Never thought about asking with regards to agents. But a player (also an '07) in my son's league reputedly has hired an agent..or the father has hired an agent..to represent his son. I was surprised.
I've gone back in the archives in this topic about the need for agents and their usefulness. As for my own son, I cannot even imagine dealing with a pro scout..and it is probably highly unlikely. However, my son will be playing in several tournaments, showcases and teams with this particular kid this summer..and it gets me thinking about who might be watching this kid (and by default MY kid). My question: what is a good resource for sports agents and where do you find one and is there a poster on this website who might be a good resource...I saw TBross from Gaylord Sports Management..but I sense he's not posting recently. Thanks

Newcomer.....do you have a PM or an email. I can definately help you with your question.

A parent cannot hire an agent without giving up the college eligibility. They can use an advisor, providing no contract or pay is involved. If the player gets drafted and signs, then the advisor becomes an agent, a contract is signed, and money will change hands in the form of a percentage of the signing bonus as a commision. That is probably what happened here. So the technical term would be an advisor. The parent should be careful not to call him an agent.

Whats the difference? The advisor only will advise for a % of the signing bonus. SO agent or advisor they both represent the same person. The advisor, in ALL cases, will answer any and all questions about the draft. BUT, he doesn't do it for free! He will expect a % of between 3 and 6% of the signing bonus. He will advise you, the family, on where your son may fit in with the draft. He will talk to scouts to learn this information and in doing so that would then qualify him as an agent. Which in turn compromises your son's NCAA elgibility.

Just ask the scout yourself.

and isn't that what we all want?to talk to a scout about our son.how cool is that?

Vance

What category do you fall into or thru?--- I have my doubts about what you know or do not know---

20dad

my son and I were talked to by a proscout when my son was a freshman in HS-- how cool,was that???--I even had to pay for the coffee--now that is cool!!!!

TRHIT, why the hangup with what I know or don't know? What I say is fact! An advisor is the same person as an agent. Are you saying your going to have an advsor and then at draft time your going to switch to someone else and refer to him as an agent? PAAAAAAAAA LEASEEEEEEEEEEEEE

TRHIT, as I'm sure your one of those people that believe scouts are bad and that the agent is the salesman and has the family and players best interest at heart and that scouts make a big bonus when they draft a player.

TRHIT, what I have are NO DOUBTS at all that you know absoulutely nothing about the topic of this thread.

newcomer
in todays draft unless your a stud you will get slot money ,not much to negotiate.read the book liscence to deal great read about agents.as with most everything in life ask a question many different answers.and they all have some merit.rule one here on hsbbw.if you have a question ask it.then you'll see they many different sides to things.and that can help more than you think.
tr
over the years a few scouts have watched my son play,i'm always surprised they watch my son.and it is cool.

VANCE


An advisor is NOT and agent---

as for why I question you I think you info is in many instances misleading if not correct

EXAMPLE: by claiming,as you do,that an advisor and agent are one and the same you are inferring that a player can sign with an agent while in HS or college---and that cannot happen

And yes a player can have an advisor who does not end up being his agent

Please do not mislead people

I have to agree with TRHit on this one. An advisor is not an agent --- but that’s not saying he cannot become one because most advisors are agents to someone else. When this advisor "changes" into and agent you have to refer back to what BigHit 15 said --You lose your college eligibility. So tread lightly, do NOT get and agent while in high school unless you want to totally forgo college. Get an advisor! An advisor is not paid, does not ask you to sign a contract, and does NOT negotiate with MLB for you. Why would and advisor do all these things and not get paid? Normally they do it so they can become the player’s AGENT when he does sign in hopes of getting paid. My son used and advisor during high school, was drafted, we talked at length with the advisor but I negotiated with MLB, son opted to attend college. Three years later decided he was going pro, hooked up with an agent, was drafted, after being drafted he and I signed (he was still a minor) and agent agreement and he became a pro player and I became and expert on the agent/advisor issues.
Fungo

some so called advisors like Scott Boras are currently talking directly to MLB teams about their clients draft standing.

ANDY MAY

I would be very careful where you step here--advisors cannot talk directly with MLB Teams

E-6, you have it right.

TRHIT and FUNGO. here is fungo's quote,

quote:

I have to agree with TRHit on this one. An advisor is not an agent --- but that’s not saying he cannot become one because most advisors are agents to someone else. When this advisor "changes" into and agent[QUOTE]

oh boy, he isn't an agent but he can turn into one. AN ADVISOR is the same guy as THE AGENT! If an advisor is at a game and speaks to a scout about who he is advising then that would jepordize elgibility. ALL AGENTS work as advisors. THEY ADVISE you to use them so they can make money off of YOU and your SON.

quote:

An advisor is the same person as an agent. Are you saying your going to have an advsor and then at draft time your going to switch to someone else and refer to him as an agent? PAAAAAAAAA LEASEEEEEEEEEEEEE

I know of a player in the 2004 draft that used an advisor and then chose someone else as the agent after the draft because they were not happy. Advisors are not the same as agents, according to my son's agent.

I'll guarantee that the advisor your son used is an agent. Unless it was just a family friend. Bighit, tell the whole story. What does the advisor do for a living. Tell the whole story.

Vance, the NCAA, rightly or wrongly, makes a distinction between agents and advisors. It may be a very fine distinction. It may be a distinction without substance. But it is a distinction that can allow you to keep or forfeit you eligibility so it is a distinction of importance for every high school/college player and parent.
Some other facts to consider:
1. Not every "agent" takes the money out of the signing bonus. My son has a teammate who's agent agreed to be paid when/if the player gets on the 40 man roster.
2. MLB does not exactly follow Human Resources 101 when it comes to dealing with their employees, the minor league player. MLB knows exactly what it is doing and very little of that is known by the player or parent. Knowing what to do and how to manage injury situations, player releases, etc are all part of what should be involved for an agent.
In my view, you could be doing parents and players a disservice by not recognizing the NCAA distinction. You are also not providing the necessary view of life in the minor leagues, and the issues a player can face in the process with a fundamental lack of information.

Well Vance, of course he is an agent. We chose an advisor that is an agent for obvious reason's. We wanted advice as it pertains to the draft. Why would someone choose an advisor who had no knowledge of the draft process? Hello? The whole story is that in the end, the advisor advised my son to go to college or juco, based on the offer. My son decided to sign and asked the advisor to become his agent. That is exactly the way it is supposed to work.

A good agent will become an advisor for the long hall. He knows that the kid will be there down the road if he doesn't sign now. An ethical advisor/agent will look out for the kids interest and advise.

Parents need to know that an agent will inherently try to get a player to sign. (What would one expect?) Most agents believe the pros are a better way to develop. So I suggest one gets their ducks in a row and know the questions to ask. Parents should educate themselves on the process and understand the dynamics. The advisor advises, not controls. If parents let and advisor do that, then they are stupid.

What bother's me about your position is that you are trying to make it seem shady or illegal or even unethical. Some are, some are not. Same as any endeavor. It is within the rules.

Frankly your implying that I am leaving out part of the story and acting like I am hiding something is insulting. All it tells me is that lack certain knowledge (though you obviously know a lot) about the process and your view is slightly jaded. So I have to post here to make sure that someone doesn't follow your bad advice and get their kid into trouble with the ncaa.

By Vance.

quote:

Whats the difference? The advisor only will advise for a % of the signing bonus.

That kind of an agreement would void the player's ncaa eligibility. It is not legal. Though a schedule of payment can be discussed providing that you were to sign. Though there is no obligation to do so. Yes they would like you to sign with them, but you are not under any obligation.

I know of a player in supplemental round that got a bill from advisor, even though dad did the negotiation, and they did not pay it. Advisor did not answer the phone on draft day so he did not get paid.

Big Hit, tell me when to stop laughing. But let me add, YOU my friend filled in the blanks and completed the story perfectly!!

My comment was and remains, Whats the difference. The advisor and the agent are the same person!

My advice Big Hit was to talk to the scout yourself.

Whats important is that the player should be allowed to follow his heart not his Advisor's/ Agents billfold desires.