“I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man!”
Those were the words of rap icon Jay-Z recently when asked about all his adventures outside of the recording studio. As we all know, Jay-Z has been one of the most popular rappers in music over the past decade or so. Recently he has been in the news, not for music, but for his role in the sports world.
Jay-Z only owned 1/15 of a percent of the Nets, but his influence was felt from top to bottom of that organization. He played a big role in moving the Nets from New Jersey to Brooklyn, and also played a role in the re-signing of superstar free agent Deron Williams.
But Jay-Z is now giving up his share of the Nets to focus on his latest venture: the sports agency Roc Nation Sports.
From an outside perspective, one would think “What could Jay-Z possibly know about the business of sports, and all the negotiations that go into a player signing a contract?” The answer is probably not a whole lot.
Jay-Z is a name, a brand, and an icon. Players want to associate themselves with people who have power, and are high up in society, and Jay-Z is just that. Jay-Z will not be doing any negotiating with teams, he will leave that to people in Roc Nation Sports that have an expertise in that.
A lot of people are questioning this move by Jay-Z but I think it is a brilliant idea for him to start Roc Nation Sports.
Well-known rapper Drake once rapped, “I swear music and sports are so synonymous/ ‘Cause we want to be them, and they want to be us.”
This is such a true statement, and Jay-Z is going to take full advantage of this oportunity to be able to blend the music world, and the sports world together. Whenever there is a music star sitting courtside at a game, it is almost a given that a star player will give him or her a handshake or a hug when the game is over. A lot of these celebrities are friends with athletes already, so the blending of music and sports has already begun.
If an athlete signs with Roc Nation Sports, this will also present them with career oportuities when their playing days are over. Athletes are only playing professional sports for a small period of time in the span of their lives if you think about it. They need a solid plan for what to do when they cannot play any more, and if they are in business with Jay-Z, the more opportunities they are going to be presented with when they are in fact retired.
Jay-Z has already made a big splash at Roc Nation Sports, and other sports agencies across the country are feeling his presence already. The agency signed All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano, who left one of the most well-known agents in sports, Scott Boras.
A very key connection here is the city of New York. As we all know, Jay-Z is from New York and that is where he does most of his work. The man is one of the most popular figures in the largest city in the US, and he is going to take full advantage of that with his new agency. Jay-Z has also signed New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, and is reportedly in talks with more New York athletes.
Roc Nation Sports is very new to the sports agency landscape. But they have already made quite a mark by signing two of the most well-known athletes in the biggest city in our country. By blending the sports world and music world, Jay-Z is trying to draw a lot of big names into his agency, and it seems like a brilliant concept. All I know is that other sports agencies in the country should be uneasy because Roc Nation Sports is coming.
