Hardik Sanghavi
Humans of YJA: August 25, 2021
“Like a lot of kids who played sports in middle school and high school, I aspired to be a professional football player. I quickly realized that I wasn’t going to go far with that. I was thinking about what else I could do to stay close to the game, and that’s how I chose the NFL agent route.
I knew this was a tough industry to get into and it wasn’t something I was going to be doing right out of college, so I wanted to get as much experience as possible in case it didn’t work out. There’s a saying in the industry: ‘there are 5 jobs and 1000 people in line waiting for them.’ That’s when I remind myself of my Dada’s mantra- “work hard and have patience.” In general, the industry is very white-dominated; I’ll find myself in a room with those 5 other agents and they’re all white men. I think of the 700 registered NFL agents, only a handful are Indian. I definitely feel like a minority, but I try to use that as an advantage; I’ve been doing what I can to try and further set myself apart. I started writing articles about different types of player contracts and trends in the marketplace, and that research got me into the Miami Herald, Bleacher Report, and Sports Illustrated.
A lot of agents will see their clients as money-making machines, and then once the players retire they’re onto the next guy. But what appeals to me, in addition to negotiating players’ contracts, is the opportunity to maintain relationships, advocate for them, be a mentor, and help maximize their careers on and off the field — all of those things just seem really natural to me.
Football, and the NFL, are so popular; there are so many young people that look up to these athletes, and for me to have the chance to play a role in these guys’ lives and help them maximize their platforms really excites me. A few weeks ago, the first gay NFL player came out. I love seeing things like that — if there’s a young gay boy who’s afraid to come out, then he sees that the star defensive player for the Las Vegas Raiders has just done so, it’s such a feel-good moment. I always joke with my sister — she’s in residency now, and I tell her ‘you’re out here saving lives, and I wish I was smart enough to do that, but I want to at least do something for the greater good.’”
— #HumansofYJA, 8: Hardik Sanghavi
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