Disruptive Sports co-founded by Henry Organ and Hector Rivas is here to put their stamp on the industry. Organ a Black man and Rivas who is of Guatemalan heritage have come across a few challenges as people of color in the business. They have created Disruptive Sports to empower the athlete. Rolling out spoke with Organ and Rivas about some of their challenges, why they started the agency and how athletes have responded so far.
Talk about what inspired Disruptive Sports Agency.
Henry: I was inspired to launch Disruptive after seeing a sector that is broken. Over 78 percent of athletes go broke after two and a half years with the majority being men of color. In addition to minority agents, there also has to be change from the top down meaning minority ownership. In order to make a true difference, we have to see diversity in all facets of the industry.
Hector: I’ve had success starting and running numerous companies and I wanted to use my business experience to help athletes build a successful brand and create generational wealth.
What were some of the challenges you experienced at the inception.
Henry: The biggest challenge we faced while launching Disruptive was that we were in the midst of the pandemic. During this time, a significant number of top draft picks declared before they even played their junior and senior season which made it challenging for numerous reasons including signing players early and throwing off our projections and budgeting forecasts.
How has it been navigating the sports industry as people of color?
Henry: Navigating the sports industry as people of color has been tough. Being an agent is showcasing to players that the bigger agency’s ice isn’t colder than ours in a business of perception that is oftentimes false. They can get you paid just as well as I can get you paid and we can compete with the big budgets that they have.
Hector: We are trying to lead by example. Although minority players account for 76 percent of the rosters in the NFL, only 6 percent of NFL teams are owned by people of color. We want our clients to see a company successfully run by minorities.
How have athletes responded to your company?
Henry: I think there’s something to be said that in the first year of our company we signed two veterans and negotiated a multi-million-dollar second contract for one of our veterans in a down salary cap year.
Hector: It’s been overwhelmingly positive. It’s such an advantage to meet an athlete face-to-face because they can sense the genuine concern we have for their success on and off the field.
What is the true function of a sports agency?
Hector: At Disruptive, we want to set our athletes up for success. We want to help build their brand, educate them on financial literacy, and source business deals with an emphasis on equity acquisition.
