There are very few books written by sports agents and even fewer that devote a substantial amount of pages to discussing the profession of representing athletes. NBPA agent, Keith Glass, takes a shot at covering that topic and other NBA related material in his book, Taking Shots. It is not surprising to hear someone critical of the state of the sports agent industry; however, usually the criticism does not come from within the ranks. Keith happily introduces readers into his life as an agent, discussing many problems that he and his colleagues have created in addition to tackling a plethora NBA troubles that exist without the help of agents being involved.
Both Keith and I would agree that the NBA and basketball, in general, are great. Even though Keith is a fan of the game, he discusses how he cannot stand the $100+ tickets to see two teams play backups and the way that the NBA has prioritized marketing its product above everything else. His style of writing is witty and sarcastic, making Taking Shots a pleasure to read. The rich content helps, too. Topics include: Negotiating Scott Skiles’ contract with the Orlando Magic on paper napkins at a spring training baseball game, the disgusting looking 2004 Olympic Basketball Team, Keith’s natural ability to represent players above 7 feet tall, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (the only guy who wouldn’t stand for the national anthem), Keith’s man-crush on Larry Brown, and a bunch about why agents are necessary for basketball players. While Keith believes that agents are necessary, he feels that they should go back to being solely advocates and representatives for their clients and quit creating new roles for themselves.
Keith sets the stage strong with his Forward. When you kick off your book with a short piece by Tony Kornheiser, you instantly get my approval. He follows up Tony on the first page by telling you exactly what he will go on a tirade about throughout Taking Shots
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