Sports agents came about in the seventies when salaries started to raise to levels not before dreamed. Today Sports agencies do more then just contract negotiations. They help players manage their money, help them investment it for the future after sports. They help players to get endorsement money by promoting their players. These aspects of a sports agents job are the good sides, however they have affected the game and changed it to what it is today.
Most players play pro baseball because they love it.
Many are more concerned with personal stats rather than if there team wins or loses. Players back in the day, when they were making peanuts compared to today's players, played played to win. They played for the love of the game and the fame that came along with being a major league baseball player. The movie Jerry Magwire is a great movie. An aspect of the movie that is not looked at by most people is the differences in Jerry after writing his mission statement and his boss.