Leigh Steinberg
Encyclopedia
Leigh William Steinberg (b. March 27, 1949 in Los Angeles
, California
) is an American
sports agent
and sports lawyer
. His client list has included Steve Bartkowski
, Steve Young, Troy Aikman
, Warren Moon
, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, Kordell Stewart
, Jeff George
, Ben Roethlisberger
, Myron Rolle
, Matt Leinart
, Mark Brunell
, Ricky Williams
, Howie Long
, Eric Karros, Dusty Baker
, Lennox Lewis
, Oscar de la Hoya
and John Starks.
Steinberg is often credited as the real life inspiration of the sports agent from the film Jerry Maguire
. He is frequently sought out to act as a consultant on a variety of entertainment projects such as For Love of the Game
, Any Given Sunday
as well as the TV series Arliss
.
for one year before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley
. Upon his arrival at Berkeley, Steinberg became a member of the Pi Lambda Phi
fraternity. Steinberg eventually formed his own student government political party, called Unity. His moderate politics at the protest-prone Berkeley at the height of the Vietnam War
drew such a following that after he was elected President of the Associated Students of the University of California, the university's student government, there were rumors that he would run for City Council. He earned a B.A.
in Political Science
from UC Berkeley in 1970.
He subsequently attended Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law where he was intending to become a public defender when he met his first client, Cal quarterback Steve Bartkowski
while working as a dorm adviser, and subsequently was asked to represent the future number one pick. Steinberg was admitted to the California State Bar in 1974 after earning his J.D.
from Boalt in 1973.
had a sports agency partnership (Steinberg, Moorad & Dunn or "SMD"). They sold that firm in October 1999 to Assante Sports Management Group, a Canadian financial-management firm, for a reported $120 million. Assante acquired several other sports agencies. In February 2002, David Dunn left SMD to open Athletes First, taking about 50 N.F.L. players with him and opening offices about a mile from Steinberg's in Newport Beach, Calif. Extensive litigation ensued involving Dunn and Assante. Steinberg later reacquired some pieces of the agency he had sold to Assante. Steinberg’s firm, Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, maintains offices in Newport Beach, California
.
Steinberg is also a board member for DeskSite
.
, and is often credited as the real life inspiration of the sports agents from that film. During his 35-year career, Steinberg has represented hundreds of professional athletes in football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, golf, boxing and Olympic sports. His firm, Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, maintains a client roster that is highlighted by some of the most high profile names in sports. He has represented the No. 1 pick overall in the NFL draft a record eight times, a milestone unrivaled within the sports industry, along with representing over 60 additional first round picks.
What distinguishes Steinberg from others within his profession is his desire for athletes to make a positive contribution to society. Steinberg insists that every contract negotiated for his players include clauses that require the athlete to give back to their hometown, high school, university or national charities and foundations. According to Steinberg, this allows the athlete to function as a positive role model by repaying the community that helped to shape him. As a result, Steinberg's clients have donated over $600 million to hundreds of charities and scholarships nationwide.
baseball club from relocating to Florida. For his efforts, then San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan
honored him by declaring “Leigh Steinberg Day” in the city of San Francisco soon after. In 1994, then Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris
utilized Steinberg as a consultant in his successful bid to prevent the Oakland Athletics
baseball club from relocating to Sacramento or San Jose. Steinberg also served as Co-Chairman of the “Save the Rams” committee in its unsuccessful attempt to keep the franchise from leaving Southern California and has been active in pursuits to attract a new football franchise to locate in Los Angeles. Steinberg has championed the cause of player safety, advocating the removal of Astroturf
from stadiums and held symposia on concussions, which promote rule, equipment and diagnostic changes to better protect players.
Steinberg contributes his time and efforts to a variety of humanitarian causes. He has actively been involved with the Human Relations Commission, Children Now, Children’s Miracle Network, CORO Fellows Program and the Starlight Foundation. He founded and underwrites the Steinberg Leadership Institute, a nationwide program run by the Anti-Defamation League preparing students to fight racism and inequality throughout the world. He has endowed scholarships at his high school, donated time and resources to organizations such as Special Olympics, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and Junior Achievement. He has also endowed a classroom at Boalt Hall at the University of California at Berkeley. Steinberg’s community activism has drawn praise from the political world. He has received commendations from Congress, State Senate, State Legislature, the Los Angeles City Council, the Orange County Board of Supervisors, President Reagan, President Bush and President Clinton.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sports agent
Sports agent
A sports agent procures and negotiates employment and endorsement contracts for an athlete.In return, the sports agent generally receives between 4 and 10% of the athlete's playing contract, and 10 to 20% of the athlete's endorsement contract, though these figures vary...
and sports lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. His client list has included Steve Bartkowski
Steve Bartkowski
Steven Joseph "Steve" Bartkowski is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League who played for the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams...
, Steve Young, Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman
Troy Kenneth Aikman is a former American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. The number one overall draft pick in 1989, Aikman played twelve consecutive seasons as quarterback with the Cowboys...
, Warren Moon
Warren Moon
Harold Warren Moon is a former American professional gridiron football quarterback who played for the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos and the National Football League's Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs...
, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, Kordell Stewart
Kordell Stewart
Kordell Stewart, nicknamed "Slash" , is a former American NFL quarterback. Stewart attended the University of Colorado and was drafted 60th in the 1995 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers...
, Jeff George
Jeff George
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" George is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts with the first overall pick of the 1990 NFL Draft...
, Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger
Benjamin Todd "Ben" Roethlisberger , nicknamed Big Ben, is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round in the 2004 NFL Draft...
, Myron Rolle
Myron Rolle
-Tennessee Titans:Rolle was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract on June 14, 2010. However, the Tennessee Titans released him a year later on September 2, 2011.-Personal:...
, Matt Leinart
Matt Leinart
Matthew Stephen Leinart , is an American professional football quarterback for the Houston Texans of the National Football League...
, Mark Brunell
Mark Brunell
Mark Allen Brunell is an American football quarterback who currently plays for the New York Jets. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington....
, Ricky Williams
Ricky Williams
Errick Lynne "Ricky" Williams, Jr. is an American football running back for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft...
, Howie Long
Howie Long
Howard "Howie" Matthew Moses Long is an American former National Football League defensive end and actor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000...
, Eric Karros, Dusty Baker
Dusty Baker
Johnnie B. "Dusty" Baker, Jr. is a former player and current manager in Major League Baseball, currently the manager of the Cincinnati Reds. He enjoyed a 19-year career as a hard-hitting outfielder, mostly with the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers...
, Lennox Lewis
Lennox Lewis
Lennox Claudius Lewis, CM, CBE is a retired boxer and the most recent British undisputed world heavyweight champion. He holds dual British and Canadian citizenship...
, Oscar de la Hoya
Oscar de la Hoya
Oscar De La Hoya is a retired American boxer of Mexican descent. Nicknamed "The Golden Boy", De La Hoya won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games shortly after graduating from Garfield High School. De La Hoya comes from a boxing family. His grandfather Vicente, father Joel Sr., and brother...
and John Starks.
Steinberg is often credited as the real life inspiration of the sports agent from the film Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. It was written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe...
. He is frequently sought out to act as a consultant on a variety of entertainment projects such as For Love of the Game
For Love of the Game (film)
For Love of the Game is a 1999 American drama sports film based on the novel of the same title by Michael Shaara...
, Any Given Sunday
Any Given Sunday
Any Given Sunday is a 1999 American drama film directed by Oliver Stone depicting a fictional professional American football team. The film features an ensemble cast, consisting of Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, Jamie Foxx, James Woods, LL Cool J, Matthew Modine, John C...
as well as the TV series Arliss
Arliss
-Criticism:This show, which ran for seven seasons, is a prime example of how HBO differs from traditional networks due to its nature as a network its viewers specifically pay to be able to watch. Arliss was cited by so many viewers as the sole reason that they paid for the network that its...
.
Background
Steinberg was born and raised in Los Angeles by his parents, a teacher and a librarian, who pushed public service along with ambition. He attended Hamilton High School, and was elected student body president. He attended the University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
for one year before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. Upon his arrival at Berkeley, Steinberg became a member of the Pi Lambda Phi
Pi Lambda Phi
Pi Lambda Phi International Fraternity Inc. is a college social fraternity with 35 active chapters and four colonies in the United States and Canada....
fraternity. Steinberg eventually formed his own student government political party, called Unity. His moderate politics at the protest-prone Berkeley at the height of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
drew such a following that after he was elected President of the Associated Students of the University of California, the university's student government, there were rumors that he would run for City Council. He earned a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Political Science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
from UC Berkeley in 1970.
He subsequently attended Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law where he was intending to become a public defender when he met his first client, Cal quarterback Steve Bartkowski
Steve Bartkowski
Steven Joseph "Steve" Bartkowski is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League who played for the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams...
while working as a dorm adviser, and subsequently was asked to represent the future number one pick. Steinberg was admitted to the California State Bar in 1974 after earning his J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Boalt in 1973.
Business
For many years Steinberg and Jeff MooradJeff Moorad
Jeff Moorad is a former sports agent and is currently lead owner of the San Diego Padres and part-owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team.He is an Assyrian American...
had a sports agency partnership (Steinberg, Moorad & Dunn or "SMD"). They sold that firm in October 1999 to Assante Sports Management Group, a Canadian financial-management firm, for a reported $120 million. Assante acquired several other sports agencies. In February 2002, David Dunn left SMD to open Athletes First, taking about 50 N.F.L. players with him and opening offices about a mile from Steinberg's in Newport Beach, Calif. Extensive litigation ensued involving Dunn and Assante. Steinberg later reacquired some pieces of the agency he had sold to Assante. Steinberg’s firm, Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, maintains offices in Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
.
Steinberg is also a board member for DeskSite
DeskSite
DeskSite is a privately held media company based in Orange County, California. The company operates a video advertising network expressly designed to target television budgets from national advertisers...
.
Representation
Leigh Steinberg is widely recognized as one of the country’s leading sports agents and sports attorneys. Steinberg made an appearance in the film Jerry MaguireJerry Maguire
Jerry Maguire is a 1996 American romantic comedy-drama film starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. It was written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe...
, and is often credited as the real life inspiration of the sports agents from that film. During his 35-year career, Steinberg has represented hundreds of professional athletes in football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, golf, boxing and Olympic sports. His firm, Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, maintains a client roster that is highlighted by some of the most high profile names in sports. He has represented the No. 1 pick overall in the NFL draft a record eight times, a milestone unrivaled within the sports industry, along with representing over 60 additional first round picks.
What distinguishes Steinberg from others within his profession is his desire for athletes to make a positive contribution to society. Steinberg insists that every contract negotiated for his players include clauses that require the athlete to give back to their hometown, high school, university or national charities and foundations. According to Steinberg, this allows the athlete to function as a positive role model by repaying the community that helped to shape him. As a result, Steinberg's clients have donated over $600 million to hundreds of charities and scholarships nationwide.
Media appearances
He has been featured on national television programs such as “60 Minutes,” “Larry King Live,” “The Today Show” and in magazines such as Business Week, Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, People, Success, Forbes, Playboy and GQ. Steinberg wrote a best-selling book in 1998, Winning with Integrity, providing readers insight on how to improve their life through non-confrontational negotiating. A majority of the proceeds raised on his 1999 book tour were donated to the Junior Achievement Educational Foundation.Philanthrophy
Steinberg has traveled the world addressing topics he is passionate about ranging from sports and entertainment, concussion prevention, the environment to political and economic issues. In 1992, Steinberg helped lead a successful campaign to prevent the San Francisco GiantsSan Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
baseball club from relocating to Florida. For his efforts, then San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan
Frank Jordan
Francis M. “Frank” Jordan is a U.S. politician, foundation executive and former Chief of Police.Jordan was born in San Francisco in 1935 and graduated from Sacred Heart High School in 1953...
honored him by declaring “Leigh Steinberg Day” in the city of San Francisco soon after. In 1994, then Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris
Elihu Harris
Elihu Mason Harris is a former U.S. Democratic Party politician and college administrator. He served as the 46th mayor of Oakland, California from 1991 to until 1999. He served for 12 years as a member of the California State Assembly before his election as Oakland mayor...
utilized Steinberg as a consultant in his successful bid to prevent the Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
baseball club from relocating to Sacramento or San Jose. Steinberg also served as Co-Chairman of the “Save the Rams” committee in its unsuccessful attempt to keep the franchise from leaving Southern California and has been active in pursuits to attract a new football franchise to locate in Los Angeles. Steinberg has championed the cause of player safety, advocating the removal of Astroturf
AstroTurf
AstroTurf is a brand of artificial turf. Although the term is a registered trademark, it is sometimes used as a generic description of any kind of artificial turf. The original AstroTurf product was a short pile synthetic turf while the current products incorporate modern features such as...
from stadiums and held symposia on concussions, which promote rule, equipment and diagnostic changes to better protect players.
Steinberg contributes his time and efforts to a variety of humanitarian causes. He has actively been involved with the Human Relations Commission, Children Now, Children’s Miracle Network, CORO Fellows Program and the Starlight Foundation. He founded and underwrites the Steinberg Leadership Institute, a nationwide program run by the Anti-Defamation League preparing students to fight racism and inequality throughout the world. He has endowed scholarships at his high school, donated time and resources to organizations such as Special Olympics, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and Junior Achievement. He has also endowed a classroom at Boalt Hall at the University of California at Berkeley. Steinberg’s community activism has drawn praise from the political world. He has received commendations from Congress, State Senate, State Legislature, the Los Angeles City Council, the Orange County Board of Supervisors, President Reagan, President Bush and President Clinton.
External links
- Leigh Steinberg Sports & Entertainment Website
- Interview with Leigh Steinberg - NFL.com - February 12, 2011
- Interview with Leigh Steinberg - NFL Draft Bible - September 01, 2009
- Interview with Leigh Steinberg - Sports Agent Blog - April 2008
- Sports Illustrated: February 14, 2011 "What Was He Thinking?"