Leigh Steinberg, ”Real Life Jerry Maguire”
Leigh Steinberg, aka the real life Jerry Maguire, the US Super Agent goat sharing his illustrious career and accomplishments and the trials and tribulations across his 50 year career. Enjoy the history lessons and learnings. Key Highlights Going way back to the 1960, height of Vietnam war and dealing with then California Governor Ronald Reagan (later US President) The start of “Agents” in American Football – first deal with Steve Bartkowski in 1975 at the age of 25 straight out of Berkely Law School His passion to give back to the community and how that has driven his selection of clients Growth of the company – focus on NFL Quarterbacks, expanding into other Sports – first book, adding agents Helping the city of San Francisco to keep SF Giants in the city, instead of being sold to investor group. Becoming a steward of sports (being the bridge between owners vs athletes – billionaires vs millionaires – avoid strikes, etc) Start of the company, key partners Jeff Moorad and later David Dunn joining and some of the challenges Discussion about the pioneers of the industry, from Mark McCormack to David Falk Explosion of content to drive industry – sports becoming the most popular form of television programming Selling the company and what happened after and how plans changed Early days of athletes content online during the dot.com boom Personal struggles taking a toll and his personal crash in 2010 – recently celebrity 12 years of sobriety – starting all over Lessons from that time and how others can learn from it The new beginning – Steinberg Sports & Entertainment Story behind Jerry Maguire and how the movie came about and a bit about “Any Given Sunday” Current biggest stars on his roster, superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes II – comparing contract numbers across sports and agent commissions Endorsement deals for sports stars – big difference in sports – the billionaire sports superstars of our era NIL and the impact for High School and College players – managing expectations – social media as currency Athletes taking equity in businesses they promote – new form of wealth creation – agency helps to cut those deals Content creation by athletes, production and social media What makes a great athletes a Superstar – certain qualities required His view on the future of sports and Esports and new focus on health and wellness Other things that keep him busy, new book, podcast, charity to agent academy - www.steinbergspeaks.com About Leigh Steinberg, premier sports agent, entrepreneur, Chairman and founder of Steinberg Sports and Entertainment, is best known for his work building athletes into stand-alone brands. He is often credited as the real-life inspiration for the Oscar-winning film Jerry Maguire. Leigh has represented many of the most successful athletes and coaches in football, basketball, baseball, hockey, boxing, golf, etc., including the number one overall pick in the NFL draft for an unprecedented eight times in conjunction with 64 total first round picks. Furthermore, Leigh has represented other notable athletes, including Oscar De La Hoya and Lennox Lewis, as well as multiple Olympians and professional teams. With an unrivaled history of record-setting contracts, Leigh has secured over $4 billion for his 300+ pro athlete clients and directed more than $800 million to various charities around the world. Before making a name for himself in the sports industry, Leigh was born and raised in Los Angeles by his parents, a teacher and librarian. He obtained both his B.A. in political science and his J.D. from UC Berkeley, where he was student body president during each tenure. Passionate about giving back and making it his unrelenting personal goal to make the world a better place, Leigh has also distinguished himself by his dedication to philanthropy. He has received commendations from Congress, State Senate, State Legislature, the Los Angeles City Council, the Orange County Board of Supervisors, Preside