Alumni Spotlight: Anthony Johnson ‘10

By Allison Eatough ‘97

Ever since he was a teenager, Anthony Johnson ’10 has wanted a career in sports management. 

But it wasn’t until the former Individual Studies Program (IVSP) student completed his senior thesis that he knew just how far he would go.

“My thesis topic was the racial disparities of African Americans in sports, especially in leadership and managerial roles,” he said. “People of color are not operating in these roles but they are essentially the drivers of these leagues… That fueled the fire for me. I realized this was something that needed to change.”

So in February 2019, Johnson became a certified agent with the National Basketball Players Association – the union for current professional basketball players in the National Basketball Association (NBA). As an agent, he can negotiate athletes’ contracts with NBA franchises. 

Johnson founded his sports management company, Renaissance Sports Group, in May 2019 and is in the process of signing his first athletes. 

“I believe changes are needed within the athlete-agent community,” Johnson said. “Athletes are still going broke often, and the racial disparities among the sports management community are still prevalent. My role as a sports agent enables me to actively work towards absolving these issues.”

Along with his sports management company, Johnson has more than a decade of marketing and social media experience. His history with entrepreneurship and social impact dates back to 2012, when he founded Male Enterprise Network (MEN), a nonprofit organization to empower minority business professionals. Then in 2013, Johnson founded Magnepels, an accessory company that sells magnetic lapel flowers and pins for men and women. While MEN is no longer hosting events, Magnepels has grown throughout the past seven years. The company has products in eight stores and annual sales reaching between $15,000 and $20,000, Johnson said.

Still, he said his passion is uplifting others. That’s why Johnson founded Renaissance Sports Group with athletes’ artistic, intellectual, entrepreneurial and athletic abilities in mind.

“I am well aware one cannot change the world or an industry overnight, but we can take daily steps towards progress,” he said.

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