The Agent: My 40-Year Career Making Deals and Changing the Game Author: Visit Amazon's Leigh Steinberg Page | Language: English | ISBN:
1250030420 | Format: PDF
The Agent: My 40-Year Career Making Deals and Changing the Game Description
From Booklist
A memoir by the arguably most influential agent in NFL history—Steinberg has represented the likes of icons Troy Aikman, Steve Young, Warren Moon, and Ben Roethlisberger and served as the model for the movie character Jerry McGuire—should never have been this much work to read, but fortunately the pedestrian writing and relentless, if tempered, self-promotion are trumped by the insights that, aided by coauthor Arkush, Steinberg shares on the hugely important NFL agent-player-owner relationship. There’s the delicate protocol Steinberg developed with his clients—postgame, for example, he’d visit his clients in the losing locker room first, then those in the winning locker room—war stories of negotiating with many of the NFL’s most colorful team owners, and, of course, (discreet) tales of the players themselves. Weak presentation notwithstanding, the star power of Steinberg and his clients should create a healthy demand for this title. --Alan Moores
Review
“NFL crazies will eat this like snack food.”—Kirkus Reviews
On Leigh Steinberg:
“It's fashionable now, after the movie, for a lot of agents to talk about heart, but Leigh was the only one talking like that in 1993, when I began research.” —Cameron Crowe, director of
Jerry Maguire
“Leigh Steinberg was the greatest sports agent in history.” —
Forbes
“There really is a Jerry Maguire. Only he's not some schlumpf struggling to make it on a wing and a prayer like Tom Cruise in the movie. . . . His name is Leigh Steinberg, and [he] also happens to be the pre-eminent sports agent of our time.” —
San Francisco Examiner"Many sought out Leigh and he easily could have concentrated his attention elsewhere, but he so believed in me and my future that he stuck with me…A man of integrity and foresight, Leigh emphasized empowering his clients in order that they not be manipulated nor taken advantage of, thereby transcending and supplanting the 'agent' stigma of the time. "—from the Foreword by Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon
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- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books; First Edition edition (January 21, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1250030420
- ISBN-13: 978-1250030429
- Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Leigh Steinberg's memoir and second book, "The Agent," details his rise to the pinnacle of the sports agent profession. We read about his life growing up in Los Angeles as the grandson of a well known Hollywood insider who ran Hillcrest Country Club. Leigh starts his memoir in Los Angeles, chronicling his life as a youngster, to his becoming student body president of Berkeley during a revolutionary era in the late 1960's.
In this revealing memoir, Leigh recounts stories burned in his mind that give a glimpse into the dizzying life he has led. At times, it feels a bit like "Forrest Gump," in the sense that Leigh consistently finds himself in the middle of Americana over the course of his life.
The odds of a human being born are akin to winning the lottery. The odds may not be ever in our favor of being born at all. The odds of being the dorm counselor to a future #1 NFL draft pick? Slim. The odds that player will choose you, an amateurish law student with no NFL negotiating experience, to represent them? Astronomical. Yet it happened. Leigh's first client was Cal quarterback Steve Bartkowski, the #1 pick in the 1975 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. You read that right. Leigh happened to fall into sports representation because he was Bartkowski's RA. At the time, this seemed to be a fluke of epic proportions. We come to learn Leigh had ambitions of being a public defender or a politician. Not a sports agent.
It is truly remarkable to read Leigh's anecdotes about the sports representation field at that time and to see how much has changed in 40 years. There wasn't much of an NFL agent "industry" in 1975. Jameis Winston certainly will not be choosing his dorm counselor to be his agent next year.
The life story of sports agent Leigh Steinberg is fast- compelling- reading... with names he signed up as clients... as recognizable as headlines in the last forty years of sports sections. The look inside of the psyche of young All-American ballplayers... as well as millionaire-billionaire sports executives is almost hypnotic for true fans. The fact that Leigh also uses a never ending supply of "ME"... "ME"... "ME"... tends to get a tad burdensome at times... but as me and my old buddy Dizzy Dean like (d) to say... "It ain't bragging... if you could do it!" But Leigh should also keep in mind what my dear departed Mother used to say... "Rick, don't break your arm patting yourself on the back!"
Meanwhile back to the book. The writing style is in such a relaxed easy to read format... that I stopped about a third of the way through and looked to see who the "co-author" was... and when I saw it was Michael Arkush... I soon realized that I had read two of his other books... "The Fight of the Century: Ali vs. Frazier March 8, 1971"... and... "The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul". So the "co-author" should get a lot of praise for converting this "made" for telling life story... into an enjoyable reading experience.
Leigh's childhood growing up in Los Angeles included loving the Brooklyn then Los Angeles Dodgers... and idolizing Sandy Koufax for his presence as a tremendous role model for all Jewish kids growing up playing and loving baseball... guys like Leigh and I... as I grew up at the same time... in the same place... with the same heroes as the author. Leigh's parents were always extremely supportive of their children and among other posts... his Dad became principal of Fairfax High... which coincidentally the basketball team I was on at North Hollywood High School...
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