Super-agent Boras will give talk at UC Davis
Maybe one of the most misunderstood positions in athletics is the professional sports agent.
When fans talk about today’s player salaries and how the face of American sports has changed, the name Scott Boras always finds its way into the conversation.
Now, as part of a Culture Week series of speakers, Boras will be the guest of the UC Davis School of Law’s Entertainment and Sports Law Society on Monday, Feb. 27.
Boras’ talk — “Negotiating the Largest Contracts in Sports History” — will run from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Activities and Recreation Center Ballroom on campus. It is free and open to the public.
“Scott Boras, among sports agents, is the pinnacle,” second-year law student and Culture Week organizer Zackery Ross told The Enterprise. “He reinvented contract negotiations. It’s common knowledge that if you’re a baseball player and want to get the biggest contract possible, get Boras as your agent.
“(He’s) guaranteed to get you as much money as possible.”
Boras, born and raised in Elk Grove and a standout baseball player himself at the University of Pacific, recently secured Prince Fielder a nine-year, $214 million pact with the Detroit Tigers. It was Boras’ third $200 million diamond deal — twice, he’s sealed the deal for Alex Rodriguez with both the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees.
Among his many baseball clients are Mark Teixeira, Matt Holliday, Jason Werth and Carlos Beltran.
Boras still lists as clients some controversial and/or disappointing figures in Barry Zito, Barry Bonds and Manny Ramirez. But all have been recipients of long-term, multimillion-dollar deals that keep the trio in tall financial grass.
Baseball America called Boras the “most influential non-player in baseball’s last 25 years.”
Frequently painted as villains in the escalating world of sports salaries, agents, says Ross, are hardly the bad guys:
“Do I think the salaries are ruining baseball?” Ross repeats a question. “No. It’s supply-and-demand. If teams weren’t benefiting from signing these players to these contracts, they wouldn’t.”
Ross — a San Francisco Giants fan from Palo Alto — says by studying the dynamics of sports economy, “I understand now much more of the technical standpoint … the dialogue, the process. He’s even more impressive to me now.”
Notes: Boras, 59, remains in the top 10 of several UOP offensive statistics. He played minor-league ball for both St. Louis and the Chicago Cubs before knee problems sent him to McGeorge School of Law. … UCD Interim Athletic Director Nona Richardson will speak on Wednesday, Feb. 29, at noon at the Law School. Richardson will explore women’s athletics and the world of Title IX. … To reserve space for Boras, visit www.surveymonkey.com/s/ucdavisscottboras. … After his talk, Boras is expected to be available for an extensive Q&A session.
— Reach Bruce Gallaudet at bgallaudet@davisenterprise.net or (530) 747-8047.
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Posted by Bruce Gallaudet
on Feb 16 2012.
Last Login: Tue 22 May 2012 11:46:20 PM PDT
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