Pro Sports' New Super Agent: Jay Z. Yes, THAT Jay Z

Occasionally, I find myself feeling worried about the encroaching commercialism in sports. Then a story such as this one comes along and suddenly it doesn’t seem so bad. Like when New York Yankees second baseman and perennial all-star Robinson Cano dumped revered uber-agent Scott Boras and signed instead with none other than Mr Shawn Carter: Jay Z himself.

This is a huge deal, with wide ranging effects for both men, and indeed the future of sports agency. Cano is not just some ballplayer. He’s the best hitter on the biggest team: a serious MVP candidate and one of the very best in his position. Signing him is a clear statement of intent for Jay Z and his ever expanding entertainment empire. It’s also great news for Yankees fans, as I’ll come to soon.

This pact may be slightly misleading, however. Jay Z is not Cano’s new agent. Cano has signed with newly developed Roc Nation Sports, yet another branch of Roc-entitled enterprises headed by hip hop’s most diverse entrepreneur. The group is designed specifically as a sports agency, and works in conjunction with Creative Artist Agency (CAA), which will handle all of the dirty/paper work. A man as powerful as Jay Z does not negotiate contracts. He’s more of a figurehead, there to entice star struck college prospects and high profile superstars like Cano with the promise of greater celebrity by association. As he, himself, once said: “I’m not a businessman/I’m a business, man”.

This is kind of sports/entertainment crossover is not unprecedented, but it is rare. Fellow rapper Master P once helped Ricky Williams sign one of the worst NFL contracts of all time. Despite the New Orleans Saints having almost zero leverage in the deal, having traded their entire assortment of draft picks for the college sensation, somehow Williams walked out of the bargaining room with just a minimum base salary guaranteed, and a plethora of unrealistic incentives based on his on field performance. This was a man who was plagued by injury and off field distractions, and would eventually become the subject of a superb ESPN documentary (Called ‘Run Ricky Run’ – look it up).

Mr Z’s self-proclaimed Dynasty is not something to be taken lightly, nor is his interest in sports management. As one half of the most powerful couple in music (he’s married to Beyonce, just in case that rock you’ve been living under doesn’t get the E! channel), he’s worth an estimated US$500 million himself alone. The man could finance an election if he wanted. Heck, he could WIN an election. Roc Nation Sports is not just some passing interest, a new plaything for a jaded millionaire to toy around with until he gets bored. Neither is this a passion project, meant only for the benefit of him and others regardless of the cost. No, this is a business. A money making project, pure and simple, and the next step on Jay Z‘s road to world domination (much rather him than the North Koreans). In order to further expand this empire, he has had to sell his much hyped stakes in the Brooklyn Nets so as to allow him to move into NBA player management too. One step back, to steps forward. Nets fans need not panic, however, although Jay Z was integral to the rebranding of this team, he actually owned less that 1% of them. The main reason he got involved with the Nets seems to have been a scheme to lure LeBron James to the team back in 2010. That one didn’t pay off, but this is a man who is well aware of how influential his name is. Celebrities have always endorsed whatever products came their way, why not endorse each other? In an industry where players are treated as commodities, this may well be the future.

Cano, meanwhile, is playing for a new contract. His current six year $55 million contract expires at the end of this recently commenced season. This guy is an elite player, so there’s no question that he’ll be in for an enormous payday sometime in the next dozen months. Yankees fans (the stormtroopers of that evil empire in pinstripes) are likely to be big winners here too. Scott Boras (Cano’s previous agent - in case you didn’t read the opening paragraph in full) is well known for letting his players test the murky waters of free agency, usually exposing them for the highest bidder. Jay Z, meanwhile, is a lifelong Yankees supporter, and Robbie Cano has declared his intentions to sell his soul to stay at the Yankees.

Professional sport has fallen under the spell of capitalism. But business is just a game, like baseball or basketball, or making music. Some people win, and others lose. Jay Z is a winner. He is also somebody very conscious of what it is to live a life in the spotlight. He can empathise with athletes. Like them, he has had his talents exploited for money, only he has also managed to take control of his own brand. Maybe nothing will actually change, other than an extra zero at the end of Jay Z’s bank balance. Roc Nation Sports has just four clients after all. Those being Cano, NY Giants WR Victor Cruz, NY Jets QB prospect Geno Smith – note the geographical trend – and WNBA prospect Skylar Diggins. Rumours this week suggest that NBA All-Star Kevin Durant will join this cast imminently. Who will be next? Chris Paul? LeBron James? Robert Griffin III? Sonny Bill Williams? A legion of followers waits with bated breath…

 - Wildcard