Agent LEIGH STEINBERG is profiled by the N.Y. TIMES SUNDAY MAGAZINE’s James Vlahos, who writes, “As was the case when Steinberg was in his prime, the client he most zealously represents is himself.” Steinberg said that his firm, Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, is “abuzz with projects: discussions with television and movie producers.” That is in addition to “client recruiting, corporate consulting and philanthropy” as well as “television and radio appearances by the hundred.” However, with Steinberg having been out of the industry since ’10, “scoring a top recruit was going to be difficult.” Players “often evaluate agents based on their latest blockbuster contracts -- and Steinberg’s deals from the 1980s and 1990s no longer look so grand.” Vlahos notes, “Another element of the traditional Steinberg sell -- his concern for the players themselves, not just their paydays -- might not resonate as much now, either, with so much more money in the game.” But Steinberg insisted that his brand “still had appeal." Steinberg said his firm is “getting flooded with calls.” He said that the calls are from “football players and also mixed-martial-arts fighters, NASCAR drivers, baseball and basketball players and even a professional poker player.” Vlahos writes the “old Steinberg as portrayed by his critics -- the one with his fingers in uncountable pots, the one who spent so much time nurturing his celebrity -- bears some uncomfortable similarities" to the present-day version. Steinberg earlier this month “signed three new late-round prospects” ahead of the NFL Draft. He said he still hoped to land “one top player.” However, he said he felt “unsettled” about his chances of doing so. Vlahos writes, “Even if Steinberg never signs another top-tier prospect, he would still have one client to keep him endlessly busy -- himself” (N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE, 1/18).
