Exclusive Interview with the CEO of Optimal Sports Management: Christopher Gil

Tell us about yourself and how you got into your current position

Growing up as a kid, football was always a focal point in my life. Some of the earliest memories I have with my father were watching the USC football team that was led by Pete Carroll destroy their weekly opponents, memories that I still cherish to this day. Not only was I enamoured with the game, but also with the players who risked their lives to play it. I believe this is where my early passion to become a sports agent began. Admittedly, like many other USC football fans during the 2000’s era, my favourite player to watch was the legendary Reggie Bush. Reggie was a generational talent that was blessed with size, speed, and understanding of the game. I remember one Christmas my father got me a Cardinal and Gold USC football sweater, along with a copy of ‘NCAA 07 Football’ that had an image of Reggie Bush on the front and I thought it was the greatest Christmas ever.  I think it is safe to say that is where my journey began, with the love of USC football.

My journey to attend and graduate from USC was a long and difficult one, but when I got my acceptance letter in 2018, I made the most out of it. In my very first semester, I had the pleasure of meeting Professor Jeff Fellenzer and enrolling in some of his Sports Media courses. From the moment I met Professor Fellenzer, I knew just how special the Trojan Family was. He was very welcoming and supportive of my passion for the sports industry. Professor Fellenzer also helped me enrol in the USC Sports Business Association club and served as my mentor throughout my college days. Through my time at USC, I was fortunate enough to have worked for several professional Los Angeles sports teams and sports lawyers. From those rich and meaningful experiences, I knew that one day I wanted to become an NFL Agent.

I got my break in the industry in the Summer of 2021, when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of NCAA athletes in the infamous Alston v. NCAA antitrust lawsuit. As a result of this victory, college athletes could now profit off their name, image, and likeness through a variety of different endorsement deals. This was a dream come true for me, as I could now begin to work alongside some of the best college football players in the game and slowly start creating meaningful relationships that could benefit us both. With a strong alumni connection to a blue-blood football school like USC and a rich media market like Los Angeles, I decided to create my own sports marketing agency, Optimal Sports Management.

In November of 2021, when USC hired football coach Lincoln Riley, the entire landscape of USC football changed. The very first recruit he flipped to attend USC was 5-star Running Back, Raleek Brown, who was attending Trinity League powerhouse, Mater Dei High School. Through my NIL advisor’s guidance, I was able to secure Raleek as my very first client. That was one of my greatest professional accomplishments to date and I am very fortunate to have such a talented player on my roster. For those not too familiar with football recruiting, 5-star players are the very best players at their position nationwide. As a result, there are only about 35 5-star players or so in each football recruiting class that is composed of hundreds of thousands of players throughout the nation. This is why it is especially exciting for me to be working with one at such a young point in my career. It is ironic that Raleek reminds me a lot of Reggie Bush, a fast running back who has a strong understanding of the game.

Once I landed Raleek, other elite football players soon took notice of my agency and all the exciting marketing campaigns we had planned. As of today, I represent 8 collegiate clients that attend: USC, UCLA, Notre Dame, Arizona, and Stanford. I was also fortunate enough to land my very first professional football player, Randy Satterfield, a few months ago. Randy currently plays in the newly developed United States Football League (USFL) as a key member of the New Jersey Generals. I humbly believe Optimal Sports has one of the youngest and most talented client rosters throughout the United States that will only continue to grow as we navigate the NIL landscape and continue to recruit the best players.

My ultimate goal is to be an NFL Agent within the next year. As of today, the NFL requires a Master’s Degree and a passing score on an exam to be a certified agent within the league. I will be attending Loyola Marymount University this Fall in pursuit of my M.S in Management. While at LMU, I hope to augment my knowledge pertaining to business and to graduate at the top of my class. When I am not busy with school, I want to help create a sports business club that can bring in guest speakers and help students gain some valuable experience pertaining to a career in sports.

Can you tell us more about your company?

Optimal Sports Management is a football marketing agency that is based in Los Angeles, California. As of today, I serve as the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of the company. At the heart of our agency, we specialize in procuring NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) marketing deals for collegiate football players and endorsement deals for our professional football players. In addition to this, we offer a variety of different professional services including: contract negotiations, client relations, public relations, and wealth management. Something unique about us, is that we recently launched our own storefront (gridironcollection.club) where our athletes can sell their own clothing apparel, autographed memorabilia, and personalized video messages. To date, I believe we are the only NIL agency to do this.

There are a variety of different things that separate us from others. I believe the most important is how our blend of youth and experience allow us to resonate well with our clients and prospective clients. Our ability to talk to our clients about a variety of different professional and personal topics allows us to create close interpersonal relationships. By doing so, we establish a sense of family, that allows us to treat them as such. I have said this a million times, in this industry creating and maintaining meaningful relationships is key.

Besides having elite players on the field, I am most proud of having even better young men off the field. At Optimal, we are very selective in regards to which players we want to work with. We have a set of core values that we look for in each and every player to ensure they have what it takes to be an Optimal Athlete.

What are some challenges and lessons you have learned along the way?

I am grateful for the lessons, both professionally and personally, that I have learned and that have developed me to be where I am today.

Working in athlete representation is a very cutthroat business, especially for me at such a young age. There are so many other established sports agents who have decades worth of experience that constantly view my emerging agency as a threat. In this industry, client poaching is a very real possibility and can lead to players leaving you if you do not perform well for them. This is why I constantly have to remind myself, “What have I done for my players today?” If the answer is not to my liking, then that is what motivates me to work even harder on their behalf.

Another struggle for me has been navigating the sports marketing world while coming out of the global COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic began, we quickly saw how different sports leagues around the globe ceased operations. Empty arenas and stadiums resulted in a tremendous amount of lost revenue through ticket revenue and media rights. This is why it has been a little more difficult to convince brands and companies to work with my athletes. The majority of brands and companies enjoy working with high-profile athletes because they increase brand awareness and content engagement. However, with the slow economic recovery, these brands and companies are a bit more frugal in their Marketing budget. Nonetheless, I continue to do my best to work with premier brands and companies on behalf of all my clients.

The last struggle for me has been all the pressure that comes with my position. Being a Sports Marketing Agent is by no means an easy and glamorous job, as many people often think. There is always a lot of work to be done with so little time. I am constantly up late at night developing strategic marketing campaigns, identifying brand-building areas, and creating social media strategies. In addition to this, I am constantly on the clock, as all my clients know that they can call me at any time, with no questions asked. Although I love my work, I have slowly been creating a healthy work-life balance by delegating more tasks to my amazing employees and interns.

What are some words of advice you have for people who want to follow a similar career path as you?

I would say to first and foremost is to network and meet new people in the sports representation industry. This can be done by connecting with them on LinkedIn or by attending events within your area. Before attending these events, remember who is likely to attend, study their position within their company, and think of how they can help you get to where you want to be.

Secondly, I would say get an internship, whether it is paid or unpaid, at an agency that you think would be a good fit to learn in. Internships are a vital resource to learn the ins and outs of player representation and what it takes to be successful within it. While interning, feel free to ask as many questions as you can think of and wear multiple different hats to show that you are well-versed in different specialities.

Lastly and most importantly, I would say to keep chasing your dreams no matter how hard the road gets. For every internship or job you do not get, there will be hundreds of more that you can get. Learn how to improve on the areas you need some help in, keep submitting applications and networking with people throughout the industry. Doing small things like this will make you stand out and help you get that career you want in athlete representation.

I am extremely grateful and fortunate to be where I am today and could not have done it without the valuable pieces of advice I have laid out.

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