Meet Jason Hoffman | Sports Agent

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jason Hoffman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jason, how do you think about risk?
I view risk taking as a necessary part of business. Having said that, I like to take CALCULATED risks where the odds of the risk paying off are in my favor. Risk taking has played a huge role in my career, I’m constantly surveying the field for “big play opportunities.” That can look like deciding which players I go after to represent as clients or standing firm on a big number during contract negotiations. It all comes back to the likelihood of success associated with that risk and the impact it will have on business.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My career as a sports agent began in June of 2004; March of that year I was in spring training with the St. Louis Cardinals on a minor league contract and was released a week before camp broke. After a couple of months of living back home with my parents and trying to figuring out what I wanted to do with my life, I took a job with a boutique baseball agency out of the San Francisco Bay Area.

I immediately began traveling the country as an agent, recruiting amateur players to represent in the MLB Draft. I eventually went on to open up my own shop and the players that I recruited followed me as clients. It was not easy, especially financially, I was basically funding everything out of my own pocket. On top of that I went back to college to finish my final 2 semesters and complete my degree in addition to taking the LSAT.

To overcome the challenge of not not exceeding my budget, I had to drastically limit the number of clients I went after, furthermore I tended to only go after pitchers because the cost of equipment that I had to cover was lower for them. What I learned is that if you are going to go at it on your own, START FROM THE TOP! Meaning, start with a client that is already established in Major League Baseball and preferably already a star player.

Last October I joined Agency 1 Athlete Management Group out of Miami, Florida as member of their new baseball division. Agency 1 had already made a name for themselves in the NFL, representing players such as Lavonte David, Denzel Perryman and Rams Super Bowl Champions, Ernest Jones and Brandon Powell. The baseball division looks to make the same impact in MLB.

My story is one perseverance. By negotiating great contracts for my clients and being there for them through their ups and through their downs, I have managed to last almost two decades in this business; the last 13 of which I have been certified by the MLBPA. I’m a players agent, meaning I can relate to them and they can relate to me.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Great question, I live in El Dorado Hills which is a small suburb of Sacramento. I am conveniantly located about an hour and a half from Lake Tahoe and about 100 miles from San Francisco. Although I am more of a homebody, I enjoy experiencing new restaurants so the trip would have to start with a meal at Milestone in El Dorado Hills. Next would be a stop in South Lake Tahoe, perfect during the winter or summer and a meal at The Oyster Bar inside of the Hard Rock Hotel. Next we would have to stop in Napa for a little wine tasting and R &R before finishing the week in the San Francisco Bay Area. So many places to visit in the Bay Area but whenever I’m in San Francisco I love eating at John’s Grill before making my way to Little Italy for dessert. And I can’t forget to mention that San Francisco is home to arguably the nicest MLB stadium and NBA arena in the country, so hopefully we could catch a game at either venue or drive up the highway to Silicon Valley and catch a 49er’s game!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Absolutely, so like most people, growing up I didn’t know any sports agents. Furthermore, I didn’t decide to become a sports agent until after I was done playing professional baseball at age 26; I say that to say that I didn’t have any mentorship, just the love and support of my immediate family. I have always been an avid reader however, so I credit books with a lot of my development. A few books that were pivotal to my success are ‘What Makes the Great Great: Strategies for Extraordinary Achievement’ by Dennis Kimbro, ‘Winning with Integrity’ by Leigh Steinberg and lastly, “A Shark Never Sleeps’ by Drew Rosenhaus.

Instagram: @mlb_agentjason

Twitter: @mlb_agentjason

Image Credits
University of Maryland