[Power K-Women] Lee Yerang "The Glass Ceiling in Baseball Was Broken Not by Me but by the Players Who Believed in Me"

Yerang Lee, CEO of Rico Sports Agency
Companion in Baseball Players' Challenge to Enter US Major League
"Enjoying the Process of Waiting and Effort, Growing Step by Step"
Invest Time to Understand Your Personality and Choose a Happy Path

"When the moment comes to face reality and feel frustrated, if you stop at thinking you are just unhappy, you become simply an unhappy person. I try to enjoy the process of waiting and making efforts. If not this time, then jump the next time. In the end, I have grown step by step, just like how 'Pok?mon' evolves."

Lee Ye-rang, CEO of Rico Sports Agency, is a figure who accompanies domestic professional baseball players when they challenge to enter the Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States or when they transfer teams. When entering her office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 30th, the uniforms of well-known players both domestic and abroad such as Go Woo-seok, Kim Hyun-soo, and Yang Eui-ji immediately caught the eye. She said they are hung up for players who frequently visit the company. She entered the industry when the concept of an agent was still unfamiliar in Korea. At first, in the baseball world where there were almost no women, she was such a rare figure that when people said 'that woman,' they meant her. She did not hesitate to act as drivers or English tutors for players and built relationships, becoming an indispensable presence in their baseball careers and a trailblazer who recorded a total contract amount exceeding 200 billion won. She did not start as an agent from the beginning. Even after passing 30 years old, she changed her career path to challenge a new job and found a happy job she wanted to do for life.

- Now that the role of sports agents is widely known, what exactly do they do?

▲ Ultimately, it is about contracts and bringing in money. They are people who stay with the player until they earn a lot of money. Professional sports players have a binding period once they sign a contract. In the case of baseball players, they play for one team for a long time, 8 to 9 years, and when they become free agents (FA) for the first time, each contract becomes very special. For office workers, they can choose from hundreds or thousands of companies when changing jobs, but in Korea, there are only 10 professional baseball teams, and even including Japan and the MLB in the U.S., there are only dozens of teams. When people think of agents, money is often emphasized, so they might think agents are only after money, but office workers also work to get paid, and that does not mean they only care about money. It is true that we work to get paid and to earn a lot of money, but personally, I feel proud and take pride in my profession.

- How did you start working as an agent?

▲ I first decided around 2012. I had experience in broadcasting and running an online shopping mall, so I had a lot of social experience. My health deteriorated, and I wanted to study, so I went abroad for studying, and there I encountered sports and opened my eyes. I thought, 'Why are there so few people doing this kind of work in Korea?' and studied a lot. The biggest reason that moved me was that I could do 'meaningful work.' Since I was not a public announcer, I recognized that there would be limits in broadcasting, and I had no regrets or fears about changing my career.

- There still seem to be few women in the agent field. How did you overcome the limitations?

▲ Ten years ago, my nickname was 'that woman.' When people said 'you know that woman,' it was me. Because of the rarity, people remembered me, and I took it positively. Sports are generally male-dominated, and at that time, the agent profession itself was not well known. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) institutionalized agents only in 2018. Regardless of gender, being an agent was difficult. When I explained my job, people called me a broker, and the perception was not good. I was so busy running to break the prejudice that I did not even think about being a woman; I deliberately erased that part. Just because sports are male-dominated does not mean women cannot enter. I think there comes a time when things change. If you do not confine yourself, like how Kim Hyun-soo chose me regardless of gender, you just should not be intimidated or have inferiority complexes.

Lee Yerang, CEO of Rico Sports Agency, is responding to an interview at her office in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. CEO Lee told her female colleagues and juniors, "I hope you understand your own tendencies, invest your time, choose a path that makes you happy, and be satisfied with that path." Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

- You have various experiences. Was there a turning point that made you settle in this profession?

▲ I changed jobs about three times. I did some education business first, and when I moved to broadcasting, people said I was late, but I chose it because I thought I would regret not trying. Each time, I asked myself, 'Will I be happy if I keep this job?' This job is the culmination of all my past jobs. It is important to know yourself when choosing a job. Many people want to enter the sports industry. Among my company staff, someone quit after three months but later joined a large corporation. That person needed the big company label. I thought that choice was right and supported it. It is important to know what you want and what brings you happiness. I have worked for over ten years without regret and do not get tired because I enjoy my work. People around me worry about burnout and advise me to find fun work. But finding other fun work was more stressful. I have no fun if I do not work. I accepted that I am a workaholic and that this is my personality, and that made me feel more comfortable.

- This year, big contracts including Go Woo-seok’s were made one after another. How did you open the way at first?

▲ The breakthrough was with Kim Hyun-soo in 2015. Even I think I was reckless. When I was studying in the U.S. in 2013, I was very lost about how to start. So I took lectures randomly and attended forums. When professors or officials appeared, I greeted them and expressed, 'I want to do this kind of work.' The professors I met introduced me to people in the field, and I contacted many people through Facebook and LinkedIn, building my network for two years. I also connected with Fred Claire, former LA Dodgers general manager, and received a lot of advice. At that time, six or seven Korean teams came for spring training in Arizona, Phoenix, and Tucson. After class, I drove eight hours from LA to meet people I knew, drove people I was introduced to, went shopping with them, and waited persistently to meet players. I used all my connections to meet players. Of course, I had some failures. I even tutored English and did everything I could to recruit players. For Kim Hyun-soo, I mobilized all my connections and prepared for about six months before meeting him. He said he knew about me at that time.

- Is there a contract that you remember most?

▲ Every contract was very difficult. After every contract, I feel chills in cold weather. Go Woo-seok’s contract was urgent, so it is memorable, and Kim Hyun-soo’s contract is also memorable. People outside say I broke the glass ceiling, but I think the players who chose me back then were truly amazing. I had to constantly prove myself. Without those players, I could not have broken the glass ceiling. Now I am recognized in the industry, but back then, when I had achieved nothing, they chose me with trust. I had to prove that trust was right, so I worked even harder. After establishing the corporation and passing ten years, I finally feel like a 'professional' in this field that I wanted so much.

- Why do famous players specifically seek Rico Sports?

▲ Now it is about ability. Before, it was about trust, but trust alone is not enough to work together. The base is ability. I try to think a lot about professional ethics. It is very simple, but no one should be sacrificed, and there should be no conflict of interest. I think about this every day. No player should be sacrificed to anyone in any contract. Players who have lived fiercely since childhood would be horrified if they could not trust their agent. Player Yoo Hee-kwan says he trusts me more than his mother. I talk a lot with players to understand what they want. For player Ahn Chi-hong, we made Korea’s first opt-out contract (a right for the player to exercise an option during the contract). This is very difficult for players. Of course, it is better to have four guaranteed years, but with 2+2, the contract could end after two years. I felt very sorry when I proposed this idea. At that time, I promised this player, 'I will make you earn 10 billion won in your baseball career,' and I have never forgotten that promise. When he moved to Hanwha, I kept that promise.

Lee Yerang, CEO of Rico Sports Agency. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

- Have you ever faced a crisis in life or business?

▲ Every moment felt like a crisis, but rather than thinking of it as a crisis, I tried to analyze and overcome it. I felt it was hard, but once you overcome it, it is not a crisis, so I thought about how to overcome it instead of thinking it was a crisis. There is definitely a way. Usually, when things go well, people get complacent, but I am the type who always wants something, so the moment I try to settle, anxiety rushes in. I feel a sense of crisis then. I try to reorganize and move forward.

- What advice would you give to female colleagues and juniors in society?

▲ I think it is necessary to accept yourself and spend time exploring yourself. You may not like the image you see, but you have to accept it. Some may want a job that looks good to others, and some may want a job where they do not meet many people. I hope people become honest with themselves. Choosing a job is a lifelong matter. Accepting yourself helps when choosing a job. I hope people know their tendencies and invest time. In my case, I came from education and broadcasting to unrelated sports. It was not my major, and I had no seniors, but I started by handing out business cards at forums and facing reality. I spent all the money I earned from working, took out a mortgage on my apartment, and opened a negative bank account, so I was very anxious. But everyone goes through that. Do not make excuses, choose the path that makes you happy, and be satisfied with the path you chose.

CEO Lee Ye-rang is

a Korean sports agent. As the CEO of Rico Sports Agency, she is also called 'Korea’s Scott Boras.' In the past nine years (2015?2023), the total amount of baseball player FA and salary contracts she has handled reached 243.3 billion won. In 2015, she made headlines by successfully signing Kim Hyun-soo to a two-year, $7 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles, including a minor league veto. Ahead of the 2023 season, she returned Yang Eui-ji to his original team, Doosan Bears, with a KBO League FA contract worth up to 15.2 billion won over 4+2 years, the highest ever. Earlier this year, she secured a 2+1 year contract worth a total of $9.4 million (with $4.5 million guaranteed for two years) for Go Woo-seok with the San Diego Padres in the U.S.