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economist sunsuntribune people saturday oct u 2003 re no york region reps bring reality to rnillionaire athletes prospects by mike hayakawa staff writer some general managers of pro fessional sports teams work in har mony with them others especially during contract negotiations dont some sports fans view them as greedy individuals while the ath letes they represent see them as their biggest supporters love them or loathe them agents have become an integral part of what has now become big business gil scott a 52yearold uriibnville resident who represents a number of cfl and nfl players along with several nhl coaches and general managers acknowl edges agents do wield power during times of free agency agents can determine where a player ends up he said but what you want to do for your clients is to act in their best interest in terms of finding them a place to play in a city they would like and is good for their staff file photojim mason stouffvilles keith acton assistant coach with the toronto maple leafs is represented by unionville agent gil scott family and good income so in that sense agents can have an influ ence a financial planner by profes sion mr scott entered the sports management business by accident in i979 when toronto argonauts offensive lineman nick bastaja a client of his asked for help negoti- ating his contract from there one thing kind of led to another he said nfl cfl clients his current football clients mcludekharijpneswiimipegblue bombers quarterback anthony calvillo montreal alouettes quar terback and mike vanderjagt- indianapolis colts place kicker 7 four years ago mr scott entered the world of professional hockey and negotiated a contract for john muckler when he became head coach of the new york rangers other hockey clients includes stouffvilles keith acton toronto maple leafs assistant coach arid dave lewis detroit red wings head coach the job may look glamorous but mr scott says otherwise while anyone can register with the nfl players association and write a test to becorne a certified agent the business remains extremely competitive theres close to 1600 registered agents in the nfl and about 150 of mem who represent riibst of the players he said theres always guys trying to get into the business arid making promises to players and negotiations arent easy brad robins a partner wjth ksr sports representatives agrees theres a lot of cornpetitors who do our line of business he said thp ganioufm the movie jerry maguire and tv miniseries arli isnt reality the 43yearold aurora resident said on the other side though the media has been vocal about agents interactions in general and they arent looked at in a positive light he said this former owner of the aurora tigers provincial junior a hockey league club was doing marketing work for canadian female race car driver kathryn teasdale when he riiet her lawyer gordon kirke impfessed by what mr kirke had done for athletes such as new york rangers forward eric lindros mr robins joined him and fan 590 broadcaster gord stellick in creat- staff photomike barrett sports agent brad robins of ksr sports representatives works fr ne to generate a substantial amou 1 ing ksr sports representatives mr kirke is the founder mr robins handles marketing and joe resnick is ksrs head recruiter primarily representing nhl play ers such as lindros dallas stars for- ward mike modano and columbus blue jackets defenceman rick nash ksr also works with athletes in other sports including wrestler bret hart and canadian tennis player sonjya jayaseelan as well they provide advice to potential prospects among them is former stouflville spirit star kevin jarrnan who is currently attending the university of massachusetts on a hockey scholarship and was a fourthround draft pick of the columbus blue jackets in this years nhl draft scholarships olympics what were trying to do is to get an individual the elite athlete arid provide a service thats inherent with their goals such as an athlete earning a universiiy scholarship or someone making the olympic team or even being in the wwe world wrestling entertainment it depends on what the individuals gahie plan is he said an agents success stems from his ability to corral marquee play ers- t i thats the toughest thing for any agent toget a player who can play mr scott said r y to do that these days is almost like a lottery mr robins said you can remember some of the great players who played for the marldiamwaxers junior hockey team and note where are they now and there are some wha werent the greatest players on the waxers arid theyve gone sorriewhere to the before a player turns pro the agent incurs costs v as an agent youre there as a surrogate parent and to provide a sense of i realism of what itiakes to get to their goal work will getyousofar hut luck and the intahgiblsare also y involved- its a tough business to gener ate substantial amount of income he said you will have a player who you will provide repre sentation for when hes 16 years old for exariiple and he worit get drafted until hes 18 and wont get- to sign a coritract until hes 20 but theres the odd exception as a result youre carrying that cost for amihimumoffouryears how many first rounders will you have or how many first rounders will get the maximum salary and how rriany will play in the nhl rightaway when some- ne says they iwanfto jgeirithe business of being an agent we sky tjo me math he said anton thunva 45yearbld unionville resident and president of akt sports knows all about the expense side of the business therepreseritetivebf70prpand junior hockey players including mike ricci ken klee kirk maltby and mek boyntori says meres the mbrithly rent for his thornhill office travel outoftown accqm- modatibris med money arid staff salaries with me vway professional spprtshas elbded over me ltlq years there are pebplewhqbeiieve mey can make afivmg but of being a sports agent said mr thun a lawyer- by trade whp becarhe an agent 20 years ago there are keys s- the key is to build a solid rela tionship with me player arid thkt goes a long way that builds loyalty mr scott said it has to be a two- waystreet mr robins said selling integrity is the toughest part of his prpfesf sibri7 i as an agent youre there as a surrogate parent and to provide a sense of realism of what it takes to get to their goal work will get you so farbut luck and the intangibles are also involved he said kjwite tan kestautant 39 main st north markham join us on friday october 31 or a tp v jj fabulous 3 course dinner followed by spooktacular dance pier person rtv vvvr tif4 iwri9 aryf j tt v nkwv vr m nr3 tntr