雙語冰球｜經紀人過早介入青少年球員及其家庭

雙語資料庫

1. Marginal player 邊緣球員

2. Hockey agent／recruiter 冰球經紀人

3. NHLPA = National Hockey League Players’ Association 北美冰球聯盟球員工會

4. Curb 控制，限制，約束（不好的事情） e.g. curb the temper 控制脾氣

5. Elite 精英 e.g. an elite hockey player 一名精英冰球運動員

6. Be/become accustomed to (doing) sth. 習慣於（做）某事

7. Anonymity 匿名

8. Pseudo 假的，冒牌的

9. Tournament 錦標賽

10. Coincide （兩件或更多的事情）同時發生

最後，為了大家更好的理解本篇文章，除了大家都熟悉的NHL（北美冰球聯盟），小編再帶大家了解一下CHL的相關內容。

CHL（Canadian Hockey League）中文是加拿大冰球聯盟，它是一個主要為16到20歲精英青少年冰球運動員提供平台的綜合性組織，下屬有三個聯盟，Western Hockey League、Ontario Hockey League和Quebec Major Hockey League。CHL建立於1975年，其前身是Canadian Major Junior Hockey League。直到2016-2017賽季，這三個聯賽一共有60支球隊代表9個加拿大省份（其中52支球隊）和4個美國大州（其中8支球隊）。

正文分割線

在想得到天才球員的戰爭中，經紀人們甚至在孩子們還未到青少年時就開始聯繫他們了。現在是不是應該對這種“追逐”有所管理了？

In the war to secure talent, agents are going after kids before they even hit their teens. Is it time to curb the chase?

在多倫多，現在有個男孩在打少年聯賽，你也許從來沒有聽說過他，但也許不久之後你就會了。然而，他也可能在三年之內不再打冰球，或者在青年或大學聯賽里成為邊緣球員。我們決定不公布他的名字，但他現在真的非常非常棒。他正在多倫多的一個精英冰球學校，努力跳過自己的年齡組去到GreaterToronto Hockey League最好的AAA組織之一。他身強體壯，技術嫻熟，前途一片光明。

There is a boy playing minor hockey in Toronto you haven’t heard about yet but probably will before too long. Then again, he could be out of hockey in three years or become a marginal player in junior or college hockey. We have chosen to not publish his name. But he’s very, very good. He’s attending an elite hockey academy in Toronto and is thriving a year above his age bracket for oneof the top Triple-A organizations in the Greater Toronto Hockey League. He’s big and he’s skilled and he has lots of promise.

他也僅僅才12歲。他的家人也一直不斷接到來自球員經紀人的電話，包括那些已經擁有很多上百萬身價球員的經紀人們。他也不是唯一的。球員們，特別是在加拿大最大城市的球員，都已經習慣於在他們13、14歲時被經紀人們聯繫，其中有些人已經有經紀人了。

He’s also just 12 years old. And his family has been getting calls from player agents. The same agents who represent multimillionaires playing in the NHL have been contacting the parents of a 12-year-old kid. And he’s not the only one. Players, particularly in Canada’s biggest city, have become accustomed to being contacted by agents during their bantam years, (ages 13 and 14) and some of them already have representatives.

“他是人們公認的‘下一代巨星,’”來自M-Five Sports 的球員經紀人AntonThun說道。“人們覺得他可能成為下一個Connor McDavid或者John Tavares。很多經紀人公司都和那個家庭的人聊過了，老實說，我們也和他們談過。我們給了一些關於我們的信息，讓他知道我們是存在的。我們不會允許其他經紀人公司到我們‘後院’來搶走我們最好的球員。”

“He’s the one people think is ‘The Next One,’” said Anton Thun, a longtime player agent M-Five Sports. “People think he might be the next Connor McDavid or John Tavares. Numerous agencies have spoken with the family and, quite honestly, we have spoken with the family. We’ve gotten information into his hands to let him know we exist. We’re not going to let other agencies come into our backyard and take the best player.”

另一位要求匿名的經紀人說，“這很殘忍，但我也沒辦法，我不想去做但是如果我不做，我就沒有生意可做了。現在可不是誰先贏的問題，現在是誰下手快的時代。

Said another agent who requested anonymity, “It’s brutal and it’s getting out of hand. I don’t want to do it, but if I don’t, I’m going to be out of business. Now it’s not about who wins the battle, but who gets there first.”

到底認證和管理球員經紀人的NHL球員工會會不會對此採取行動我們尚且不知道。設置“年齡限制”是在NHL球員工會夏季經紀人見面會上是一個受到熱烈討論的話題，工會也曾向經紀人們發送了一封公函來決定這項事宜是否應該被商議。作為自己任命的冒牌經紀人管理機構，NHL這次似乎是唯一能讓經紀人自救的組織機構了。

Whether the NHL Players’ Association, which certifies and regulates player agents, is prepared to do something about it remains to be seen. Setting age restrictions was a hot topic at the NHLPA’s meeting with agents in the summer, and the union has since sent out a missive to agents to determine whether it’s an issue that needs to be addressed. And as the self-appointed pseudo-governing body foragents, it appears the NHLPA is the only institution that can save the agents from themselves on this one.

“針對招募新球員的年齡限制的問題要暫時擱置一下，因為在冰球峰會上討論選秀年齡和發展正在進行中，”NHL球員工會發言人在郵件中說道，意味着今年夏天舉辦的HockeySENSE會議青少年冰球將會成為花時間第二多的一項議題。

“The matter of the age restriction regarding recruiting is something that is somewhat on hold while the Hockey Summit discussions regarding draft age, development are ongoing,” said an NHLPA spokesman in an email, referring to the Hockey SENSE meetings that took place this summer, the second of which spent agood chunk of time focused on youth hockey.

作為一個組織，經紀人們在聯繫球員們的時候也想要有一個年齡限制。第一，這創造了人人機會都均等的局面。這同樣意味着經紀人可以花時間做更高效的事情，而不是僅僅在當地的場館追逐那些13、14歲的球員們。他們給球員們發展的時間越多，每個人犯錯誤的機會就會越少。

As a group, the agents want to have age limits put on them when it comes to contacting prospects. For one, it levels the playing field for everyone. And it also means they can spend their time doing more productive things than chasing bantam players around cold local arenas. The longer they give players to develop, the less chance there is for a mistake to be made by everyone involved.

“在1980年代，我們招募18歲的孩子們，”Thun說道，“但現在我卻被叫去看一場13或14歲孩子們打的冰球比賽。”

“Back in the 1980s, we recruited 18-year-old kids,” Thun said, “but now I’m being asked to go watch a hockey game where there’s a 13- or 14-year-old kid.”

唯一的問題是如果有一兩個無賴的經紀人僅僅在青少年時期去追逐那些孩子們，每個經紀人都會被迫去那樣做，那麼就可能錯過最好的球員們。這和如何引導NHL工資帽的原理是一樣的。在美國大學球隊招募球員時沒有年齡限制，也有孩子僅僅在青少年時期就參加了不同的項目，雖然在選擇進入Major Junior Hockey或者NCAA時，他們承諾他們沒有和經紀人有所綁定。WHL有青少年選秀，人們也經常談到說OHL會跟風。所以我們可以發現年輕的球員被期待做出重大的決定，包括他們是否需要經紀人或者家庭顧問。

The only problem is that if one or two rogue agents chase after kids barely in their teens, everyone is forced to do it or risk missing out on the best players. It’s pretty much the same principle that guides the salary cap in the NHL. There’s no age limit on when U.S. college teams can recruit players, and there have been examples of kids barely in their teens committing to programs –albeit making commitments that are not binding when it comes to choosing between major junior hockey and the NCAA. The WHL has a bantam draft, and thereis always talk the OHL might follow suit. So young kids are being expected to make monumental decisions, including whether they need an agent or family advisor.

但像其他事情一樣，在處理年輕球員時還做的不錯。瑞典在處理這個問題上有一個很好的方法。在瑞典大概有50個球員經紀人，他們與瑞典球員的組織也一個協議，就是他們不能在球員們滿16歲那一年的一月一日之前找他們，這與球員們第一次有機會進國家隊的時間相重合。每年秋天，國家都會舉行電視轉播的冰球錦標賽來找到最好的15歲以下的球員們。這基本上就是第一次那些精英球員們的亮相，然後到一月，他們就可以聯繫經紀人了。在規定時間前直接或間接的聯繫球員的經紀人第一次將會受到警告，第二次被罰款，第三次就有可能被吊銷執照。

But like so many other things it does well when it comes to dealing with young players, Sweden appears to have come up with a great way of dealing with this problem. There are about 50 agents/recruiters in Sweden, and they have an agreement with the Swedish players’ association that they cannot approach or be approached by any player prior to Jan. 1 of the year he turns 16. That coincides with the first time they have an opportunity to be selected for anational team. Every fall, the country holds its annual TV Puck tournament featuring the best 15-and-under players. That’s basically the first time elite players are identified, and by January, they can make contact with an agent. Agents who directly or indirectly contact players prior to the set date are first warned, then fined, then risk having their licenses revoked.

同樣經紀人也會和瑞典冰球協會合作，一同制裁、約束和懲罰那些通常過度聲勢浩大自行聯繫經紀人或已經簽過合同的球員家長們。

And the agents are also working with the Swedish Ice Hockey Federation to try toput sanctions in place that penalize players whose (often overaggressive) parents reach out to agents or sign an agreement with one.

“如果我接到一個家長為了找經紀人的電話，第一件事我會問‘所以，你們沒有經紀人嗎？’”瑞典長期的一位CAA經紀人Claes Elefalk說道。“第二個問題是，‘他多大了？’如果答案是還沒有到今年將滿16歲的情況，我就必須說，‘噢，我們有規定，我必須馬上掛電話了，你只能在之後才能打給我。’我甚至不能被允許與他們交談超過五分鐘、發郵件或做其他的事兒。我必須說這個方法在瑞典是很管用的。”

“If I get a call from a parent looking for an agent, the first thing I ask, ‘So,you don’t have an agent?’ ”said longtime Sweden-based agent Claes Elefalk of CAA. “The second question is, ‘How old is he?’ And if it’s before Jan. 1 of theyear he turns 16, I have to say, ‘Oh, we have a rule that means I need to hang up the phone immediately and you can only call me back the first of January.’ I’m not allowed to even speak for five minutes or send an email or anything. I must say it has been working really well in Sweden.”