Top 10 Best Sports Agencies In USA 2026

The top 10 best sports agencies in the USA for 2026 are defined by one number above all others: commission value. According to Forbes' 2025 "Most Valuable Sports Agencies" report, CAA Sports alone carries a maximum commission base of $1.14 billion, up 18% from three years earlier. That figure sets the scale for the rest of the industry, where a handful of firms control the contracts, marketing deals, and media rights behind America's biggest athletes.

Our ranking weighs agency value, commission revenue, and breadth of client representation. The list runs from full-service giants that touch every major league to marketing-first operations that shape sponsorship strategy rather than player contracts. Several names here also appear in our coverage of sports marketing firms and athlete brand partnerships, which we reference where relevant.

How We Ranked These

We built this list from Forbes' 2025 valuation of sports agencies, cross-checked against industry top-agency surveys published by Sortlist and SuperbCompanies and other published agency rankings. Commission value carried the most weight, followed by the number of active clients and contracts, multi-sport reach, and strength in marketing or media rights. Agencies focused mainly on representation rank above marketing-first firms of similar size. Data reflects 2025 through early 2026.

The List Of The Top 10 Best Sports Agencies In USA 2026:

1. CAA Sports (Creative Artists Agency)

For the third consecutive ranking cycle, CAA Sports holds the No. 1 spot among the most valuable sports agencies in the country. Forbes pegs its maximum commission base at $1.14 billion, an 18% increase over three years prior and a margin wide enough that no rival comes close.

The roster spans NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL players, plus coaches, broadcasters, and team executives. CAA Sports has negotiated some of the largest free-agent contracts in professional sports history, and its marketing division connects clients with blue-chip sponsors. Scale is the advantage here. When an agency represents talent across every major league, it can move a client from a rookie endorsement to a nine-figure contract without ever handing the relationship to another firm.

That cross-sport reach is why CAA sits at the top of nearly every industry valuation. It's also why competitors study its deal structures so closely.

2. Wasserman

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Wasserman has built one of the most diversified portfolios in sports representation. Forbes consistently places it among the top two most valuable agencies, and the firm's multi-billion-dollar representation business covers football, baseball, basketball, golf, and soccer.

Baseball and soccer are where Wasserman is strongest. Founder Casey Wasserman has grown the company through a series of acquisitions, folding marketing, media rights, and brand consulting into the same operation. Clients include MVPs, All-Stars, and Olympic medalists. The breadth matters: a soccer client with crossover appeal can be positioned for U.S. sponsorship deals through the same shop that handles the representation contract.

What separates Wasserman from CAA is emphasis. Where CAA leads on raw commission volume, Wasserman leads on the number of sports it can credibly serve at an elite level.

3. Excel Sports Management

Founded in 2002 by Jeff Schwartz, Excel Sports Management started as a golf-focused shop and grew into one of the most respected agencies in the country. Forbes ranks it among the top five most valuable sports agencies, a standing built on a deliberately curated client list rather than sheer volume.

Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning (retired) headline a roster that runs deep in golf, basketball, and baseball. Excel's reputation rests on per-client value. The agency represents fewer athletes than the giants above it, but the ones it signs tend to be among the highest earners in their sports. Its marketing partnerships practice handles some of the biggest names in global golf.

For athletes weighing representation, Excel represents the boutique-to-major path: smaller roster, more senior attention, comparable deal outcomes at the top end.

4. IMG (Endeavor/TKO Group)

IMG's history stretches back to 1960, making it the oldest name on this list. Today it operates under TKO Group Holdings following the Endeavor restructuring, and its business looks different from a pure representation firm. IMG runs events, media rights, and college sports marketing through IMG College and Learfield, alongside its athlete representation arm.

Industry surveys rank its marketing agency among the top in the U.S. The Endeavor integration gave IMG access to media, entertainment, and sponsorship assets that standalone agencies can't match. Representation is one piece of a much larger machine, which is why IMG lands at No. 4 rather than higher despite its infrastructure advantage.

For brands and leagues, IMG is often the first call on media rights. For individual athletes, it's a powerful but less singular option than the firms ranked above it.

5. Octagon (IPG)

Owned by Interpublic Group, Octagon represents more than 1,000 athletes and personalities across 20-plus sports. That client count is among the largest of any agency on this list, and it reflects Octagon's strength in sports where individual representation is fragmented: golf, motorsports, tennis, and Olympic disciplines.

The brand-consulting side of the business works with major corporate sponsors on activation and sponsorship strategy, which gives Octagon a view into both sides of a deal. Long-standing Olympic and golf relationships provide international reach that few U.S. agencies can replicate. Octagon is a perennial fixture in industry top-agency rankings for good reason.

Its global footprint makes it a natural fit for athletes with international sponsorship potential, particularly in Olympic sports where U.S. media exposure alone won't maximize earnings.

6. WME Sports (William Morris Endeavor)

WME Sports is the athletics division of the WME talent agency, and it borrows heavily from the parent company's playbook. The firm has become especially strong in NBA player representation and sports media talent, representing broadcasters and on-air personalities alongside active players.

The entertainment-industry connection is the differentiator. WME's film, television, and music clients create brand-building opportunities for athletes that a traditional sports agency can't easily replicate. Multiple max-contract NBA clients sit on the roster, and Forbes ranks the agency among the top by total commission value.

Growth in basketball representation has been rapid. WME Sports hasn't been in the athlete business as long as CAA or Wasserman, but the parent company's resources have compressed the timeline considerably.

7. Klutch Sports Group (United Talent Agency)

Rich Paul founded Klutch Sports Group in 2012 with a single high-profile client: LeBron James. Fourteen years later, the firm represents a significant share of NBA players and has expanded into NFL and MLB representation. United Talent Agency acquired Klutch in 2019, giving it Hollywood-scale resources and cross-industry reach.

Klutch's reputation is built on aggressive, player-empowerment deal-making. The agency has negotiated numerous max and supermax contracts, and its influence in NBA circles extends well beyond the number of clients it represents. The sport mix is narrower than the legacy giants, which is the main reason it sits at No. 7 despite outsized per-client contract values.

For NBA players in particular, Klutch's track record speaks for itself. The question for the firm is whether it can replicate that league-level influence in football and baseball.

8. Priority Sports & Entertainment

Mark Bartelstein founded Priority Sports in 1985, and the Chicago-based agency remains one of the largest independently owned firms in the country. It represents more than 300 NFL, NBA, and MLB clients, and it consistently ranks among the top agencies by number of active player contracts in football and basketball.

Independence is central to the pitch. Without a parent conglomerate, Priority has flexibility in deal structures and client service that publicly traded owners may not allow. The firm's reputation for long-term client loyalty is unusual in an industry known for turnover. Its baseball division has grown into a notable MLB practice in its own right.

Priority won't top a commission-value ranking, but on contract volume it competes with anyone. That volume translates into steady, diversified revenue across three leagues.

9. Roc Nation Sports

Jay-Z founded Roc Nation Sports in 2013, and the agency has grown into a recognized multi-sport operation representing NFL, NBA, and MLB clients alongside a boxing practice. The value proposition is cultural: Roc Nation connects athletes with music, branding, and lifestyle opportunities that sit outside traditional endorsements.

Boxing promotion and brand partnerships have been particularly active areas for the firm. For athletes who want to build a personal brand with entertainment crossover, Roc Nation offers something the legacy agencies don't replicate easily. The commission base remains smaller than the firms ranked above it, which caps its position on this list.

Steady growth since 2013 has moved Roc Nation from curiosity to genuine player in multi-sport representation. The next phase will test whether cultural reach converts into contract-market share.

10. Dentsu Sports (Dentsu Group)

Dentsu Sports is the sports marketing arm of Japanese advertising giant Dentsu Group, and it rounds out this list with a marketing-first profile. The firm works with major leagues, teams, and brands on sponsorship strategy and activation, and it appears in industry rankings of top U.S. sports marketing agencies.

Athlete representation is a smaller part of the business than at the firms above. What Dentsu brings instead is global network capability in international sports properties, including Olympic and soccer marketing. For brands seeking sponsorship consulting with worldwide reach, that's a compelling offer. For athletes seeking a lead negotiator on contracts, it's a secondary consideration.

The No. 10 placement reflects that distinction. Dentsu's marketing and rights expertise earns it a top-10 spot, but the ranking criteria favor representation-heavy firms at the top.

The gap between No. 1 and No. 10 is enormous. CAA Sports' $1.14 billion commission base dwarfs the marketing-led operations at the bottom of this list, and the Forbes data shows the top firms pulling further ahead. CAA's 18% three-year growth is a signal that the largest agencies are compounding their advantage, not ceding ground to smaller rivals.