Leigh Steinberg says 'Jerry Maguire' humanized sports agents as public perception was 'not the best' in '90s

Before Leigh Steinberg earned widespread fame as the "real Jerry Maguire," he was already a household name among sports enthusiasts, representing professional athletes such as former NFL quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Steve Young, as well as defensive end Bruce Smith, in the 1980s.

In 1996, Hollywood star Tom Cruise portrayed Steinberg in the comedy-drama "Jerry Maguire," alongside Renée Zellweger and Cuba Gooding Jr., among others, in a story that mapped out the situational representation...