Leigh Steinberg

Leigh William Steinberg is an American sports agent and sports lawyer. His client list has included Steve Bartkowski, Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Warren Moon, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas, Kordell Stewart, Jeff George, Ben Roethlisberger, Myron Rolle, Matt Leinart, Mark Brunell, Ricky Williams, Howie Long, Eric Karros, Dusty Baker, Lennox Lewis, Oscar de la Hoya and John Starks.
Steinberg is often credited as the real life inspiration of the sports agent from the film Jerry Maguire. He is frequently sought out to act as a consultant on a variety of entertainment projects such as For Love of the Game, Any Given Sunday as well as the TV series Arliss.

Steinberg was born and raised in Los Angeles by his parents, a teacher and a librarian, who pushed public service along with ambition. He attended Hamilton High School, and was elected student body president. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles for one year before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley. Upon his arrival at Berkeley, Steinberg became a member of the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. Steinberg eventually formed his own student government political party, called Unity. His moderate politics at the protest-prone Berkeley at the height of the Vietnam War drew such a following that after he was elected President of the Associated Students of the University of California, the university's student government, there were rumors that he would run for City Council. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from UC Berkeley in 1970.
He subsequently attended Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law where he was intending to become a public defender when he met his first client, Cal quarterback Steve Bartkowski while working as a dorm adviser, and subsequently was asked to represent the future number one pick. Steinberg was admitted to the California State Bar in 1974 after earning his J.D. from Boalt in 1973.

For many years Steinberg and Jeff Moorad had a sports agency partnership (Steinberg, Moorad & Dunn or "SMD"). They sold that firm in October 1999 to Assante Sports Management Group, a Canadian financial-management firm, for a reported $120 million. Assante acquired several other sports agencies. In February 2002, David Dunn left SMD to open Athletes First, taking about 50 N.F.L. players with him and opening offices about a mile from Steinberg's in Newport Beach, Calif. Extensive litigation ensued involving Dunn and Assante. Steinberg later reacquired some pieces of the agency he had sold to Assante. Steinberg’s firm, Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, maintains offices in Newport Beach, California.
Steinberg is also a board member for DeskSite.

Leigh Steinberg is widely recognized as one of the country’s leading sports agents and sports attorneys. Steinberg made an appearance in the film Jerry Maguire, and is often credited as the real life inspiration of the sports agents from that film. During his 35-year career, Steinberg has represented hundreds of professional athletes in football, baseball, basketball, volleyball, golf, boxing and Olympic sports. His firm, Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, maintains a client roster that is highlighted by some of the most 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, along with representing over 60 additional first round picks.
What distinguishes Steinberg from others within his profession is his desire for athletes to make a positive contribution to society. 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 to shape him. As a result, Steinberg's clients have donated over $600 million to hundreds of charities and scholarships nationwide.

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, Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, People, Success, Forbes, Playboy and GQ. 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 has traveled the world addressing topics he is passionate about ranging from sports and entertainment, concussion prevention, the environment 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.
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, the Orange County Board of Supervisors, President Reagan, President Bush and President Clinton.

He lives in Southern California and has three children.