Jeezy Joins Jay-Z and Lil’ Wayne in the World of Sports Agency

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The worlds of hip-hop and sports are unavoidably intertwined. Many athletes want to be rappers. Many rappers want to be athletes. The cultural influence that hip-hop has on sports should come as no surprise. Many who aspire to be athletes often aspire to be musicians and vice versa. Drake highlighted this reality in his hit “Thank Me Now,” where he stated, “Damn, I swear sports and music are so synonymous/Cause we want to be them and they want to be us.” Perhaps this is because for many, becoming a rapper or a professional athlete appears to be the most viable career path to success and acquiring generational wealth.

For example, rapper 2 Chainz latest studio album was entitled Rap or Go to the League. The title of the album is the personification of those two options. NBA star LeBron James served as the album’s A and R.  There again highlighting the unavoidable relationship between hip-hop and sports. Thanks to athletes like Allen Iverson, the relationship between hip-hop and sports is ever apparent and growing stronger. Given the relationship, it should come as no surprise that hip-hop artists have begun to enter the business of sports. Specifically, hip-hop artists have begun to create sports agencies.

Hip-Hop Artists who Have Created Sports Agencies

In 2013, newly minted billionaire rapper Jay-Z started Roc Nations Sports. Rapper Lil’ Wayne followed in Jay-Z’s footsteps in 2014 when he started Young Money APAA Sports Agency. Now rapper Jeezy has become the latest rapper to announce his foray into athlete representation with his new sports agency, Sports 99. Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Jeezy all have one thing in common. That is they want to help athletes.

Jeezy stated he is starting Sports 99 because he wants to help “athletes accumulate real wealth and life skills needed to invest in their future.” In an interview, Lil Wayne stated that he started Young Money Sports because he realized that he could help the athletes “shine off the field.” Jay-Z too stated that he realized he could help athletes after having conversations with multiple athletes at his famed 40/40 club. Why do these artists believe that they are qualified to help athletes in their careers on and off the field? Are they, in fact, qualified to help athletes forge their careers on and off the field?

Are Rappers Qualified to Represent Athletes?

The answer to this question is yes. The answer is yes, for the very reason that is at the beginning of this article. That reason is the relationship between sports and hip-hop. The relationship is born out the fact that for many, sports and music are viewed as the most viable paths to success and generational wealth. Many artists and athletes have the same experiences and struggles. Many come from similar backgrounds where sports and music are very attractive paths to a better life. This common ground makes it easier for rappers like Jeezy to relate to similarly situated athletes. In Lil’ Wayne’s interview, he stated “We all cut from the same cloth…We all from the same place.” It is that commonality that makes rappers and hip-hop artists some of the best people to represent athletes’ interests.

In addition to sharing a common background, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Jeezy all possess the business acumen to help athletes be successful off the field. Jay-z has become a self-made billionaire through a series of investments and business decisions he made throughout his career. Lil’ Wayne used his business savvy to acquire a net worth of approximately $150 million. Jeezy used his business acumen to garner a Fitness Water deal and to gain an advisory role with the Avión tequila brand. It is very clear why an athlete would sign up to work with these very successful businessmen who are cut from the same cloth. Hip-hop’s foray into sports representation only makes sense and will likely continue to grow.

The NCAA Fights Congressional Bill to Pay College Athletes

Congressional Bill Student-Athlete Equity Act name likeness

On March 14, 2019, Congressman Mark Walker of North Carolina introduced the Student-Athlete Equity Act. The Act purports to amend the tax code so that amateur sports organizations such as the NCAA can no longer strip student-athletes of their publicity rights. Publicity rights are a person’s right to control the commercial use of their name, image, and likeness. Currently, college athletes are required to relinquish control of those rights when they agree to engage in a collegiate sport.

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If signed into law, the Student-Athlete Equity Act would return those basic rights to college athletes. Doing so would go a long way in the pay-for-play debate. Opponents of paying college athletes argue that there simply is not enough money. They further contend that paying college athletes would bankrupt the schools. Opponents also argue that such payments could lead to issues with Title IX compliance.

With these concerns, it would seem that allowing college athletes to profit off their name, image, and likeness would be a no brainer. This simple modification would move the needle forward in creating a more equitable college athletics system. However, the problem lies in the fact that the NCAA does not sincerely wish to create a more equitable system. They demonstrated this in their response to the Student-Athlete Equity Act.

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The NCAA’s Response to the Student-Athlete Equity Act

In the response, the NCAA further affirmed its true purpose; protecting amateurism. The NCAA reaffirmed its contention that in order to protect amateurism, college athletes must not receive any benefit that is “untethered to education.” The NCAA called the bill unnecessary. The organization further argued that the bill “may only benefit a small number of student-athletes and cause unintended consequences and negatively impact opportunities for all other college athletes.” This assumption was a major leap. How does the NCAA know who will benefit from the legislation? The answer is that they do not know. The NCAA’s fear is that it may actually benefit college athletes and expose amateurism for the farce that is.

The Bill Could and Most Likely Will Benefit the Majority of College Athletes

Restoring the publicity rights of college athletes would be moneumental in remedying the injustices in the college athletics system. It could finally give college athletes a viable stake in the billion dollar industry their labor propels. College athletes would be able to garner endorsement deals from companies like Nike, Adidas, or Gatorade. Additionally, college athletes would be able to garner endorsement deals with local businesses in the towns their schools are located.

Many areas where colleges are located are regarded as “college towns.” Almost everyone in the town feels a kinship towards the school and its teams. Accordingly, it is highly likely that local businesses would offer endorsement deals as well. These types of opportunities would go a long way to help every college athlete. Local companies may even offer endorsements to lesser-known college athletes. Specifically, those that attend local Division II and Division III colleges. Those schools tend to have a strong local presence and connection with the local community.

With the plethora of possible opportunities, it difficult to understand why an organization that claims to work for the college athlete’s best interest would be so against it. Especially, when allowing college athletes to profit off their name, image, and likeness would not cost the schools nor NCAA any extra money. Furthermore, it does not present any Title IX issues. It would seem that the NCAA would view the Act as a positive and as an opportunity to teach college athletes important life skills.

The NCAA Should View the Act and a Positive and as a Teaching Opportunity

The NCAA and its member institutions could introduce college athletes to a whole new world. The world of financial empowerment. With endorsement opportunities, the NCAA and the schools could teach college athletes about contracts and how to negotiate. They could teach college athletes about financial planning and how to invest. In short, the NCAA could teach college athletes life skills to help them best use their endorsement money and the future earnings from their highly valued degrees.

Together with the earnings from their endorsements, the earnings from their degrees, and their financial literacy training, college athletes would be in a position to truly experience upward mobility and build wealth. Implementing these sorts of initiatives would go a long way to push the NCAA’s student-athlete welfare agenda. Will this ever happen? Probably not, because the NCAA’s primary concern is preserving amateurism.