In the mid-1990s when the Black Sports Agents Association (BSAA) conducted its first regular general meeting to address the imbalance of representation among sports agents. Back then, it was the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow-PUSH Coalition who convened this rather upstart group, comprised primarily of lawyers, accountants and former professional athletes. They wanted to form a coalition to attract other African Americans to step into the ritzy, glitzy world of high-stakes negotiations between some of the world’s most prominent businesspersons and some of the world’s finest athletes.
Professional sports has opened a door during the past half century to economic prosperity for Blacks and other minorities that, generally, does not exist in many other parts of American society. A sports agent often serves as the gatekeeper into this rarefied world.
According to bylaws set forth by the Uniform Athlete Agents Act of 2000, a sports agent is typically charged with helping a professional athlete manage his/her career. They may work with one person or provide services to several clients, handling accounting and legal duties, negotiating contracts as well as providing advice about signing contracts. A big part of the job also involves marketing their clients to potential sponsors to increase a player’s notoriety and, certainly, their bank account. The primary responsibility of the agent is to get the client(s) the best deal on performance contracts by meeting personally with team owners, general managers and coaches. This is when they discuss a proposed salary, length of contract, benefits and certain stipulations/riders based on the needs and desires of the client.
The BSAA originally set out to strengthen the “involvement, credibility, representation, image and cohesiveness” of African Americans in the sports industry. Among its five major goals are to: (1) “enhance the visibility, (2) create and promote a vehicle to articulate the goals/objectives, (3) educate/ develop, (4) promote ethical principals/practices, and (5) advance the interest” of professional athletes among Black player representatives. [1]
The Black Sports Agents Association (BSAA) was founded in 1996 by Reverend Jesse Jackson and André Farr [2]. Its mission is to "develop and strengthen the involvement, credibility, representation, image, and cohesiveness of African-Americans in the Sports Industry." The BSAA also promotes the education and development of professional athletes from a business, economic, political, and community standpoint [3].
Board of Directors
editAndre Farr (Chairman & CEO), Bill Duffy, James Sims Esq., Angelo Wright, Linda Bernard Esq., Calvin Andrews, and Sharon Creer.
Community Outreach
editThe BSAA Sports Camp is a two-day sports and fitness education event in Richmond, California for grade school students. Its purpose is to increase students’ physical activity and to promote healthier lifestyles among children. At the end of the camp, the BSAA hosts a free concert featuring entertainers such as Missy Elliott, Omarion, Marques Houston and Nick Cannon[4].