Nate Shaffer: The Pickleball Agent Who Never Planned to Be One
The Agent Who Never Planned to Be One
Nate Shaffer came from finance, not from sports. Today his agency, S², represents pickleball players from nine countries, an NFL legend picking up a paddle and a simple idea: you cannot represent someone if you only know their résumé.
By DINK Authority Editorial Team
Behind almost every professional athlete there is someone the fans never see. Someone who reads the contracts, answers the calls, finds the sponsors and says no to the wrong opportunities so the player can say yes to the right ones.
In pickleball, a sport growing faster than its own business structures, that person is still a luxury. Many players, especially those arriving from outside the United States, compete without one.
Nate Shaffer is one of the people trying to change that. And he got here by accident.
From finance to the locker room
"My career started in finance, not sports," Shaffer says. "I didn't have a long-term plan to become an agent or build a sports and entertainment agency. That part of my career grew out of the relationships I made along the way."
The first of those relationships was with Adrian Peterson, the former Georgia Southern and Chicago Bears running back. A friendship became a professional partnership, and Shaffer became his agent. He found that the two worlds had more in common than he expected.
"Both businesses depend on trust, relationships, communication and knowing how to handle opportunities when they come along," he says.
More athletes followed, among them Ulrick John, a Super Bowl LIII champion with the New England Patriots. Out of that work came S² Sports & Entertainment.
Relationships first, business later
Ask Shaffer how he signs clients and he tells stories that do not sound like business at all.
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
He met musician Kyle Bradley when Bradley was playing a rooftop bar in Savannah. They became friends. Bradley played at Shaffer's wedding. Only later did Shaffer become his manager. "There wasn't a calculated business plan behind it," he says. "We knew each other, trusted each other, and over time it made sense for us to work together."
With defensive lineman Warren Brinson, the relationship lasted through all five of his years at the University of Georgia and into the day he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers.
"Being involved with someone's career for that long gives you a completely different perspective than simply coming in once he reaches the professional level," Shaffer says.
Pickleball, the surprise
As S² grew, professional pickleball became one of the biggest parts of the agency, and the most international.
Its roster includes Shelby Bates, a World Cup of Pickleball champion and captain with Team USA, who won the women's doubles gold medal at the APP Columbus Open on October 4. It includes Louis Laville, whom the agency describes as Europe's top-ranked player, with gold medals on six continents and 100 in his career. It includes Jhonnatan Medina Alvarez, men's singles gold medalist at the PPA Barcelona 250, and Paula Rives, both 2024 European champions with Spain; Olivia McMillan, silver medalist in women's doubles in Barcelona; and Anderson Scarpa, a Triple Crown winner at the PPA Challenger in Maine.
It also includes players the agency presents as the No. 1 of their countries or regions: Daniel De La Rosa of Mexico, Chris Crouch of Australia and Anouar Braham of Africa. British Olympic medalist Gail Emms is part of the roster as well.
And then there is Terrell Owens. Shaffer recently began managing the pickleball career of one of the most recognizable names in NFL history. "Having T.O. competing in and investing his time in pickleball is another example of how quickly the sport is expanding," he says.
In total, S² represents professional athletes from Australia, India, Mexico, Brazil, England, Chile, Bulgaria, the United States and Puerto Rico.
"That international growth has probably been one of the things I least expected when all of this began," Shaffer says. "What started with relationships in the Southeast has turned into working with athletes from completely different backgrounds and cultures."
What an agent actually does
For a player who has never had representation, Shaffer's description of the job is a useful place to start.
"An athlete still needs someone who understands what they are trying to accomplish, can help identify the right opportunities and can handle the business side of a career that is often moving very quickly," he says.
The agency's work now reaches beyond sports, to NASCAR driver Gray Gaulding, celebrity chef Noah Sims and talent in music and entertainment. The audiences are different. The first step is not.
"It is difficult to represent somebody well if you only know their résumé," Shaffer says.
He is quick to share the credit. S² works alongside entertainment lawyer Charlie Schmitt, whose career includes work with NFL Properties, MLB, the NHL and the LPGA Tour. "S² couldn't have been successful without his leadership and guidance," Shaffer says.
The agency keeps growing. Shaffer says he does not want that to change how it works.
"For me, it still comes down to knowing the people you represent and being someone they can trust. That's how I got into this business, and it's how I want to keep building it."
We met Nate while he was doing his job. Today the athletes in his portfolio have a place in our issues and in our daily news. But this time we felt it was important for our readers to know that there are other angles, and other people, helping the pickleball ecosystem grow. See you in the next issue.
Follow S² Sports & Entertainment on Instagram: @s2sportsagency
The Agent Who Never Planned to Be One
Nate Shaffer came from finance, not from sports. Today his agency, S², represents pickleball players from nine countries, an NFL legend picking up a paddle and a simple idea: you cannot represent someone if you only know their résumé.
By DINK Authority Editorial Team
Behind almost every professional athlete there is someone the fans never see. Someone who reads the contracts, answers the calls, finds the sponsors and says no to the wrong opportunities so the player can say yes to the right ones.
In pickleball, a sport growing faster than its own business structures, that person is still a luxury. Many players, especially those arriving from outside the United States, compete without one.
Nate Shaffer is one of the people trying to change that. And he got here by accident.
From finance to the locker room
"My career started in finance, not sports," Shaffer says. "I didn't have a long-term plan to become an agent or build a sports and entertainment agency. That part of my career grew out of the relationships I made along the way."
The first of those relationships was with Adrian Peterson, the former Georgia Southern and Chicago Bears running back. A friendship became a professional partnership, and Shaffer became his agent. He found that the two worlds had more in common than he expected.
Current Issue
Domenika Turkovic: Fighting Her Own Demons
Read Now →
"Both businesses depend on trust, relationships, communication and knowing how to handle opportunities when they come along," he says.
More athletes followed, among them Ulrick John, a Super Bowl LIII champion with the New England Patriots. Out of that work came S² Sports & Entertainment.
Relationships first, business later
Ask Shaffer how he signs clients and he tells stories that do not sound like business at all.
LOVE PICKLEBALL?
Get Dink Authority Magazine updates, new editions, pro stories and event alerts.
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.
He met musician Kyle Bradley when Bradley was playing a rooftop bar in Savannah. They became friends. Bradley played at Shaffer's wedding. Only later did Shaffer become his manager. "There wasn't a calculated business plan behind it," he says. "We knew each other, trusted each other, and over time it made sense for us to work together."
With defensive lineman Warren Brinson, the relationship lasted through all five of his years at the University of Georgia and into the day he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers.
"Being involved with someone's career for that long gives you a completely different perspective than simply coming in once he reaches the professional level," Shaffer says.
Pickleball, the surprise
As S² grew, professional pickleball became one of the biggest parts of the agency, and the most international.
Its roster includes Shelby Bates, a World Cup of Pickleball champion and captain with Team USA, who won the women's doubles gold medal at the APP Columbus Open on October 4. It includes Louis Laville, whom the agency describes as Europe's top-ranked player, with gold medals on six continents and 100 in his career. It includes Jhonnatan Medina Alvarez, men's singles gold medalist at the PPA Barcelona 250, and Paula Rives, both 2024 European champions with Spain; Olivia McMillan, silver medalist in women's doubles in Barcelona; and Anderson Scarpa, a Triple Crown winner at the PPA Challenger in Maine.
It also includes players the agency presents as the No. 1 of their countries or regions: Daniel De La Rosa of Mexico, Chris Crouch of Australia and Anouar Braham of Africa. British Olympic medalist Gail Emms is part of the roster as well.
And then there is Terrell Owens. Shaffer recently began managing the pickleball career of one of the most recognizable names in NFL history. "Having T.O. competing in and investing his time in pickleball is another example of how quickly the sport is expanding," he says.
In total, S² represents professional athletes from Australia, India, Mexico, Brazil, England, Chile, Bulgaria, the United States and Puerto Rico.
"That international growth has probably been one of the things I least expected when all of this began," Shaffer says. "What started with relationships in the Southeast has turned into working with athletes from completely different backgrounds and cultures."
What an agent actually does
For a player who has never had representation, Shaffer's description of the job is a useful place to start.
"An athlete still needs someone who understands what they are trying to accomplish, can help identify the right opportunities and can handle the business side of a career that is often moving very quickly," he says.
The agency's work now reaches beyond sports, to NASCAR driver Gray Gaulding, celebrity chef Noah Sims and talent in music and entertainment. The audiences are different. The first step is not.
"It is difficult to represent somebody well if you only know their résumé," Shaffer says.
He is quick to share the credit. S² works alongside entertainment lawyer Charlie Schmitt, whose career includes work with NFL Properties, MLB, the NHL and the LPGA Tour. "S² couldn't have been successful without his leadership and guidance," Shaffer says.
The agency keeps growing. Shaffer says he does not want that to change how it works.
"For me, it still comes down to knowing the people you represent and being someone they can trust. That's how I got into this business, and it's how I want to keep building it."
We met Nate while he was doing his job. Today the athletes in his portfolio have a place in our issues and in our daily news. But this time we felt it was important for our readers to know that there are other angles, and other people, helping the pickleball ecosystem grow. See you in the next issue.
Follow S² Sports & Entertainment on Instagram: @s2sportsagency
