WME Sports announced the hire of NFL agent Joel Segal. Segal recently left SPORTFIVE (previously known as Lagardère) where he was CEO of the Americas. This past NFL Draft, Segal represented fourteen (14) players that were drafted including two first-round picks, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and Arizona Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins.
Joining Segal at WME Sports are longtime SPORTFIVE partners Geoff Garmhausen, Greg Barnett, and Aileen Gingold.
Forbes lists Segal as the #18 most powerful sports agent in the world.
Segal’s clients also include Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, Chicago Bears linebacker Khalil Mack, amongst 60+ other clients.
In 2020, WME Sports hired away two of CAA’s top agents — Brian Ayrault and Ben Renzin. Ayrault represents Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson as well as the Bosa brothers, and Renzin represents Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson and Miami Dolphins defensive end Jaelan Phillips, among others.
As top agents at big agencies band together with other big agencies to pool resources and build powerful conglomerates, smaller agencies are often looking in from the sideline.
Todd France left CAA Sports to join powerhouse Athletes First in 2020. While the aforementioned agents coincidentally all left CAA Sports, CAA is still competing as one of the top agencies in the industry. CAA agents Jimmy Sexton and Tory Dandy represent over 100 combined NFL players.
Yet with the agency landscape constantly changing and new marketing agencies popping up with the rise of NIL, the question again arises: how will the smaller agencies survive?