Mitchell Report and Regent Law

The Mitchell Report highlights what’s wrong with baseball, but Regent is in the middle of what’s right with baseball.

The Mitchell Report today focuses on the controversy over performance-enhancing drugs. At the behest of Congress, and the request of Major League Baseball, former Senator George Mitchell released his report “exposing a serious drug culture within baseball, from top to bottom.” Sports World Poised for Drug Report, Virginian Pilot at A1, Dec. 13, 2007. See www.pilotonline.com for the complete report. But see also www.vb.beaconsports.com , Baseball’s problems and controversies aired, by John Streit, for some of the games’ positives, even in the midst of these controversies. Streit highlights some Hampton Roads area players and reports on the candid discourse with local baseball players, coaches, agents and executives at the recent Virginia Beach Sports Club annual Hot Stove Night event. A Regent Law alum was a major part of the main event, highlighting the positive forward look on baseball having everything to do with the kind of person who plays and does business in the game.

“Keynote speaker, local baseball agent and Regent University alum Joe Kohm spoke of the struggle between the major league players’ union and team ownership, how salaries skyrocketed due to free agency, and the relationship between competitive balance and team payroll. …‘We need not look further than this room to see that there’s a bright future for baseball,’ Kohm said. ‘The young men seated here are evidence of that.’” The Hampton Roads area has produced numerous baseball stars, many of which Kohm has represented. Having graduated from the law school in 1996, Kohm has worked as a sports attorney and agent in baseball since 1999. His agency, Diakon Baseball Group, provides representation in contract negotiations and endorsement opportunities, while advising players and potential players through the difficult labyrinth of the business of baseball. Diakon, the Latin word for service, works to respect the game of baseball by quality client representation that exudes integrity. He has taught Sports Law at Regent for the past three years.

Pointing out what’s right with baseball is not arduous for Kohm because he sees the hope in his clients who take the field. And his clients, colleagues and competitors alike appreciate the integrity with which he conducts himself and his business. “I’m accountable to God first and foremost, in my business relationships, and in every area of my life.”

While the Mitchell Report highlights what’s wrong with baseball, what is right with baseball is those who make a difference with the integrity of their work.