Fully Invested

“Are you sure you want to do that?” “Do you know how tough it is?” “There’s no way . . .”

These are some of the nicer responses I received when I had my “Jerry Maguire moment.” It was the moment I knew what I wanted to do, who I wanted to be, and there was no turning back.

I decided several years ago to work in sports, and not just any segment of sports, but athlete management. One well-known sports academic once called this profession, “the toughest job in sports.” I had a degree in history from BYU and a world full of ambition, but not much else when it came to the business. I moved to Atlanta, GA for a summer after having sent out literally nearly a hundred individualized letters to agents and athlete managers all over the country, and I only received one offer. I had no idea what to expect, I was leaving behind everything I had previously planned on, and every person I knew back home. But I was committed, committed to my dream.

I had always been successful for the most part in what I did, and I had, up until this point in my life, been met with relatively little resistance. In Atlanta, I began working for one the largest and well-known agents in all of professional football, looking over large contracts, meeting NFL stars, and putting together marketing plans. But as I entered that office, things were not as simple and easy as everything else had previously been for me. My lack of experience showed, other young, aspiring athlete managers consistently outperformed me, and I remember feeling alone, lost, and really questioning this dream of mine. I thought of my friends back home who were in law or in business, and who were really doing something with their lives while I wasted my time trying to live out a fantasy.

After careful introspection for several days, I decided that I was going to do everything in my power to differentiate myself from everyone else that may have the same or similar ambitions as myself, or I simply would not make it. I decided that I needed to be more proactive and “fully invested” in this dream of mine, that no one was going to give me anything. I began taking every executive of the company to lunch and quizzing them on their roles, their beginnings, and the goals of their jobs. I worked weekends, stayed up late at nights thinking of ways to help the company, and asked for more and more assignments. The agent was pleased, so much so that he wrote me a stellar letter of recommendation that launched me into a career.

From there, I went and worked as the PR Director for one of the biggest names in the NFL, at an emerging company he had started. I went back to gain a Master’s degree in Sports Management, receiving accolades for my original research on athlete representation. I worked for several sports entities including the Los Angeles Clippers and other athlete agencies and firms. I joined up with an emerging agency where I was assisting in its growth and success in a leadership role.

But after all of this, I decided to go to law school where I felt that law school could really get my career to another level. I worked hard, pushing myself in school while pursuing my dream. Many times, I felt like my classmates were enjoying their twenties more than I was and the temptation to join them and not focus so much on school and my dream was constant. Once again, I felt alone and left out, that this dream was costing me way more than I had bargained for. But I remembered the promise I made to myself years before to be “fully invested” and did not indulge, despite their beckonings.

Instead, I became a writer for several well-known football and athlete management blogs. I was invited as an expert guest on sports radio shows in and outside the state. I even was invited to be a presenter on panels as law student to speak along side experts on athlete representation at law schools. Through my personal ambition and my professional endeavors I connected with NFL scouts, general counsels, baseball agents, football agents, team management, marketing executives, college sports administrators, coaches, and more all over the country. I was shocked and encouraged to be treated as a peer by them throughout our discourse. I attended industry conferences, and honed my skills by competitions in sports law negotiations. I even sat for industry certifications and attended professional seminars. The summer after my 1L year I was fortunate enough to work with an NFL Hall of Fame quarterback and his company, to review and revise contracts of a significant nature.

I made the very tough decision after a successful first of law school to leave my then-current school, and to find a school that was just as passionate and fully invested in my passion and career choice as I was. It was a scary thought, starting over with new friends, new classes, again not knowing anyone or what to expect. But Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law presented to me a commitment to not only the sports and entertainment field in general, but in-depth commitment to excellence in this field. Through its large cache of networks in the industry, the variety of classes it on various topics within the subject, and some of the amazing professors and adjuncts that it employed, I felt that they would do what was necessary to help me, rather than leave me fighting alone. While I felt comfortable in my network and level of sophistication within the industry, Chapman blew me away with what they could provide. I transferred without second-guessing, and Chapman has not disappointed.

I’ve learned that dreams can be accomplished if you are willing to sacrifice short-term pleasure for long-term achievment. As I begin the next chapter professionally, I am glad to have found an entity that is as fully invested in my success and career of choice as I am.

About the Author

Evan Brennan (’15)

Evan Brennan (’15) is an Orange County native. He is a new transfer student to Chapman’s Fowler School of Law focusing on Sports and Entertainment Law emphasis as well as Business and Investment Law courses. Evan is heavily involved in the J. Reuben Clark Law Society, as well as the Sports and Entertainment Law and Business and Investment clubs. Evan attended Brigham Young University for his undergraduate work, and received his Master’s in Sports Management form California State University at Long Beach. Evan passed the NFL Agent Examination in October 2013.

The views expressed in the student blogs are those of the author and not the law school.