One thing I think has gotten lost in this process: one reason Sherman negotiated himself was because he feels agents not only don't negotiate in the bests interests of the players, but also that they take a cut. Unless we know what an agent's cut would have been of his Alternate World Agent-Negotiated Contract, it's even harder to assess. In that sense, two contracts with a $ value attached aren't actually apples to apples if one has to include an agent-cut and the other doesn't.
Incidentally, there's a recent episode of the Podcast Planet Money that examined this in the context of Hollywood screenwriters, who felt their agents (who often now own production companies the writers are negotiating with) were screwing them on deals - one day approx. 7,000 writers fired their agents en masse!
Generally, speaking, I'm supportive of Sherman if for no other reason than that highlighting some of these issues is not only good for young players to pay attention to, but for the game and for fans in general. There are an awful lot of middlemen in pro sports (and in all entertainment industries) looking to take their cut.
Incidentally, there's a recent episode of the Podcast Planet Money that examined this in the context of Hollywood screenwriters, who felt their agents (who often now own production companies the writers are negotiating with) were screwing them on deals - one day approx. 7,000 writers fired their agents en masse!
Generally, speaking, I'm supportive of Sherman if for no other reason than that highlighting some of these issues is not only good for young players to pay attention to, but for the game and for fans in general. There are an awful lot of middlemen in pro sports (and in all entertainment industries) looking to take their cut.