sports illustrated When empower onyx From veteran athletes to rising stars, coaches and executives, the series spotlights the different journeys of black women across sports. Elle-evate: 100 Influential Black Women in Sports.
Sheteria Riley Irving has never been afraid of her voice. Due to her previous roles in the entertainment and media industry, she was surrounded by prominent role models that helped her shine. However, as she listens to her story, it is clear that she was born with a personality that she finds attractive. It’s clear that her son-in-law, basketball superstar Kyrie Irving, sees her as a businesswoman. When she accepted the offer to be his agent, they both “won,” she says. Riley Her Irving has taken on a new role with poise and excellence (and most importantly, she puts Kylie’s best interests in her court at center).
“I think the only or biggest weight on my shoulders was the fact that so many other people were watching to see how well I did this,” said Riley Irving. “Because if I do this, it opens the door to so many other Black women, and we get the opportunity to do more than just sit at the table.”
Her previous positions played a big role in the development of her business acumen. She sees a clear connection between being vice president of advertising sales for Black Entertainment Television (BET) and being her agent for one of the league’s most famous NBA players. increase.
“BET gave me a compass to understand the art of negotiation and to be proud,” says Riley Irving, who spent 13 years at an entertainment conglomerate. “We have also learned to be a voice for those who cannot speak.”
“As the years went by, I started to understand better what my colleagues meant. We are the voices of those who cannot speak for themselves,” she says. It was about being able to defend.
She says seeing a colleague commanding a room no matter what was going on forced her to learn to own it too.
“Being a woman, being a black woman, being Kylie’s family never felt like a problem for me. listen, this is what i don’t know,” she says.
Her confidence started to take shape when she realized she wanted to work at a radio station. She secured her position as her sales representative at her 100% commission at her 1010 WINS, and from there, she created Power 105.1, a contemporary radio station in New York City. I was part of the team that set it up. Eventually, her station former boss and mentor, Stu Fenston, advised her to spread her wings.
“It was between BET and Hot 97,” she says. “Stu said to me, ‘Try BET.’ I think TV is the next trajectory for your career. I ended up going to BET, but the rest is history.”
Over the years, the news has been filled with stories of athletes being taken advantage of when it comes to contracts and deals. Did. In many of the negative instances, she says, it’s about the deal, not how this affects you as an athlete. Try to focus more on one thing and ask: Does that deal really make sense to you? Yes, the numbers are huge and the numbers make sense, but are you and the opportunity not going well?
Kylie, whom Riley Irving affectionately calls her bonus son, approached her about two years ago to discuss athletes and the sports industry. Listen, I really need your business acumen.I’m both an artist and a magician on the court, but I realize it’s very important to make sure I have someone behind me who really understands the full spectrum of the business. so you can focus on being a basketball player.
However, there is a line that Riley Irving can be overly protective or very meddling when it comes to representing those she loves.
“It’s about being very honest with each other and being very transparent. …We had that conversation and I said Listen, we’ll have to look at this through clear colored glasses to make sure you understand.I’m not going to be your cheerleader all the time.’ says Riley Irving.
Riley Iving and Kylie’s father, Drederick, are not married. Still, he wholeheartedly supports the business partnership between the two.‘you got me for life‘ That’s what Drederick told me. That’s what we promised each other,” says Riley Irving. “We’ve learned to communicate and collaborate, but we’re just starting with the foundation of having each other for life.”
Riley Irving asked Kylie to spend 48 hours thinking about the discussion. This is her time rule for all major decisions. It took him a little longer. “I didn’t bother him, and he didn’t bother me,” she says. But she called again and said he was in. Have you ever considered becoming an agent?
“It was the furthest thing from my mind,” she says.
Kylie’s instincts for Riley Irving were right. Every move she makes is not only an opportunity to advise Kirie, but also an opportunity to teach him.
“It’s not about me shifting him or him shifting me. It’s really important to walk this partnership together and learn from each other,” she says. By working together, we can lay the best groundwork for Kylie to match his chances with the best business.
“We have built trust and consistency,” says Riley Irving. “I don’t want Kyrie to come back two years later and say, ‘I signed this really bad deal, but it didn’t make sense.’ Either he didn’t understand it, or it was just to grab the money. , is what we really intend, especially in what we are trying to regulate ourselves.”
Riley Irving is setting aside space for the next generation of black female agents and women who dream of the same position.
“I think there’s enough feasting at the table for hundreds, thousands, millions of black women to sit and represent athletes in the way we know them best.” , says he turned it down in the radio world and was told, “Madison Avenue isn’t ready for people of color.” Yet she has achieved her success thanks to a combination of resources and networks that she continues to emphasize in her work today. Hey, I know this athlete, I’m friends with them. Can you and I make a contract? Be more creative about how you can enter that space. ”
It’s about hustle and prepare, she says, and chances will come your way. no, she points out. Kylie could have picked anyone, but he wanted the business sense that she would lead and direct him.
So when conversing with potential leaders, she asks them to think about questions like: What are your plans? How are you going to be in those right places? How do you work with different sports organizations, different trainers, different coaches? How do you start conversations that lead you to an environment where you might be able to sign players? She says it’s a step that will lead to real success and the realization of dreams like hers.
Brinat Jean-Marie is a contributor to empower onyxa diverse multi-channel platform that celebrates the stories and transformative power of sports for black women and girls.
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