Jeanne McNulty-King is a rare breed in the sports agent industry. She's
a woman representing female athletes only.
Her basic philosophy is to stand behind her players 100 percent. "Just
[to] be their friend and be there for them," she says.
McNulty-King was a basketball player herself once. She recognized a need
for quality agents who are willing to work for female athletes. "I really
think women take a back seat because the money's not there....There's
a need for an honest agent out there that will represent women and look after
them," she says.
McNulty-King hopes to have an impact on the field by building a better
reputation for agents. "A lot of agents have really bad names [but] I don't
think, to be an agent, that you have to do the things that most of them do
to get that bad name -- like, going to athletes before their eligibility is
done, [or] promising them things that are illegal," she says.
However, building a name for yourself as an agent takes time. "You have
to be passionate about it and know that it's going to take a while before
you're going to make money unless you can break into the men's market,"
says McNulty-King. "You could get hired on with a firm, do some legwork for
them and work your way up [but] as an independent it would be pretty hard."
The key to success for sports agent Rick Curran is "smaller is better."
Having worked in the first large sports agency in North America, Curran
has seen both sides of the business. And he's created his company to
be a different kind of sports agency.
Curran started in the field in 1978 at a management company in Toronto.
One of the men he worked with was Bill Watters. Curran had first met him in
1967, when he was an instructor at the Bobby Orr Hockey Camp. Watters, then
camp director, became his mentor and eventually his business partner.
"What I did, and what I would recommend to anyone who wants to get into
this business, is that I made myself absolutely indispensable," says Curran,
who holds a business degree. "In other words, Bill [my partner] couldn't
go anywhere without me. I made it my business to know all the junior players,
pro players. If Bill needed to know something, I was the answer man."
In 1980, Curran and Watters split with the original company and founded
their own with 160 clients, including 140 National Hockey League (NHL) players.
"We were handling almost every aspect of the player's career. If they
needed their taxes done, no problem, we took care of it. We did the financial
management, endorsements and negotiated the contracts. At some point, I became
aware that we were just getting too big."
In 1991, with Watters expressing an interest in pursuing a career in team
management, Curran bought his shares in the company and began streamlining
the operation. He immediately stopped all recruiting and limited his services
to contract negotiations.
For individuals hoping to specialize as agents, Curran recommends working
for an established agency before venturing out on your own. That's because
it can take years and thousands of dollars to establish yourself. You will
have to be prepared to scout the minor, junior and European leagues for clients.
And remember, a client recruited at 15 won't make any money until the
pro contract is signed years later.
"I'd recommend that those starting out do what I did -- find someone
in the business who is making a go of it and become their right-hand man.
Be indispensable and learn everything you possibly can from that person,"
says Curran.
"In the meantime, you're learning the business, making contacts and
getting known in the pro and junior leagues. For those who make
a go of it, this can be a great business to be involved in. You're dealing
with people who love what they're doing. It's exciting, challenging
and always changing."