Category Archives: Agent Exam

In Your 30s and Not Making Progress? Here’s What I Did

07 Friday Jun 2024

Posted by in Agent Exam, Getting started, ITL

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Last week, I wrote a post about when to “say when” as you pursue your place in the football world. It seemed to strike a chord, especially resonating with the 30-plus crowd, so this week, I thought I’d expand on it a bit, especially as it comes to the last point I made about being entrepreneurial.

You absolutely should be willing to start your own thing. It’s honestly not a lot different from pursuing a job in the NFL, or working atop a P5 football office, or anything else like that. It doesn’t take a genius; I’ve proven you can support a family, live semi-comfortably and follow your passion by going your own way without having any extraordinary gifts. Still, there are a few things I want to share based on my own journey.

  • When I launched ITL in 2002, it was only after a mountain of market research and lots of positive feedback. Because of that, I was dumb enough to think our launch on Labor Day Weekend would be so big it would crash our servers. Instead, on Day 1, we got two subscribers. On Day 2, one of them wanted his money back. 
  • Our initial subscription price was $250 for a nine-month subscriber cycle (we planned on taking the summer off). After our humiliating start, the week of our launch, I dropped the price to $45 (I announced it as a “sale”). We didn’t get to 20 subscribers until maybe December, even at that price point.
  • For the first five years, we grossed about $5,000 a year. Keep in mind that I was hoping this would be my new profession by that time. Basically, I had a small side hustle instead of a new career, and I had no Plan B, professionally speaking. 
  • Keep in mind that my “day job” at the Houston Chronicle was making me about $42,000 per year. At this point, I had a wife and two kids. 
  • Things went so poorly that in 2007, when I got hired to run the Hula Bowl, I was elated, mostly because I could shutter ITL and move on with my life with some measure of honor. 
  • When the Hula Bowl went on hiatus in January 2008, shortly after the game, the main reason I relaunched ITL is because I didn’t have any other options. 

So that’s the bad new. But there are also rewards.

  • When I got laid off in 2009 by the Chronicle (I had gone back in 2008 to basically be a secretary), it was sink-or-swim time. At that point, my wife had “retired” from teaching to raise our boys. I suddenly had incredible focus. 
  • The “new” ITL was $25/mo., which enraged a lot of people when I announced at the 2009 NFL Combine that we’d relaunch in the fall. I mean, I was mocked endlessly. But by around late November, most of my old subscribers had returned at the new rate. It was then that I realized I might have something. 
  • We introduced the first elements of our exam prep program shortly after this. In a few years, we’d turned July — at one time a month I hoped my family could just pay its bills — into our most lucrative month. It still is, due to our study guide, practice exams and video series. 
  • Today, I’m not rich or famous, but I’ve built a network of friends and associates that  “get me,” and that I get, as well. My family lives a good life and I have no complaints. I was born to do what I do now.

I don’t think all this happens without a decent idea, an ability to adapt, a will to survive, and God’s grace. In my case, it certainly didn’t happen overnight, but I started it at 33. Youngish, but not a baby by any means. Today, maybe you’re right were I was in 2002. If so, I hope you’re able to achieve the same measure of success. 

 

2023 NFL Agent Exam: Thoughts on ‘Results Day’

08 Friday Sep 2023

Posted by in Agent Exam, Agents, Getting started

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Today is THE most bittersweet day of the year for me, personally, because, on one hand, I get to celebrate the realization of a dream with so many people, but also have to console the disappointment of so many others. I try to get in the trenches with everyone who uses our exam prep services, and that’s the truest of good news/bad news propositions.

A few thoughts as so many people deal with life-changing emails that arrived in their inboxes this morning.

  • For many of those who didn’t get good news today, the testing centers played a big role. I heard lots of stories of people who showed up, only to find that their test was cancelled, or that it would be held later than scheduled. Other test-takers got plenty of intrusion during testing, or had some weird demands made on them. If that was you, find a new testing center next year. Even if you have to drive a little more. 
  • One other note for those who didn’t make the cut: it might be a failure of your note organization more than your grasp of the CBA. One contract advisor who helps with exam tutoring insists that you could theoretically skip studying the CBA altogether if you had extremely organized notes and you were exceptionally good at identifying what the exam asks in each question. 
  • If you passed, or if you didn’t, take this weekend to relax. If you passed, you deserve to celebrate. If you didn’t, rest up and get ready to join us in February when we resume our Zoom sessions. Nothing that happens this weekend will affect you next July.
  • If you passed, consider joining us at Inside the League. Next month (or maybe even later this month), we’ll begin our Zoom sessions for new agents. We’ll have instruction on who and how to recruit, how all-star games work, how to set a training budget, what to expect from players’ parents, and so many other relevant topics. We’ll have agents who were in your shoes next year telling their stories, as well as former scouts discussing player evaluation and other topics. We’ll also have Zooms to help you find sleepers in the draft. I hope we can work with you.
  • You probably have some favorite NFL draft accounts on social media, but begin looking for accounts that focus on small-schoolers. Unless you already work for a major agency, you won’t be signing any potential first-rounders this year.  I also highly recommend following actual former NFL scouts. They not only know their stuff, but they will often give you tips and engage with you if you ask intelligent questions. Here are a few Twitter accounts I recommend: Blake Beddingfield (@BlakeBedd), Rodrik David (@RightStepAdv), Greg Gabriel (@ggabefootball), Randy Mueller (@RandyMueller_) and Mark Gorscak (@gors55). Emory Hunt (@FBallGameplan) and Damond Talbot (@DraftDiamonds) are not former NFL scouts, but they are key follows.

Before I go, let me share some of the joyous texts I got from several successful test-takers, all of them unsolicited. 

  • “Passed! Thanks so much for all your help Neil. I’ll be sticking with ITL moving forward – Couldn’t have succeeded without your team.”
  • “I’m overwhelmed with happy emotion brother!!! 🙌🏾 And you were part of that journey!!! And I truly appreciate you!!!”
  • “I passed the exam Neil! Appreciate all the help along the way man! Let’s keep in touch man, I’ve already referred someone who’s taking the test next year to go to Inside the League.”
  • “Just found out I I passed the NFLPA agent exam. Now I’m a player agent for both NBA & NFL Players! THANK YOU & ITL FOR EVERYTHING! Now that the easy part is complete, the journey has begun!”
  • “Thank you for sticking in my corner of the past few years!!! I literally couldn’t have done it without you!!!”
  • “You are the freaking Man!!!!  Could not have done this with out you!!!!  You and (ITL instructor) Ian (Greengross) deserve a congratulation too!!!!  Thank you so much!!!!!!!” 
  • “LFG!!!!!!!!!! Can’t thank you and Ian enough. So (freaking) happy right now.”
  • “Thx! ITL has been a tremendous resource already. You are truly tapped in…just like the name Says “ITL”. Let’s go!”

See you at the Friday Wrap later today. Aren’t registered? Sign up here.

2023 NFL Agent Class: What Do Agencies Look Like Today?

18 Friday Aug 2023

Posted by in Agent Exam, Agents, Uncategorized

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In 2-3 weeks, the people who took the 2023 NFL Agent Exam will get their results. As we’ve discussed previously, we expect a higher-than-usual passing rate based on the feedback we’ve gotten so far from test-takers. While that’s good news, what’s the bad news (as well as the good) as they enter the ranks of NFL player representatives on October 1?

Here’s a look at the NFL agent body today.

Controlled by the big agencies: While there’s been diversity in which firms represent the No. 1 overall pick, there’s not a lot of diversity when it comes to which firms consistently land the top players. For example, at ITL, we’ve tabulated draft “value points” (see here for an explanation) going back to 2007. Since 2007, 14 firms have more than 20,000 points. Some of them are defunct, but those who are still active are, in order, CAA, Athletes First, Independent Sports, Rep1 Sports, Sportstars, SportsTrust Advisors, Rosenhaus Sports, Octagon Football, BC Sports, Priority Sports and Klutch Sports Group. These are the firms that consistently dominate the first three rounds. Then you have another 20 schools who have between 5,000 and 15,000 value points that are a consistent presence in the draft, though not always on Days 1 and 2. These firms are Roc Nation Sports, Wasserman Sports, 1 of 1 Agency, WME Sports, Allegiant Athletic Agency, NC Sports, Enter-Sports, Alliance Management, The Sports and Entertainment Group, United Sports Group, Equity Sports (formerly Steinberg Sports), VaynerSports, JL Sports, Universal Sports and The Ballengee Group (again, some of the points leaders have gone out of business). After that, there are about a dozen other firms that are a regular part of the draft. If you’re not part of one of those 40 agencies, you’ve got a real uphill battle.

Allied with entertainers: This week, we learned that Druski, who gained fame making people laugh on social media platforms, has launched his own sports agency. Jay-Z, Darius Rucker, Lil Wayne and others have entered the arena in the last 10 years, and another big-name entertainer joins the business about every other year. The star power musicians bring has produced mixed results, honestly, but the fact remains that merely being attached to someone with fame and presence is quite the door-opener.

Heavily clustered: If you live on the coasts or in major metropolitan areas, you’re one of many contract advisors in your area. There are 30 agents in Greater Nashville. There are 28 in Miami proper, 39 in the five boroughs of New York City. There are almost a hundred agents in Southern California alone, 30 in Greater Houston and 44 in  Greater Dallas. On the other hand, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming are states with no registered contract advisors.

There are other factors to consider, but these are some of the geographic and business aspects of the business that are pretty fundamental to understanding what today’s player representation firm looks like. For greater detail on this and other topics related to the football industry, make sure you’re reading our newsletter. You can register for it here.

 

2023 NFL Agent Exam: Three Takeaways

28 Friday Jul 2023

Posted by in Agent Exam, Agents, Getting started

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The big test is in the books for this year. After speaking to dozens of our clients post-exam, here’s what we’ve learned.

Tech issues were better, but they didn’t completely go away. As we discussed in our report on Monday, proctoring centers were mostly — but not completely — a hit. One Atlanta-area testing facility couldn’t test its 8 a.m. class, requiring them to re-register for later the same day or Tuesday. The following slot was affected, as well. When there was yet another issue, test-takers had to find a new location altogether. One aspiring agent had to fly out of state (buying a ticket for the next day, which is never cheap) to take the exam. There were also several test-takers based in South Florida who were told Sunday night (about 12 hours before they were to test) that the testing facility would not be open, and that someone would reach out to them in 3-5 business days. We don’t know how that situation was resolved. It’s our hope that they didn’t have to wait until next year. Yet another agent hopeful had to resubmit all his answers with just minutes left in his three-hour slot. Overall, however, things went smoothly enough that we’d guess the NFLPA stays status quo for ’24. Still, don’t rule out a return to Washington, D.C.

The test may have been a little easier this year. Every year, we make sure to focus on the computation of the trickier math of the CBA, i.e., workman’s comp offsets, injury grievances, veterans salary benefit, proven performance escalator, etc. However, we heard from several test-takers that there were fewer problems that required a calculator. Furthermore, while many of the questions were tricky and designed to determine if agent candidates really knew the material, several people who took the exam last year said it was just easier. “I think that this year they intentionally made the test easier,” said one aspiring contract advisor. What’s more, many more than usual first-timers told us the test was really straightforward, and that they expect to pass. Obviously, that might be false confidence, but the positive responses were unmistakeable. I’m expecting a slightly bigger class than normal. 

The reviews on our exam prep materials were really good. I never ask for positive reviews on our study guide, exams and videos, but obviously, it’s great to have happy clients. Once again, we got several unsolicited texts that made for pleasant reading. “I was prepared and organized, big thanks to you guys,” said one aspiring agent. “your study guide was a tremendous benefit . . . I will definitely be recommending people to you bro!,” texted another. “I really appreciate your time. Your promptness. Your effort. Your patience,” added yet another. That’s probably the most satisfying comment. We take seriously our efforts to help people pass the exam. 

We’ll be talking about the industry even more, as usual, in today’s Friday Wrap. Make sure to register for it if you haven’t already. You can do that here.