A panel of prominent female sports agents discussed some of the challenges they face in the industry during a discussion today at the ‘19 SBJ Game Changers Conference in N.Y. Despite having found success as agents, the four women on the panel admitted that it does not exclude them from facing routine hardships. One of those challenges happens to be differentiating and setting themselves apart from the rest of the field. “I point to my track record,” Roc Nation’s Kim Miale said. “Just the deals that I’ve done, the clients that we have, and the business model at our agency, which is quite different from a lot of other agencies that we compete with. That model of being so unique is appealing to players that we want to represent.” Young Money APAA Sports agent Nicole Lynn said what “sets us apart is that we do so much more than the contract. We want to make their transition out of football easier. We start from day one determining what is going to be their career. I tell all my guys that the average career in the NFL is 3.3 years, so this is a really high-paid temp job. We are full service in that we want to full service your life.”
GOING ABOVE & BEYOND: K Sports & Entertainment Principal & Founder Kristen Kuliga said the fact that she is a woman is still a hurdle. “You’re still going to get, no matter what we do, other agents coming to your clients and saying ‘Why do you have a woman as your agent?’” she said. “I think one of the hardest things in this business is to not take things personally, to stay strong, to continue the good fight of doing what’s right by your client, and then that will help you get other clients.” FAME Exec VP & Partner Danielle Cantor Jeweler has spent the majority of her career working with NBA players. But she said differentiating herself is becoming more difficult than ever before in the league. “For the first part of my career, it was about showcasing your track record,” Jeweler said. “But as the rules changed, it became harder and harder to really add value in the contract negotiations because 70 percent of the contracts are predetermined and fixed. It’s very hard to differentiate yourself, and it’s only getting harder.”
