Leigh Steinberg
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Leigh William Steinberg (b. March 27, 1949 in Los Angeles, California) is a sports agent. Clients include Matt Leinart, Ben Roethlisberger, Mark Brunell, Ricky Williams, Lennox Lewis, Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Eric Karros, Dusty Baker, Oscar de la Hoya, John Starks, Kordell Stewart, and Warren Moon.
Steinberg was admitted to the California State Bar in 1974 after earning his J.D. from Boalt Hall, UC Berkeley's law school, in 1973. He earned a B.A. in Political Science also from UC Berkeley in 1970. He is married and has three children.
Steinberg is often credited as the real life inspiration of the sports agent from the film Jerry Maguire. He was a consultant on that film, as well as the TV series Arliss.
[edit] Summary
Leigh Steinberg is one of the country’s leading sports attorneys. During his 33-year career, Steinberg has represented over 150 professional athletes in football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, golf, boxing and Olympic sports. His firm, Leigh Steinberg Enterprises, maintains a client roster that has many high profile names in sports. He has represented the No. 1 pick overall in the NFL draft a record eight times, a milestone unrivaled within the sports industry.
Steinberg insists that every contract negotiated for his players include clauses that require the athlete to give back to their hometown, high school, university or national charities and foundations. According to Steinberg, this allows the athlete to function as a positive role model by repaying the community that helped shape him. As a result, Steinberg’s clients have donated over $100 million to hundreds of charities and scholarships nationwide.
Always one to practice what he preaches, Steinberg contributes his time and efforts to a variety of humanitarian causes. He has actively been involved with the Human Relations Commission, Children Now, Children’s Miracle Network, CORO Fellows Program and the Starlight Foundation. He founded and underwrites the Steinberg Leadership Institute, a nationwide program run by the Anti-Defamation League preparing students to fight racism and inequality throughout the world. He has endowed scholarships at his high school, donated time and resources to organizations such as Special Olympics, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and Junior Achievement. He has also endowed a classroom at Boalt Hall at the University of California at Berkeley. Steinberg’s community activism has drawn praise from the political world. He has received commendations from Congress, State Senate, State Legislature, The Los Angeles City Council, Orange County Board of Supervisors, President Reagan, President Bush and President Clinton.
Steinberg has developed original television and film content for Fox Television, Warner Brothers Studios, ABC Entertainment and HBO. He has been at the forefront of the Internet revolution, creating and building sports web-sites, strategically aligning his firm with ESPN’s Sportzone and developing online marketing courseware for professionals and students alike. He has lent his marketing expertise to the video game software business and serves as a member of the Board of Directors for two software manufacturers. In an effort to share his 25 years of experience in the sports business world with others, Steinberg wrote a best selling book in 1998, Winning with Integrity, providing readers insight on how to improve their life through non-confrontational negotiating. A majority of the proceeds raised on his 1999 book tour were donated to the Junior Achievement Educational Foundation.
Steinberg is frequently sought out to act as a consultant on a variety of entertainment projects. He has received screen credit as a Technical Consultant on the following feature films: “Jerry Maguire”, “Any Given Sunday” and “For Love of the Game”. He has also worked as a consultant for the HBO original series, “Arli$$” and serves as the title sponsor of the annual Newport Beach Film Festival.
An accomplished speaker, Steinberg has traveled the world addressing topics ranging from sports and entertainment, to political and economic issues. In 1992, Steinberg helped lead a successful campaign to prevent the San Francisco Giants baseball club from relocating to Florida. For his efforts, then San Francisco Mayor Frank Jordan honored him by declaring “Leigh Steinberg Day” in the city of San Francisco soon after. In 1994, then Oakland Mayor Elihu Harris utilized Steinberg as a consultant in his successful bid to prevent the Oakland Athletics baseball club from relocating to Sacramento or San Jose. Steinberg also served as Co-Chairman of the “Save the Rams” committee in its unsuccessful attempt to keep the franchise from leaving Southern California and has been active in pursuits to attract a new football franchise to locate in Los Angeles. Steinberg has championed the cause of player safety, advocating the removal of Astroturf from stadiums and held symposia on concussions, which promote rule, equipment and diagnostic changes to better protect players. He has been featured on national television programs such as “60 Minutes ,” “Larry King Live,” “The Today Show” and in magazines such as Business Week and Sports Illustrated.
Steinberg was born and raised in Los Angeles where he attended Hamilton High School. He attended the University of California at Los Angeles for one year before transferring to the Berkeley campus. At Berkeley, he was elected President of the Associated Students of the University of California, the university's student government, and subsequently attended Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law where he was elected President of his graduation class and met his first client, Cal quarterback Steve Bartkowski.
Leigh’s firm maintains offices in Newport Beach, California. He resides in Newport Beach with his wife Lucy and their three children.
[edit] Awards
Alumni Achievement Award - Boalt Hall School of Law
Legend of Law - San Francisco Lawyers Club
Crystal Eagle Award - Coro Foundation
Father of the Year - West Coast Fathers Day Foundation
Man of the Year - Orange County Jewish Community Center
Man of the Year - Junior Achievement Award
Man of the Year - Los Angeles Boy Scouts
Man of the Year - Cedar Sinai Sports Foundation
Man of the Year - Orange County Anti-Defamation League of Bnai Brith
Man of the Year - Los Angeles Anti-Defamation League of Bnai Brith
Man of the Year - Parent Help USA
Man of the Year - Orange County Human Relations Commission
Key to the City - Indianapolis, IN
Key to the City - Memphis, TN
Key to the City - Jacksonville, FL
"Leigh Steinberg Day" - San Francisco, CA
Jewish Sports Hall of Fame - Los Angeles
