Intro: A Recovering Sports Agent

Beyond The Whistle with Odell McCants

I have a confession to make. I’m a recovering sports agent. And that’s the thing I believe is going to make this show worth listening to. My name is Odell McCants, the host of Beyond The Whistle - and I want to sincerely thank you for checking out this debut episode of this podcast. I know you have lots of options when it comes to how you spend your listening time and I appreciate the trust you’re placing in me to listen to this debut episode.

I played at the highest levels of the sports business as an agent. Then I quit.

You might be surprised to hear that a guy who was working professionally in the sports industry as an agent would quit that kind of job. But it’s something I had to do. As I explain on this episode of the podcast, being a sports agent is a high pressure, always-on, kind of job - and it takes a toll on your family life and personal relationships. And losing clients hurts, especially for a small, solo agent. I wasn’t willing to keep making those kinds of sacrifices so I decided to find something else to do. But that’s not the end of the story - because I still loved working in sports. This episode is the short version of my journey out of professional sports and back - and why I'm getting back in to bring a bigger game to the industry.

The relationships are what I enjoyed most.

Yes, the high profile clients and personalities I got to rub shoulders with when I was a sports agent were nice, but they weren’t the things that I enjoyed the most. What I got the most out of my time in sports were the relationships I was able to establish with the coaches, administrators, general managers, scouts and other sports business professionals. Those are what matter to me, and it’s my intention to bring the stories of those incredible people to you on Beyond The Whistle so you can be inspired by their journeys.

What are the biggest challenges coaches and sports business professionals face?

It’s interesting to hear - the challenges coaches face (and other sports business professionals) are not how to coach better or get better performance from players. What I’ve heard them say over and over is that their greatest areas of need have to do with career development, personal branding, contracts and professional relationships. Hearing this kind of thing made me realize that I have something valuable to bring to the table. I can offer training for the sports professionals who are not on the court to make their career and personal life more fulfilling and more rewarding. That’s part of what you’ll hear on my podcast episodes.

Outline of This Episode

• [0:31] My introduction to this debut episode of Beyond The Whistle.
• [0:40] My story: from sports agent to entrepreneur.
• [1:33] Being a sports agent is a full contact sport.
• [3:00] The relationships were what I enjoyed working in sports.
• [4:36] The birth of McCant Sports.
• [5:52] How the McCants Sports Institute will change the game.
• [7:48] Why a podcast is my method of choice.
• [9:22] What you can expect from each episode of Beyond The Whistle.

Resources & People Mentioned

• www.McCantsSports.com
• The Hardwood Hustle
• The Pure Sweat Podcast
• BOOK: The One Thing