Tulane Sports Law Blog

MLB Agent Marc Kligman Speaks to the Tulane Sports Law Society

On Friday, August 24, 2012, the Tulane Sports Law Society welcomed Tulane Law alumnus and baseball agent Marc Kligman back to campus as the first guest in our annual Speaker Series. (View Marc’s Alumni Profile here) Kligman discussed his path to success as a baseball agent and gave some advice to members of the Sports Law Society based on his experience. Kligman was a self-described jock in high school, who went on to play baseball at Johns Hopkins, although he never played professionally. He came from a sports family and always loved coaching, especially coaching his kids’ teams, which he thought could be a conduit toward being an agent.

While at Tulane Law, Kligman competed on the mock trial team, making the ATLA team as a lawyer in his first year. After graduating law school in 1995, he decided that he did not want to work in the mailroom of an agency, but wanted to begin his career as a lawyer so he worked with the San Diego County Public Defender’s office, later forming his agency, Total Care Sports Management (TCSM), in 1998. Eventually he left the public defender’s office to start his own criminal defense firm and build up TCSM.

Kligman briefly discussed some differences between MLB and NFL agents, including the requirement that MLB agents actually represent a client on a MLB team’s forty man roster. He also explained some of the more difficult aspects of being an MLB agent such as terminable at-will contracts. In discussing the arbitration process, he commented that the players are happy with the arbitration system in general. Although it may be difficult to get a player to arbitration it can be an exciting and rewarding experience for an agent. He cautioned students interested in becoming an agent to know what they are getting into, to prepare thoroughly, and to work hard. “It’s not who you know; it’s what you know, how hard you work, and how you treat people,” he said. Despite the difficulties in pursuing a career as a sports agent, Kligman also talked about the joy of representing clients and the benefit one can derive from forging relationships with players. He also answered questions concerning arbitration preparation and contract negotiations.

Coming as it did one week before Hurricane Isaac cut off power to New Orleans for days, perhaps the best piece of advice Kligman gave the students was “Don’t get caught in a hurricane.”

You can see more pictures of Marc Kligman’s visit on the Sports Law Society’s Flickr page.

Sports Law Society Announces Dodgeball Tournament Fundraiser

The Tulane Sports Law Society is excited to announce a charity dodgeball tournament to raise money for the Devon Walker Fund and the Sports Law Society.  The tournament will be held on Tulane's campus in New Orleans at the Reily Center facilities on Saturday, October 20, 2012.  Teams will compete in bracket-style dodgeball matches for prizes.  Teams of six to eight persons are permitted – six players are allowed on the court during each match, with two extra players permitted as alternates or substitutes. 

The cost is $80 per team for teams that register before Wednesday, October 17.  The registration fee will increase to $100 per team for teams that register from Thursday, October 18 up until the start of the tournament on October 20.  Proceeds from entry fees will benefit the Devon Walker Fund and the Tulane Sports Law Society. Teams are encouraged to raise additional money for the Devon Walker Fund and bring the funds to registration on October 20. All proceeds from team fundraising will go directly toward the Devon Walker Fund. Prizes will be awarded to the top teams in the dodgeball tournament, to the team which raises the most money for the Devon Walker Fund, and to the team with the best name and uniforms. On the day of the tournament, registration will begin at 8:30am, with dodgeball action starting at 9am.  More details will be announced as they are finalized. Additional information will be posted here on the Tulane Sports Law Blog and distributed to any registered teams.

Space is limited, so register early! To register your team, or to request more information, please contact the Sports Law Society via e-mail: tulanesls@gmail.com.  To register, submit your team name, the names of your team members, and a contact phone number and e-mail for your team. If you are interested in helping to sponsor the event, please e-mail the Sports Law Society.  To learn more about the Devon Walker Fund, please visit the website. We look forward to seeing you on October 20 for a great cause and a fun day of dodging, dipping, diving, ducking, and …. dodging!