Excel Sports Management LLC

Who owns Excel Sports Management?
Goldman Sachs Alternatives, the private equity arm of Goldman Sachs, acquired a majority stake in Excel Sports Management in November 2025. Existing ownership, including founder Jeff Schwartz, retained equity in the business. The transaction valued Excel at close to $1 billion. Excel is a private company and is not publicly traded.

Is Excel Sports Management publicly traded?
No. Excel Sports Management is a private company. Goldman Sachs Alternatives owns a majority stake following the November 2025 acquisition. Existing ownership, including founder Jeff Schwartz, retained equity. The agency does not file public financial reports.

When was Excel Sports Management founded?
Excel Sports Management was founded in 2002 by Jeff Schwartz. The agency started with a focus on negotiating playing contracts for NBA and MLB athletes and has since expanded into NFL, golf, and soccer representation. Schwartz continues as founder, President, and Managing Partner.

What is Excel's ranking among sports agencies?
Excel ranked third on the Forbes 2025 Most Valuable Sports Agencies list with approximately $783 million in maximum commissions, behind CAA at $1.143 billion and Wasserman at $956 million. Excel's commissions grew 57% over three years, the fastest rate among the top five agencies. Jeff Schwartz was ranked second on Forbes' 2025 list of the most powerful sports agents.

What sports does Excel represent?
Excel Sports Management represents athletes across the NBA, MLB, NFL, golf, and soccer. The agency built its reputation on basketball and baseball contract negotiation and has expanded into on-field NFL representation, golf, and soccer. This multi-sport portfolio reduces dependence on any single league.

How much did Goldman Sachs pay for Excel?
In November 2025, Goldman Sachs Alternatives acquired a majority stake in Excel Sports Management in a transaction valuing the agency at close to $1 billion, according to the Financial Times. Existing ownership retained equity, and Jeff Schwartz continued as CEO. The acquisition required regulatory approval.

Where is Excel Sports Management headquartered?
Excel Sports Management is headquartered in New York, New York, USA. The agency operates primarily in the United States, with a Chicago presence added through the 2022 acquisition of Harlan Sports Management. Excel employs approximately 200 people.

What services does Excel provide?
Excel provides athlete talent representation and contract negotiation across the NBA, MLB, NFL, golf, and soccer. The agency also offers brand consulting, advising corporate clients on athlete endorsements and sports marketing. Excel's property representation practice helps sports properties sell sponsorship and media rights, and the agency provides event management services.

Jeff Schwartz founded Excel Sports Management in 2002. Before founding Excel, Schwartz had worked in sports representation and built relationships with basketball and baseball players. He started the agency with a focus on negotiating playing contracts for NBA and MLB athletes, areas where he had established expertise.

Through the 2000s, Excel built its basketball and baseball practices. The agency signed NBA players and established a reputation for negotiating max contracts. In baseball, Excel represented MLB players and built a roster across multiple positions. The agency's growth was driven by its ability to secure high-value contracts and maintain long-term client relationships.

Excel expanded its investor base over time. Shamrock Capital and Advancit Capital became investors in the agency, providing capital for growth. The outside investment allowed Excel to pursue acquisitions and expand into new sports and service lines.

In 2020, Excel secured additional strategic investment. The agency used the capital to expand its practice areas and client roster. Forbes reported that Excel's strategic investment round positioned the agency for growth in a consolidating sports agency market.

Excel pursued acquisitions to broaden its capabilities. The agency made three acquisitions across HR services, sports services, and sports tech, spanning the United States and the United Kingdom. In October 2022, Excel acquired Harlan Sports Management, a Chicago-based sports services provider founded in 2002. The acquisitions peaked in 2022 with two deals and 2021 with one.

The agency expanded into new sports. Excel entered on-field NFL representation, adding football clients beyond its original basketball and baseball focus. The agency also added golf and soccer representation, building a multi-sport portfolio. This diversification reduced Excel's dependence on any single sport and increased its maximum commissions.

Excel's commissions grew significantly. The agency's maximum commissions increased 57% over the three years leading to the Forbes 2025 ranking, reaching approximately $783 million. This growth rate exceeded that of CAA and Wasserman over the same period, reflecting Excel's aggressive expansion and successful contract negotiations.

In 2025, Excel sought a new investor as Shamrock Capital considered its position. The Financial Times reported in October 2025 that Goldman Sachs was nearing an acquisition of the talent agency. In November 2025, Goldman Sachs Alternatives, the private equity arm of Goldman Sachs, acquired a majority stake in Excel. The transaction valued the agency at close to $1 billion. Existing ownership retained equity, and Jeff Schwartz continued as CEO. The acquisition required regulatory approval.

The Goldman Sachs acquisition fit a broader pattern of institutional capital flowing into sports representation. CAA was sold to Artémis in 2023. Wasserman's parent, The Team, saw Providence Equity consolidate ownership in 2026. Octagon's parent, IPG, was acquired by Omnicom in 2025. WME Group was taken private in 2024. Excel's sale to Goldman Sachs continued the trend of private equity and strategic investors acquiring top sports agencies.

As a private company, Excel Sports Management does not publish a formal sustainability or ESG report. The agency's public disclosures on environmental and social performance are limited.

Excel has highlighted its commitment to athlete development and client service. The agency has supported charitable initiatives through its athlete clients and has participated in community engagement programs. Excel's brand consulting practice has advised corporate clients on sports marketing partnerships that include community and social impact components.

No major regulatory or legal actions against Excel have been publicly documented. The agency operates as a private talent agency subject to standard business regulations and the labor agreements of the leagues whose players it represents. The November 2025 Goldman Sachs acquisition required regulatory approval, which was pending at the time of the announcement.

Excel Sports Management has been recognized consistently by Forbes and Sports Business Journal. The agency ranked third on the Forbes 2025 Most Valuable Sports Agencies list with approximately $783 million in maximum commissions, up 57% from three years earlier.

Jeff Schwartz, Excel's founder and CEO, was ranked second on Forbes' 2025 list of the most powerful sports agents. The ranking reflected Schwartz's influence in contract negotiations and his role in building Excel into a top-three agency.

Excel has been featured in Sports Business Journal coverage of the sports agency industry. The agency's expansion into new sports and its acquisition activity have drawn industry attention. Excel's 2025 acquisition by Goldman Sachs was covered by Sportico, the Financial Times, and SportsPro.

Excel Sports Management has not been associated with major scandals or controversies. The agency has maintained a relatively low-profile reputation focused on contract negotiation and client service.

The November 2025 Goldman Sachs acquisition drew some scrutiny. The Financial Times reported that Goldman Sachs was nearing an acquisition valuing Excel at close to $1 billion. The transaction required regulatory approval. Industry observers noted that the valuation reflected the strong growth in athlete contract values and the commission-based revenue model that has attracted institutional capital to sports agencies.

Excel faced competition for talent and clients in a consolidating market. The agency's growth depended on retaining agents and attracting new athlete clients in a competitive environment where rival agencies have secured institutional backing. The departure of Tory Dandy, CAA's co-head of football, to Athletes First in 2025 illustrated the competitive dynamics among top agencies, though Excel was not directly involved in that move.

No major regulatory enforcement actions or legal disputes involving Excel have been publicly documented in recent years. The agency operates within the framework of league labor agreements and player association regulations governing agent conduct.