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What do you get when you cross an attorney, an accountant and a jock? A sports agent, of course! So when Dwayne Johnson aka Spencer Strassmore in the HBO hit series “Ballers” attempts to convince his clients that the proceeds of multimillion dollar NFL contracts have to last 30 years, and they respond, “what am I going [to buy ?] after I buy the Bentley?” you know that an agent has his work cut out for him. Steve Ferber wants to solve that problem. He understands both the taste of victory and the blast of reality. Starting his academic life at the University of Maryland on a tennis scholarship, it wasn’t long before he traded in his varsity colors to pursue a degree in accounting. That led to the University of Miami and a law degree, and years spent as general counsel and EVP of Strategic Planning for a blossoming outsourcing firm that was successfully sold in 2004. Not one to rest on his laurels, Steve launched Golden Gate BPO Solutions and continued to pursue opportunities in outsourced call centers around the world. That too has been a tremendous success, with his company poised to achieve Inc. 5000 status in 2019 for the 4th consecutive year as one of America’s fastest growing private companies. But at one point he reassessed his goals and his future, and there was still something missing. In Law School, there was always an interestin sports contracts. So he learned about the business of the NFL- the interwoven relationships among union’s agents, players, owners, and the public. The NFL Players association protects its players by requiring potential agents to pass a rigorous licensing exam offered just once a year, with close to a 55% failure rate. Ferber made a commitment and never looked back. He was certified in October of 2018 and founded a company that epitomized what he wanted his clients to strike once he did his job: paydirtsportslaw.com came into existence shortly thereafter. What does he know that other people don’t? It is more that Ferber appreciates the fact that 75-80% of career athletes suffer major financial issues regardless of salary. That the average NFL career is only 3 years and if a player doesn’t make the best of it, he will never recover. The average NFL annual paycheck is $2 million, thus $6 million in three years. That sounds wonderful until the taxes are paid, the houses are purchased, the families and friends are taken care of, and what is left can evaporate pretty quickly without a financial and business advisor. He wants to negotiate, to mentor, and to make a difference, one player at a time. His professional idol? Leigh Steinberg, who came into one of Ferber’s law school classes over 25 years ago to elaborate on what a day as a successful sports agent is really like. He should know, since Steinberg served as a model for the main character in Jerry McGuire. Recently, Steve had an opportunity to see his inspiration again, this time as a peer during the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.Read less