This Gen Zer Is Already a Successful Rep to Pro Athletes
This story is part of The 2020 Project, a Men's Health special project that explores the lives of 20 different 20-year-old men across America. To learn more about the others, go here.
Despite its brief history, Ariel Levy’s ASL Sports Group already represents a double-digit roster of players shaping the future of the NBA and NFL. (No, he’s not just lucky.)
If you’re skeptical about a 19-year-old with a company named after himself, Ariel Levy gets that. Levy has been working in sports marketing and management since he was 15, when he convinced some agents to give him a shot at bringing them players they wanted to sign.
By age 16, he’d started ASL Sports Group with a family friend and an eye on representing the next generation of sports superstars. “[Players] are either all in because they like my youth and the hustle,” says Levy, “or they’re really scared and say, ‘With all due respect, I can’t sign with a 19-year-old.’ ”
Now Levy’s clients include NBA veteran Michael Beasley and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Andrew Adams. Levy is building their social-media presence and negotiating deals with teams and sponsors.
He says he’s been responsible for $40 million in contracts. Here’s Levy’s advice for young people in any business.
Seize your differences
Veteran managers told Levy he was too young. Levy’s answer: “I’m different from the 30-, 40-, 50-, or 60-year-old manager who’s going to sell them the same thing. I try to come in with a different pitch [by] explaining my social-media expertise.”
Hustle
Levy scored his first client, Sampson Carter, through dogged pursuit. “I sent mass emails to maybe 200 or 300 players who’d spent time in the NBA. Right away, I asked if we could hop on a call. We spoke for hours.”
Know when to move on
Levy has made mistakes, but he expects that. He asks, “How I can make this situation better right now?” Sometimes that means pushing onward to the next project.
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