Although some diehard Cardinal fans might argue with this statement, there's no denying it, football is big business. According to Forbes.com, the least valuable NFL team is worth $839 million. That's $15 million more than the second most valuable major league baseball team, the New York Mets, and a whopping $583 million more than the last place Florida Marlins.
Of course with this much money on the table, some major player contract negotiations have taken place generating a lot of attention. And with three major sports agencies located in the area. St. Louis is quickly becoming a focal point for sports agencies.
'It's true,' says Bob Lattinville, sports agent and attorney for Stinson Morrison Hecker. 'We have three very prominent agencies in the area - CAA, National Sports Agency, and our firm. And there's a host of smaller agents as well. But I think what really put St. Louis on the map is CAA.'
CAA Football is a branch of California-based Creative Artists Agency, the dominant agency in the entertainment business. It became the most dominant player representation practice in the industry when it bought the country's two largest football agencies - the Kansas City-based practice of Tom Condon and Ken Kremer, and St. Louis-based Ben Dogra and Jim Steiner.
'Their client roster is a who's who of the National Football League. So by any definition, they are the most prominent football representatives in the world,' Lattinville says. 'And with football in this country the premier sport in terms of dollars and profile, when they moved here it really established St. Louis as a mecca for sports agents.'
Together Dogra and Condon of CAA represent 130 active players, thought to be the most of any NFL agency. They've represented four of the last five overall number one picks in the NFL draft; four of the last five league MVPs; the last two Super Bowl MVPs; one-quarter of the starting NFL quarterbacks; and last season's offensive and defensive rookies of the year. Also, 17 of their clients were selected for this year's Pro Bowl. Still when asked if he sees CAA as a major factor in St. Louis becoming a center for sports agent activities. Dogra points to his partner Jim Steiner.
'Jim is one of the pioneers of the football industry. He laid the foundation for St. Louis' sports agencies back in 1976,' he says. 'He partnered with Jim Turner, a long-time baseball agent. And prior to that they worked for a gentleman by the name of Richie Bry who was one of the biggest baseball agents in the whole industry in the 19705 and mid-1980s. So I think we're building off what was already here.'
Like CAA, both National Sports and Stinson also represent a who's who in the sports industry. National Sports represents 50 active NFL players. This year they represented five draft picks, including New Mexico wide receiver Marcus Smith who signed with the Baltimore Ravens, and cornerback Jack Williams of Kent State who went to the Denver Broncos.
Stinson can lay claim to such clients as John Engelberger of the Denver Broncos, Shawn Hill of the San Francisco 49ers, Derek Frost of the Green Bay Packers, the entire Kansas City Royals team, and retired athletes.
'It's kind of ironic that a city that may not be the size of a New York or LA has so many sports agencies and of such high caliber,' says Dogra. 'But I've noticed that a lot of people from Saint Louis University's Law School go into the sports field.'
Dogra says when he was searching out law schools, like most others interested in sports law he looked for one in a city with sports agencies. This way he could get a summer internship or job in the field and gain experience without relocating.
'St. Louis showed up on the map back then and it's even bigger now,' he says. 'In fact, Kevin Omell of National Sports and I were in the same sports law class at Saint Louis University. And Bob Lattinville was the professor. It's funny how it all ties in. But then people here do get to know one another well. And that's a positive thing.'
Another positive thing, and one that attracts sports agents to St. Louis is its central location. With clients spread across the country, being in the middle makes traveling much easier.
'This is very much a personal service business and our clients are all over,' says Lattinville. 'So we need to be able to recruit, follow-up and meet with them easily. Being in St. Louis. we can do that. And it doesn't hurt that St. Louis is such a great sports town, especially if you're seeking an endorsement opportunity for a client.'
Both Lattinville and Dogra say they've no doubt that St. Louis' future role in the sports industry will only increase as time goes on. After all, sports in general is a $200 billion a year industry and there's no indication it's on the decline. Plus as Dogra points out we do have three major sports agencies with national exposure right in our backyard.
'With the success of these agencies, more and more people are hearing the name St. Louis,' he says. 'And as success and awareness grows so will the industry here, because people will want to get close to it. And I don't know it there are too many cities in this country right now that have a whole lot more than St. Louis.'
