Today we’d like to introduce you to Nello P. Gamberdino II.
Nello, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I attended Loyola Academy in Wilmette, IL and went to Indiana University for my undergraduate degree. I then decided to follow in the footsteps of both of my parents and attend law school. I began at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago with the goal of obtaining a position in the sports industry. Frustrated with not being able to find a job in sports, I started my own business representing professional football players while I was a third year law student in 1994. In the beginning, I had no clients, no mentor to teach me the business, and admittedly had no idea what I was doing. However, I possessed a passion for working in the sports industry, a strong work ethic, and an entrepreneurial spirit, all of which helped me get to where I am now.
Gradually, I began to obtain clients and eventually I was representing players in the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League, Arena Football League, NFL Europe, and even the Xtreme Football League. I subsequently merged my business with an established boutique agency, but in 2001 I left the NFL Agent world to embark on other challenges. I became a Financial Advisor for a few years, and in 2005 I started my own law firm concentrating on criminal defense and personal injury cases. A few years into starting my law practice, I realized how much I missed working in the sports sector. I decided to get back into the agent business once again, but focus on working exclusively with baseball players the second time around. Much like when I started in football, I did not have a mentor to show me the ropes. Nevertheless, I plunged in head first and added the representation and management of baseball players and coaches to my law practice.
I was able to represent my first Major League Baseball (MLB) client just 4 years after I started in the business. Today, I am a MLB Players Association certified agent and represent 17 players with MLB and Minor League experience, as well as 7 professional and collegiate baseball coaches. I also act as legal advisor and counsel to amateur players who are selected in the annual MLB First-Year Player Draft.
I have had the honor and privilege to represent World Series Champions (Spencer Patton, 2016 Chicago Cubs), as well as players who have represented our country playing for Team USA. I have also had the distinct pleasure of working with former MLB MVP, Rookie of the Year, All-Star, and World Series Champion Jose Canseco. Recently, I have gone back to my football roots in that I am currently representing several retired NFL players with their individual settlements stemming from concussion injury litigation.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been anything but a smooth road for me to get to this point. The sports agent business is littered with obstacles and challenges, no matter in which sport you are involved. One of the biggest challenges for me is that as a one-man operation, it is difficult to compete for clients against large companies who possess the financial and human capital resources that I simply do not have.
However, I have been able to compete with the larger agencies by developing a few niche areas. On the amateur side, I only advise college players for the MLB Draft and generally refrain from working with high school players. On the pro side, I tend to seek out pitchers as new clients, as opposed to position players. I am also starting to work more with players whom I feel will be good fits for professional teams in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Salaries for foreign players in those countries have increased substantially over the past few years.
Another challenge for me is to consistently compete for clients against other agents who engage in untoward, unethical, or even illegal behavior in order to obtain clients. This type of unprofessional behavior by agents has existed for years and, unfortunately, will continue to exist. I can only control what I do, so I continually remind myself that I sleep well at night knowing that I conduct myself in the appropriate manner, and with the best interests of my clients and their families in mind.
Finally, there is the constant struggle to find both the time and financial resources to sustain your agent business year after year. It can be a very cost prohibitive occupation, especially in the early years when you are trying to grow your business and establish a clientele. Annual agent certification fees, travel expenses, meals & entertainment, equipment for clients, gas, etc. add up very quickly. In addition to a significant financial investment, the agent business also requires a large investment of time. This is a business in which your investment will take years before the (hopefully) payoff. Baseball players start off at the lower levels of the Minor Leagues and most will not reach the big leagues until several years later, if at all. It is also a business which never has a slow season. It is a 12-month-a-year occupation, and the work and travel never stops.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Law Office of Nello P. Gamberdino II, Ltd. – what should we know?
I am President of my own law firm, Law Office of Nello P. Gamberdino II, Ltd. As part of my firm, I operate a baseball division wherein I represent, manage, and act as legal counsel for professional baseball players. I also represent professional and collegiate baseball coaches. Additionally, I act as legal advisor and counsel to amateur baseball players who are selected in the annual MLB First-Year Player Draft.
I am certified as an agent by the Major League Baseball Players Association, and I engage in the procurement and negotiation of employment and personal services contracts on behalf of my baseball clients. As part of my legal practice, I also recently began representing several retired NFL players in their individual settlements under the NFL concussion injury litigation. Additionally, I have been a contributing columnist for the “Chicago Daily Law Bulletin,” one of the oldest and most highly regarded legal publications in the country. My column focused on the intersection of sports, business, and law.
I feel there are several differences that set me apart from other MLB Agents. First, I am a licensed attorney. Not only does this afford me the education, training, and experience that is extremely beneficial for clients, but as a licensed attorney, I am bound by a moral and ethical code of conduct (to wit, “Model Rules of Professional Conduct”), to which non-attorneys are not beholden.
Second, I intentionally keep my client base on the smaller side. I have no interest in being the biggest agent in the industry or having the most clients. Those things mean nothing to me. I prefer to have fewer clients so that so that I am able to offer each of them the personal attention, and in-depth, one-on-one service that they deserve. In order to do this, I limit the number of new clients I accept each year.
Third, beginning in the summer of 2018, my business model will shift such that I will no longer be involved with advising amateur players for the MLB Draft. My business will be singularly focused on representing and managing Major League players and top Minor League prospects. I also hope to expand my coaching clientele.
I take great pride in always being available for clients 24/7, and you simply cannot run a successful baseball agency that way by chasing dozens and dozens of potential clients around the country.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I believe 3 qualities have helped me the most in this business: work ethic, persistence, and networking skills. In any profession, you get out of it what you put into it. This especially holds true for the sports agent profession. To be successful you have to have the mindset that you will not be outworked by anybody else. There are people who are smarter than me, and there are people who have more money than me, but there is nobody who will work and hustle more than me. Period. If you don’t want to put in the work and put in your dues, get out of the way.
I also possess and inordinate amount of persistence. In this line of work, you cannot take things personal, or get upset when things don’t go your way. If you experience failure, the best thing to do is learn from it so that it will never happen again and move on.
Networking in baseball is huge. Although the sports casts a very wide net across the globe, baseball is actually a small micro-community. Everybody seems to know everybody else, and being a great networker – and showing respect for people – has helped me come a long way. MLB scouts, scouting directors, general managers, field managers, pro coaches, college coaches, high school coaches, equipment vendors, media, summer team coaches, etc. – it’s important to expand your personal network and establish strong relationships.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.npgsports.com
- Phone: 773.294.5532
- Email: info@npgsports.com
Image credit:
Joey DeNato Team USA photo = photo by Amy DeNato
Spencer Patton & Nello Gamberdino at Kaufmann Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals = photo by Matt Patton
Nello Gamberdino headshot courtesy of The John Marshall Law School
Jeremy Dowdy, Oakland A’s photo courtesy of the Oakland Athletics
Greg Golson, Phillies photo courtesy of the Philadelphia Phillies
Josh Altmann, Texas Rangers = photo by Jimmy Kirkpatrick
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