It`s not all nice and easy in 22land

flarider wrote:

I wholeheartedly disagree and I know I am going to upset a few people, but no, not everyone needs a "manager." Look, if you're a high...

I wholeheartedly disagree and I know I am going to upset a few people, but no, not everyone needs a "manager."

Look, if you're a high profile rider like Reed, Stewart, Villopoto, Dungey, etc....Yes, a manager would be beneficial, not only to negotiate deals, but to coordinate photo shoots, appearances and more. A "real" manager does more than negotiate a deal and then ignore you until contract time.

What I see far too much of, is lower or mid-tier level riders who have managers for no real reason, and the riders aren't typically getting any more than they could get on their own, but they're just giving a percentage of their earnings to someone else. Keep in mind as well, these managers aren't exclusive, they represent several or even many riders, how can they really get the best deal for Joe if they're also trying to get the best deal for Jim? There's only so many slots in MX, this isn't football or baseball with potential opportunities. PC has one 250 slot, the manager now has to choose who they're going to push for to get the job....who they're going to sell harder.

Go look at the silly season list and all those names with no jobs, and many of them have managers.

Here's another question, ever notice in other sports or entertainment, when something happens, good or bad, the manager is out front controlling the message? You know, the manager gives their side of the story so wild rumors don't fly around?

When was the last time you saw that in this sport?

So, while some riders I do agree need management representation, I disagree that "Everyone at every level needs a manager"