INPUT ARTICLE: Article: The agreements between athletes and sports agents are often very complicated and even abusive. A lawyer will help review your contract and determine the best way to proceed. Your attorney will make sure you are terminating your contract in an acceptable manner. Be sure to hire a lawyer that is not connected to your agent or any of his or her other clients. In addition, if you have a manager as well as an agent, make sure you can continue your relationship with your manager. Often, managers and agents have close ties. If you fire one, you may have to fire the other. To hire a lawyer, talk with other athletes about their experiences and recommendations. If you cannot get a personal referral, visit your state bar website. The state bar will run a lawyer referral service, which usually involves answering a few questions about your legal problem. After you answer the questions, you will receive contact information for qualified attorneys in your area. Your contract with your agent will set out the reasons the agreement can be terminated. This clause is usually termed the "termination clause." Termination clauses take many forms and each one is different. Review your termination clause to determine how the relationship can be ended. Some examples of termination clauses include:  "You agree and understand that the relationship is at-will." In this type of clause, any party can be fired at any time. No notice or reason is necessary. "You agree that either party may terminate this agreement with 90 days notice. If the termination is for cause, either party may terminate the agreement without notice." With this clause, you must notify your agent 90 days before you fire them, unless you are firing them "for cause." For cause is usually defined within the contract or is defined by law. Cause often includes abuse, fraud, or theft. You need to tell your agent why you are firing him or her. Accordingly, you should take some time to sit down and write out the reasons you want to end the relationship. Perhaps you think the agent has not gotten you enough money. Or your agent made a huge mistake which cost you a spot on a team. Whatever the reason, you should write it down. You might be tempted to fire your agent with an email because you want to avoid talking face-to-face. However, you should fire your agent in the same manner that you communicated with your agent. For example, if you and your agent communicated mostly over the phone, then you should fire your agent face-to-face or in a phone call.  Also schedule a meeting if you have had a long relationship with your agent. You shouldn’t end a long business relationship by sending an email or tweet. That would reflect poorly on you. Call your agent and schedule a meeting. State that you want to discuss something important. Your agent might be surprised or even upset that you are ending the relationship. Tempers can flare, but it is important that you try to remain calm. By calming yourself, you can calm your agent. Remember the following:  Try to sit comfortably, using an open-body style. Don’t cross your arms or legs, or angle your body away from your agent. Whenever your agent speaks, make eye contact and nod to show that you are listening. Don’t interrupt. You can summarize what your agent has said. This is important, because people want to be heard. If your agent is angry, say, “I know you are angry. But this is best for me.” However, make sure not to say, “I know what you’re feeling” or “You’ll be happy to be rid of me.” Let your agent be angry without pretending to know what he or she is feeling. It is crucial that you actually say the words, “I am firing you” or “I want to end our business relationship.” Your agent needs to understand that the relationship is over and that there isn’t a chance for the agent to fix something.  Don’t just say, “I’m really unhappy” if you want to fire someone. The agent might think there is a chance to repair the relationship if all you say is you are “unhappy.” Instead, cut to the chase. Say, “Let me get to the point. I have some bad news. I’ve decided to end our business relationship. You are no longer my agent.” Always use the past tense to signal that the decision is final. After firing your agent, you should summarize the conversation in a letter so that you have adequate documentary proof of what you discussed. You don’t have to produce a transcript of the conversation, but you should hit the major points.  You can start the letter by writing, “I’m writing this letter as a follow-up to our conversation on Saturday, when I ended our business relationship.” You should also address any ongoing work that the agent has been performing for you. For example, the agent might have been trying to negotiate an endorsement deal. You will need access to all notes and paperwork related to the negotiations. In your letter, you should request that the agent hand over a copy of your file, so that you can get your new agent up to speed. If you believe your contract was abusive or your agent violated a fiduciary duty owed to you, stole money from you, or engaged in any other reprehensible activity, contact your union if you are part of one. As part of your union membership, you will receive help from your union when something happens. In the case of a bad agent, you may be able to prevent that agent from representing anyone else in the union. In addition, you may be able to file a union complaint.

SUMMARY: Hire a lawyer. Review your contract. Write down your reasons for firing your agent. Schedule a meeting with your agent. Stay calm. Say that you are firing the agent. Follow up with a letter. Contact your union.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Whether someone likes you or not says nothing about you as a person. You are still awesome for all of the same reasons. Do not let her romantic feelings change the way you feel about yourself.   Think about it from her perspective. The more you understand her, the easier it will be to realize that it is not about you.   Avoid jumping to conclusions. You don’t know why she doesn’t like you. Be careful not to assume that it is because of something particular about you. Make some space between you and your immediate reaction. Try to suppress any initial panicked emotions. Realize that your feelings will subside and wait for them to do so before you speak or do anything. Liking yourself is more important than other people liking you. When you truly like yourself, it has an awesome effect- other people want to be around you more.  Speak to yourself as a friend. You should offer yourself the same compassion, love and support you would to a friend who is going through a hard time. Imagine yourself confident and free. In your mind visualize what you would look like if you were perfectly confident and happy. What would you look like? Strive for being that person. Think about that person when you are in doubt about yourself. It is hard to be open and honest with someone you like. If she does not also have a crush on you too, at least now you know. You are in a better position because you don’t have to spend more time wondering about her.  Being open and honest is a good habit to get into. With the next girl you like, you will be better able to interact with her because you had this experience. If you feel like you are not ready to start dating other people, work on yourself. Do not worry about liking someone again until you feeling better.  Go out with your friends. Spend time with good friends who make you feel good about yourself. These people will remind you of your interests and the other things that you love. Distance yourself from her. If you are having a hard time with your emotions, tell her that you’d like some time and space from your relationship. Having her out of your life for the time being will help you focus on you. If you are feeling like you are ready to move on, pursue girls you are interested in. Hang out with groups of people that have new girls. Ask your friends about any get together coming up and attend them.  When you meet a girl you like, ask her for her number. You can be direct and say “I really liked talking to you- can I have your number so we can keep talking?” Go on online dating websites. There are a few free websites that you can join and meet people to date. Lots of people use these applications to find people who share their interests and personality type.

SUMMARY:
Do not take it personally. Work on liking yourself. Feel good about being honest. Take time to get over her. Start talking to new people.