Matthew Gaeta, an alumnus of the NYU SPS Preston Robert Tisch Institute for Global Sport, was recently named to Sports Business Journal's (SBJ) “2020 New Voices Under 30” list of rising professionals within the sports industry. Gaeta, who earned a BS in Sports Management in 2017, is founder of Gaeta Sports Management (GSM) and is a Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) Certified Agent, one of the youngest certified agents in the sport’s history. He and his fellow honorees were recognized at an SBJ event on December 15, 2020.
Gaeta also was awarded “Sports Agent of the Year” for 2020 by the sports media outlet PGSports. He was in great company with others like Tom Brady, Renne Montgomery, and Marshawn Lynch, who also received awards.
A sports enthusiast, Gaeta, 25, grew up playing baseball, basketball, and hockey in Lincroft, NJ. He was recruited as a student-athlete to the NYU baseball team and selected the Tisch Institute’s undergraduate program for its mix of academic study and professional applications.
Noting that NYU SPS has been integral to his growth, he stated, “SPS provided me with the invaluable opportunity to learn from professors who worked with major organizations such as ESPN, the US Olympic Committee, and the National Basketball Association. I was able to absorb practical and industry-related knowledge that has been vitally instrumental in helping me establish my professional career.” In particular, he cited professors Cameron Myler and Charles Grantham as among the most influential contributors to his professional development.
While at NYU SPS, Gaeta earned numerous awards, including being named to the Dean’s List, the NYU Student-Athlete President’s Honor Roll, and the UAA Academic All-Conference team, as well as being selected as a University Honors Scholar/Founders’ Day Award recipient.
At GSM, he is the sole agent of 75 professional players, many of whose contracts he negotiated at the major, minor, and international levels. Three of his clients made the MLB 2020 Opening Day roster (Nick Anderson, Tampa Bay Rays reliever; Randy Dobnak, Minnesota Twins starting pitcher; and Rico Garcia, San Francisco Giants reliever). Recently, Anderson pitched for Tampa Bay in the 2020 World Series.
Dedicated to the sports representation industry, Gaeta is currently attending New York Law School’s Evening Division program as a Dean’s Scholar.