Page 7 of Their After Hours Playbook

He trusts me. I built a relationship with him. Zach had to stop himself from sharing the answer that came to him first. He knew that wasn’t what Tom would want to hear. “I saw an opportunity and I took it. I heard he was unhappy with his agent and I made my move.”

A wide grin bloomed on Tom’s face. “That’s my boy. That’s how you do it.” He sat up and softly pounded his fist on the desk, then cleared his throat. Apparently even that much enthusiasm had taken some serious energy to express. “That’s the kind of cutthroat move you need to be making. Every day. That’s how you take what my dad built, and what I built on top of that, and turn it into something even bigger.”

Zach couldn’t help but think about his conversation with Teri the other day. Cutthroat was not a word he would use to describe himself. He wasn’t a shark, despite what people might think. He simply enjoyed his job and let his genuine love of sports guide him when making moves and decisions. Agenting was a game of chess that just so happened to revolve around things that he was extremely passionate about, like football, baseball and golf. But he’d indulge Tom’s perception of the situation, if only to get him to take the next subject seriously. “Thanks. I’m glad that makes you happy.”

“Excellent. Absolutely excellent.”

“Are you okay to talk about business now? Or would you prefer we do it after dinner? I don’t want to put you under any undue stress.”

“Are you kidding? I’ve been waiting all day for you to get here. I can’t wait to talk shop.”

“Well, good. Because there’s something I want to discuss with you.” This time, Zach’s pause was not for effect. He was genuinely nervous about sharing his idea, but he’d put so much time and effort into this endeavor, he couldn’t back down now. “I’ve taken a long hard look at the numbers over these first few weeks. Looking for areas of growth. We need to start signing women athletes.”

Tom laughed. “Oh, boy. Here we go.”

Zach couldn’t help but be a little miffed. “Don’t say it like that. This is a solid idea.”

Tom blew out a frustrated breath. “Do you have any idea how many times someone has tried to get me to do this? It’s not about sexism, Zach. The money’s not there. Female athletes simply don’t make as much money as male athletes do. It’s a numbers game.”

“If you want to talk numbers, I have a lot of them. And I think there are reasons to make this move.” Zach got up from his seat and grabbed the two binders, then placed one on the desk in front of Tom. “Here. This is my proposal.”

Tom peered up at Zach, skepticism painted across his face while he grumbled under his breath. “It’s not our job to fix society’s ills.”

“Tom. Come on. I’m not asking you to fix anything. All I’m asking is that you look at the numbers.”

Tom nodded. “Okay. You’re right. Let’s see what you’ve got.” He grabbed a pair of reading glasses, opened the binder and began reading.

Meanwhile, Zach did the same, revisiting the words he’d so carefully crafted and the numbers he’d so patiently honed. His plan was simple—endorsements. Female athletes might not make as much money on the field as men did, but they were often far better brand ambassadors than men were. Sponsorships had gone through the roof in the last two years, especially as social media became a viable means of spreading an advertiser’s product in a more organic fashion. “Well?”

Tom’s lips spread into a thin line. “I’m an old man, aren’t I?”

Zach’s shoulders dropped. “No. You are not. The business has changed. Or more specifically, the landscape has changed. There are opportunities now that weren’t there even five years ago. And honestly, I think a lot of other agencies are asleep at the wheel when it comes to this. Let’s beat them.”

“Well, you know that’s always going to appeal to me.”

“Is that a yes? Are you good with me moving forward with this plan?”

“Hold on one minute. Who are you looking at to sign?”

“Turn to page twenty-one. There’s a list of possible targets there.” Zach flipped through the binder at the same time Tom did.

“Alexis Simmons isn’t on this list. If anyone’s marketable for the sort of things you’re looking at, she is.”

“And she’s already represented by Paige Moss. That’s a no-go.”

“There are ways out of any agency contract, Zach. You know that.”

Zach felt uneasy. He knew what Tom was getting at and he didn’t like it. “Our agencies have had an adversarial relationship. Do we really need to continue with that?”

“Every other agency is our adversary. That’s the first rule in our world.”

Maybe Tom was right. Maybe Zach needed to toughen up a bit. But if he wanted Paige to take him seriously, that was not the move that would do it. No, that would simply make Paige despise him and he couldn’t fathom that as a good idea. “Paige will be in Vegas. I’ll get a better sense of their working relationship then. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Zach felt as though he could breathe a little easier. “Good.”

“Damn. I wish I could go to Vegas. I love the expo. So many deals to cut. So much amazing food.”

---