How to Choose an Agent

The questions to ask, the answers that should worry you, and how to check anyone's credentials.

Signing with the wrong agent is one of the most expensive mistakes an athlete can make — not because agents are malicious, though some are, but because the wrong agent can cost you deals you never knew existed, lock you into a long-term contract during your highest-value years, or expose you to legal and eligibility risk through their own noncompliance. How to Choose an Agent is a due diligence guide for athletes and their families: what certified agents actually are, what advisors and NIL consultants are allowed to do, how to verify anyone's credentials through public registries, and what the contract you sign with them should and should not contain. The red flag section is the most important part of the book, and it is based on the patterns that show up repeatedly when athlete-agent relationships go wrong: pressure to sign before you've had anyone else review the contract, vague answers about fees, resistance to attorney review, and fee structures that don't align with how agents are actually paid in your sport. This book will not find you an agent. It will make sure that whoever you sign with has earned the right to represent you.

• How to verify any agent's registration, certification, and disciplinary history
• The contract terms that most commonly disadvantage athletes in representation agreements
• The specific questions to ask in any agent meeting and the answers that should end it
• The difference between a certified agent, an NIL advisor, and an attorney
• How to evaluate competing offers without being pressured into a premature decision