The 2020 Forbes List of the World's Most Valuable Sports Agencies was released, and CAA has been at the top of the list for eight consecutive years

Reporter | Wu Mengyue

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sports industry continues, but the business of sports agencies that have brokered partnership contracts for the world's top athletes has continued to grow steadily.

On December 22, Forbes released the 2020 List of Most Valuable Sports Agencies based on player contracts negotiated by major sports agencies in team sports such as basketball, rugby, baseball, hockey and football, as well as endorsement income from golfers and tennis players.

Since the launch of the list, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has held the top spot for eight consecutive years with its strong strength.

Although CAA's performance has suffered a slight blow this year, with a $1.8 billion reduction in contracts compared to last year, it still maintains a contract business of $8.8 billion and commissions of $419 million, ranking first. In the list of the world's top 50 sports agents, CAA has a total of 11 agents selected.

So far, CAA has signed 19 contracts, each worth at least $100 million, including a $158 million contract between Devin Booker and phoenix Suns in the NBA and a $150 million contract between Matt Ryan and the NFL Atlanta Falcons.

Wasserman also played well this year, growing 37 percent, surpassing Excellence Sports Management to come in second place with $5.7 billion in contract value and $331 million in commissions.

The company has six agents on the global top 50 sports agent list and has negotiated 10 contracts this year, such as Nolan Arenado's eight-year contract with Colorado Rockies worth $260 million and Giancarlo Stanton's 13-year $325 million partnership with Yankees.

In third place was Excel Sports Management, with full-year contract revenue of $3.9 billion and commission income of $191 million.

Notably, the company has three of the world's top agents: Jeff Schwartz in the basketball division, Mark Steinberg in the golf division, and Casey Close in the baseball division.

The three agents have negotiated several large-scale deals, including a $206 million six-year deal between Zack Greinke and the Houston Astros and an about $60 million endorsement contract with golfer Tiger Woods.

The biggest increase in the ranking this year was Athletes First, which rose to 8th from 18 last year. The soccer-specific agency currently manages about $4.4 billion in contracts and earns about $85 million in commissions.

In addition, Promoesport, which ranked 26th, P&P Sports Management, at No. 28, and Steinberg Sports & Entertainment, which won the Kansas City Chiefs' $500 million contract with Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, are all on the list for the first time this year.

According to statistics, in 2020, the world's 40 most valuable sports institutions negotiated a total of more than $56 billion worth of transactions, bringing in commissions worth $2.9 billion, an increase of 10% compared with last year and a 55% increase from 2015.

Here are the top 10 sports agencies on the list:

Creative Artists Agency Basketball Innovative Elite Culture Agency

Wasserman Wasserman Sports

Excel Sports Management Excellence Sports Management Company

Boras Corporation

ICM Stellar Sports

Octagon Octagon Globe

Gestifute

Athletes First

Mino Raiola Raiola

Newport Sports Management Canadian Hockey Agency