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| ESPN NETWORK: ESPN.COM | NASCAR ONLINE | ABCSPORTS | FANTASY | THE STORE | INSIDER | |
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May 3, 1999 Page 2 of 3 
The role of an agent varies from sport to sport. In baseball and football, the primary function is negotiating the best possible playing contract. That means being tough at the bargaining table, a role that agents such as baseball's Scott Boras have honed to an art form.
In some cases, agents can also help determine where a player ends up. A strong relationship between Randy Hendricks and former Toronto Blue Jays executive Paul Beeston was believed to have helped the Blue Jays land -- and eventually lose because of special escape clauses -- Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens.
The NBA's Stephon Marbury believes his trade from Minnesota to New Jersey wouldn't have been possible without the behind-the-scenes maneuvering of his agent, David Falk. However, with the league's new labor deal, salaries for the top players are more rigorously controlled, reducing the ability of an agent to extract more money from a team. That has led several players to fire their agents and do their own deals with the help of a per-hour attorney, rather than pay agents the standard 4 percent fee.
To remain valuable, many agents, especially those of marquee players, have had to change their game.
Davis in many ways reflects the attributes of the modern agent, who plays a
more nuanced -- yet often more important -- role in an athlete's life
than agents of previous eras. His value is determined in part by the quality of the marketing deals brought to the athlete, but also by how attuned
he is to the ever-changing needs and goals of the client.
"Generally, you're in the service business," Davis said. "You're not
just negotiating contracts. Agents, whether they're lawyers or not,
need to be all things at all times for that player. You need to know a
little about a lot."
For Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Davis set up a charitable foundation. For Gary Payton, Davis structured the transactions for his music company. For Tonya Harding, Davis did the deals for a book and made-for-TV movie. For the Williams family, Davis serves in a multitude of roles, not the least of which is chief advisor.
Team Williams also consists of Larry Bailey, a Washington D.C.-based
accountant, and Leland Hardy, a former Wall Street investment banker who advises on spot projects (and brought the Puma deal to the group's attention). Like Davis, they have been with the family since before Venus
turned pro at age 14. But, said Aaron Goodwin, a prominent NBA agent who has advised the Williamses on marketing deals, "The only person in Richard's ear is Keven."
It is a confident but measured voice, aware of the challenges -- and enormous opportunities -- ahead. Now both in the top 10 in women's tennis, Venus and Serena Williams have the chance to not only make lots of money, but shake up a country-club sport in the way Tiger Woods invigorated golf.
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Baseball agent Tom Reich says his relationships with team executives have gotten players onto rosters.
