饶舌巨星Jay Z能否变身超级体育经纪人？

    美国棒球大联盟（the World Series）今年的总冠军赛世界大赛上周已经结束。可以预见，赛事谢幕后，许多与棒球比赛有关的热议话题将转向球队交易和参与其中的自由球员，有一位已是自由身的球手备受关注，他就是罗宾森•坎诺。

    这位优秀的自由球员希望与美国职业棒球大联盟的老牌劲旅纽约扬基队（New York Yankees）签订一份为期十年的新合约，总价3亿美元。大多数业内人士预计，坎诺只有可能以一半价格签下合同，或者谈判不成，最终投奔别家队伍。谁都拿不准坎诺的身价，而他是否能怀揣数以亿计的合同入主扬基队将是Roc Nation Sports公司证明自身未来发展可行性的当头炮。作为一家问世不久的体育界经纪公司，Roc Nation Sports最为人所知的莫过于创始人西恩•卡特。当然，你可能更熟悉这位商人做饶舌歌手时用的艺名——Jay Z。

    卡特今年4月成立了Roc Nation Sports。这只初生牛犊迅速拓展业务，旗下职业选手星光熠熠，引人注目：除了首位签约客户罗宾森•坎诺，还签下了美国职业篮球联盟NBA球星凯文•杜兰特、美式橄榄球联盟（NFL）纽约巨人队（New York）主力、接球手维克多•克鲁斯、同城另一支美式橄榄球队纽约喷气机队（New York Jets）的新秀四分卫吉诺•史密斯以及今年美国职业女子篮球联赛WNBA的选秀探花斯凯勒•迪金斯。

    当然，坎诺是否能够拿下天价合同以及他最终将花落谁家才是登上媒体头条的新闻，也是Roc Nation Sports的媒体处女秀。可问题依然存在：坎诺的这份合约是否会意味着一家新生代公司迈出了成为体育经纪业帝国的第一步？

    目前，卡特已经招徕了一些职业体育界的大牌，可他们还没有拉到生意，因此，这家公司的实力还没有真正得到证明（转投Roc Nation Sports以来，坎诺倒是签了一份新的百事可乐广告代言合同）。与卡特联手将坎诺招致麾下的合作伙伴是一家业内更有名望的公司CAA，后者的客户覆盖领域广泛，背景更深厚。卡特与CAA的合作细节还不完全明朗。不过，Roc Nation Sports已经确认两家公司会继续合作。CAA棒球业务的负责人之一布罗迪•范华格纳帮助促成了这次联姻，看来两家经纪公司将合力负责某些客户的工作，分担应履行的职责。

    卡特已经表现出自己具备吸引巨星的能力，能让他们离开自己更传统的那些经纪人。可谁都不会对此感到意外。许多批评人士起初不假思索地指责卡特只是装装样子，他在这家公司有名无实，只是个花架子，他本人不会参与公司的日常管理。可今年夏天，卡特出人意料地拿到了货真价实的证书，有资格做美国职业棒球大联盟（MLB）和NBA职业球员的经纪人。为了能胜任经纪人的工作，他还将放弃了自己持有的少量NBA布鲁克林篮网队（Brooklyn Nets）股份。

    所有迹象表明，卡特非常认真地对待这份新工作。接下来他可能获得NFL经纪人资格证书，而现在他还不需要，因为Roc Nation Sports有四位全职经纪人，其中一位吉姆•米亚莱是吉诺•史密斯的新经纪人。说到对球员的关心与重视，Roc Nation Sports有一点值得一提，眼下史密斯是米亚莱唯一的客户。说起卡特，公司发言人兰姆•伯克维兹向《财富》杂志记者这样评价：“他会参与打点客户关系方方面面” 的事务。但我们还有点难以想象卡特坐在谈判桌前的情景。

    伯克维兹透露，Roc Nation Sports现有经纪约运动员五人，公司对“Jay Z而言是水到渠成的事业”，而卡特“正是那种别人希望合作的客户经纪人”。

    凭Jay Z的形象，卡特很难成为传统意义上的体育界经纪人。通常从事这种职业的都是律师。卡特没有法学学位。体育圈的经纪人一般都会主攻某项体育运动。比如棒球界经纪人的典范史考特•波拉斯和成功的橄榄球界经纪人德鲁•罗森豪斯。卡特已经覆盖了所有这些体育领域。可他就像一个强盗，上演着虎口夺食的把戏，从大名鼎鼎的经纪人斯科特•波拉斯手中挖到了坎诺，从另一位业界罗伯•佩林卡那里抢来了杜兰特。这根本称不上友好的行为，简直如同一个乳臭未干的黄毛小子闷声闷气地闯入了体育经纪领域。更形象点比喻，他可以说是摩拳擦掌，破门而入。别说，卡特还真喜欢动不动说谁是小子。在最新发布的专辑里，卡特收录了一首名为“王冠”的歌，歌中这样唱念：“斯科特•波拉斯，小子，你完蛋了”。还说： “新的一天，新的斩获，这次是凯文•杜兰特。”

    Once the World Series comes to a close this week, expect much of the baseball-related chatter to return to trades and free agency and one player in particular: Robinson Cano.

    The free-agent slugger is hoping for a new 10-year, $300 million contract with the Yankees. While most pundits expect him to get only about half of that, or perhaps end up with a different team, it's anyone's guess as to what he's worth. And whether he lands a mega deal will be the first major indication of future viability for Roc Nation Sports, the new sports agency launched by businessman Sean Carter (you may know him better as rapper Jay Z).

    The budding agency, which Carter launched in April, has quickly built an impressive roster: in addition to its first client Robinson Cano, it has since signed NBA star Kevin Durant, Giants receiver Victor Cruz, Jets rookie quarterback Geno Smith and WNBA player Skylar Diggins.

    Of course, it was the Cano grab that made headlines and marked the new agency's debut. But the question remains: Is this the start of a formidable new sports representation empire?

    For now, Carter has scooped up some huge names, but the agency is mostly unproven in actually signing deals (since switching to Roc, Cano did snag a new endorsement deal with Pepsi). And Carter landed Cano in partnership with CAA, a more established agency with a deep and diverse client list. The specifics of that partnership are not entirely clear, but Roc Nation confirms that it will continue. CAA Baseball co-head Brodie Van Wagenen helped set up the joint venture; it appears the agencies will work together with certain clients, sharing duties.

    Carter has shown that he has the ability to woo megastars away from their more traditional agents, but that surprises no one. The initial criticism many are quick to make is that Carter will be a figurehead and the agency amounts to a vanity project in which he wouldn't participate day-to-day. But this summer, Carter became certified to represent MLB and NBA players, which contradicts that expectation. He also divested his small ownership stake in the Brooklyn Nets so that he could become an agent.

    All indications suggest Carter is very serious about this new job. NFL agent certification is likely to follow, but for now, he doesn't need it: Kim Miale, one of Roc Nation's four full-time agents, is Geno Smith's new agent. (And talk about care and attention: for now, he's her only client.) As for Carter, Roc Nation spokesperson Ron Berkowitz tells Fortune, "He will be involved in all aspects" of client relationships. Still, it's a stretch to imagine him sitting down at the negotiating table.

    Roc Nation Sports "was the natural progression for Jay Z," says Berkowitz, who adds that the athletes in its current roster of five, "represent exactly the type of client [agents] would want to work with."

    Jay Z is hardly the usual model of a sports agent. Traditionally, agents are attorneys. Carter doesn't have a law degree. Agents generally focus on one sport -- think Scott Boras in baseball or Drew Rosenhaus in football. Carter is already all over the map. But he has stolen clients from big-name agents like Boras (Cano) and Rob Pelinka (Durant). And boy, does he like to talk about it. This is no friendly, quiet entry into the sports representation world -- Carter is trying to kick the gates in. On his newest album, in the song "Crown," he raps, "Scott Boras, you over, baby" and then, "it's a new day, hit up K.D."