oscar De La Hoya, Lennox Lewis, Patrick Mahomes. These are just a few of 300+ pro athletes that Leigh Steinberg, founder of Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, has represented throughout his 45-year career as a sports agent.
Growing up in LA, Leigh attended UC Berkeley in the late 1960s during the historic Free Speech Movement era. While a dorm counselor, he met Steve Bartkowski, who was the starting quarterback for the UC Berkeley football team and would later become the #1 pick in the 1975 NFL Draft (Steve Wozniak, co-founder and creator of Apple, was also a student on his floor).
Leigh, fresh out of law school with zero professional legal experience, was asked by Bartkowski to represent him and the rest is history. Leigh went on to negotiate the largest rookie contract in NFL history for Bartkowski and has successfully negotiated over $3 billion in contracts ever since. He was also the real-life inspiration behind the movie, Jerry Maguire, starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. ("SHOW ME THE MONEY!").
In this episode, Pat and Posh sit down with Leigh to hear the incredible story of how he pioneered the sports agent world and was able to represent such successful talent across several sports, his approach to finding the right athletes to represent, the massive successes as well as setbacks he’s faced throughout his life, and the accomplishments he’s most proud of.
He also shares his thoughts on the parallels between sports and life, athletes as today’s biggest influencers, advice for those who are looking to have a successful career as a sports agent, and the nationwide debate around college athletes getting paid.
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