"Why are people in the sports industry so adamantly against athletes representing themselves without acquiring an agent?" Must be ruffling the feathers of a good ole boys club. Smh! Personally, I love seeing that more and more people are going against the grain and taking control of their own financial destiny. As an entrepreneur myself, I could never see myself giving my money to someone just to talk on my behalf (unless it is my lawyer lol). I know my own value and worth (based on my market and expertise) and can speak for myself. The reality (at least mine) is that no one can speak for me better than me or represent me better than me; no one! So, I appreciate cats like Lamar and Roquan and others that represent themselves. I love it and want to see more athletes do the same. Those who "want" an agent, good for them. And, for those who don't "want" or those that don't feel that they "need" an agent, good for them. Hate on that all you want but deals are being done without them. It's the American way!
Well, there's multiple layers to this:
1. Why do NFL teams want players to have agents? Well, generally speaking, they're exponentially easier to deal with. Players are easily offended, easily emotional, and in many cases, wildly less intelligent when it comes to $. Like all you have to do is research the how quickly the average NFL player pisses through their entire career income, and you'll quickly realize these aren't the type of people who we should be encouraging to be MORE active in their $ choices. Less is more in their cases.
Agents are less emotional, have developed relationships with players, executives, teams, etc. through experience in negotiations, and oftentimes are the bridge between fantasy and reality.
2. Why do fans want players to have agents? Because agents get shit done. They get it done quicker, and oftentimes, they do it a lot quieter too.
It's in fans interest for players to get signed quicker, and for the least amount of $ possible, so that the teams can spend more $ on other players. A three year negotiation with a franchise player so that they can get 10% more than they would have years earlier, doesn't benefit the fan in any way. Players making more $ doesn't mean the fans make more $, it doesn't mean ticket prices are cheaper, etc. It doesn't even mean the team is better. It just means, literally, players make more $.