It makes sense that major West Coast agencies continue to grow.  Creative Artists Agency was a player in the entertainment world well before it started buying out the largest sports agents/agencies.  It figured that its existing model and connections could bring in more revenue than those entities had been receiving in the past.  It seems to be doing quite well with that business plan.  Another company with broad entertainment connections for its clients is Wasserman Media Group.  I don’t know when agent Arn Tellem finds time to sleep, with his enormous list of clients in professional basketball and football.  He probably receives over one-hundred calls per day from GMs, reporters, and clients, and still finds time to go on the recruiting trail and find new business.  He also keeps his current clients happy, and seems to have a strong connection to the entertainment world through his wife, Nancy Tellem.  Nancy is the President of CBS and is in charge of all of its television programming.

Quite the power couple, and it definitely benefits Arn’s clients.  Recently, Pau Gasol made an appearance on CSI: Miami.  Last year, Gasol and Jordan Farmar appeared on NUMB3RS.  Both shows are on CBS, both players are clients of Arn Tellem and WMG.  Gasol and Farmar are not the biggest names in the game of basketball, but both of them are playing in Los Angeles, so it is natural for them to want a piece of the limelight.

Want to be a MAJOR player in this industry?  Better start cultivating those connections in the entertainment industry, as well.

The ELI Essay Competition invites law students focusing on the entertainment practice to write a 3,000-word paper on a compelling legal topic facing the music industry today. The contest culminates with the winning student authors presenting their essays at the prestigious ELI luncheon on January 29, 2010. For competition rules and the ELI Writing Competition Workshops, visit the Entertainment Law Initiative page on Facebook. Non-Facebook users should send an e-mail to eli@grammy.com for more information and instructions.

Submission deadline: January 4, 2010

Winners will be announced on January 22, 2010

Awards: First Place Winner $5000; Four Semifinalists $1,500 each

All winners receive: One GRAMMY Awards Show Ticket; Round Trip Airfare to the GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles; Hotel Accomodations; and Ticket to The MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute Dinner

Ashwin Krishnan (Editor-in-Chief) and Josh Podoll (Submissions Editor) at the Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law (JSEL) are currently soliciting and reviewing submissions for the very first edition of its Journal.  Their plan is to publish the inaugural issue of the Journal in Spring 2010 and they believe that you kind people reading this blog might have written just the type of piece they are looking for.

JSEL will provide the academic community, the sports and entertainment industries, and the broader legal profession with scholarly analysis and research related to the legal aspects of the sports and entertainment communities.  The Journal is accepting articles, essays, book reviews, notes, and comments regarding legal and/or public policy issues from academics and legal practitioners for its upcoming inaugural issue.  JSEL is one of the few journals in the United States that focuses exclusively on legal topics related to sports and entertainment.

Legal topics that affect sports and entertainment include antitrust law, civil procedure, constitutional law, contract law, corporate law, copyright law, labor law, and real estate law.  In addition, there are many other legal topics that have an impact on the sports and entertainment industries, or otherwise have an application to sports and entertainment.

Submissions are being accepted on a rolling basis.  To be considered for the first issue, please send completed submissions no later than November 15, 2009.  The editors also made a point to note that an indication of your interest before that date would be greatly appreciated.

All submissions must be sent to Josh Podoll, Submissions Editor, as an attached Microsoft Word document via email to jselsubmissions@gmail.com.  Also, please feel free to contact Josh regarding any questions you may have concerning citation format, topic, or other issues involving the submissions process.

The NCAA’s agenda in certain situations involving schools and athletes is certainly questionable.

Grassroots basketball enthusiast Sonny Vaccaro made some interesting points recently in an interview with Henry Abbot here.

On the topic of Derrick Rose and the wins vacated from Memphis, it is possible the NCAA came down hard on the Tigers because the school is not a traditional powerhouse Bowl Championship Series school. Vaccaro feels that some other schools in the BCS generally are let off easy because of the revenue the schools generate for the giant entertainment conglomerate that has become the NCAA.

The specific case of Reggie Bush is cited, pointing out that while Memphis was quickly penalized, the University of Southern California has yet to be sentenced for the school’s actions from 2006 with Bush, which Vaccaro finds “interesting.”

Vaccaro then goes on to make a huge point against the NBA’s age limit rule. The reason for the supposed beneficial rule is to force talented young athletes to go to college and become more well-rounded individuals. But in many cases, the main justification coaches give to recruits on reasons to come to the school is because the coach can get them to the NBA.

Would Tyreke Evans, DeMar DeRozan, or Jrue Holiday have needed any help getting to the NBA if there was no rule? Doubtful. Brandon Jennings definitely did not and still managed to be a lottery pick.

So why are many coaches using the lure of the NBA to recruit players when the supposed reason for the age rule is the lure of college? It’s probably because college doesn’t seem as sexy when you are earning absolutely nothing. But having these NBA-ready talent forced to go to college makes a lot of money for the NCAA.

Does the NCAA really want these kids to get an education? The association can’t believe that most of these players will be staying for more than one, or even two, years. Free labor, though, for the collegiate entertainment industry is very beneficial for the NCAA.

Rose isn’t the first and won’t be the last player the NCAA has used to dictate how it wants business conducted.

When I was in Chicago, I came across a commercial for the Chicago Bliss: A brand new team that will play in the inaugural year of the Lingerie Football League this season on Friday nights.  The Chicago Bliss were holding tryouts last week, just like many other LFL teams around the United States.  The Lingerie Football League is no joke.  Not only are these ladies gorgeous and wearing lingerie, but they are making some serious hits and playing intense football, as well.  Friday night lights has a new definition.

The league will be divided up into two divisions, consisting of an eastern and western conference with five teams in each.  Miami has a team called the Caliente, which means hot in Spanish.  Other LFL teams include Denver Dream, Dallas has the Desire, Los Angeles has a team called the Temptation, and Phillip Rivers will now have to compete against statistics from the San Diego Seduction’s QB.

The LFL features some of the toughest, hottest women in sports playing seven on seven tackle football.  This certainly does not sound like a bad way to spend your Friday nights this Fall.  The LFL kicks off on September 4th, 2009 with the Chicago Bliss hosting the Miami Caliente.

There are already some really interesting posts up on EntertainmentAgentBlog.com.

Become a part of the site.  Leave comments often and let us know if you think there should be anything added to the site.

I already have my DVR set to record the first show (at 10 p.m. EST tonight) in case I am in a comatose from the season finale of 24 and am unable to move to switch the TV channel.  Here is the description for 4th and Long:

4th and Long features twelve amateur hopefuls who will move to Dallas and compete against one another to earn a shot at a coveted spot in the Dallas Cowboy training camp next summer and potentially a spot on the team. The 10-episode series shot at the famed Cotton Bowl in Dallas includes twelve football amateurs (6 wide receivers and 6 defensive backs) who must endure rigorous competition overseen by Irvin. The legendary receiver will serve as Host/Executive Producer, keeping a watchful eye over the contestants and helping to mold them into champions. Former All-Pro Cowboy Bill Bates and former coach Joe Avezzano serve as coaches and additional former players, coaches, media personalities will guest star.

Sounds interesting to me.  As an added bonus, I caught glimpse that one of the contestants really has it out for his former agent.  He blames the agent for never getting a chance in the NFL.  Check out the clip below starting at 5:50 left in the video.  The guy’s name is Erick Jackson.  I can’t get over this quote:

“Why I’m not playing in the NFL is because of my punk agent tried to package me with another guy, and teams they didn’t really want to fool with it”.

Jackson may have a point.  He was awarded Defensive Player of the Game in last year’s Texas vs. The Nation All Star match-up.  I’m rooting for you, Erick.

So it finally went down.  After months of rumors and speculation, Endeavor and WMA have put their differences aside and merged to create a new superpower that aims to rival CAA in the world of Entertainment.  The new entity will be called WME (William Morris Endeavor).  The most interesting part of the deal is that WMA is 111-years-old and Endeavor is only 14 years of age.  Out of 47 board members combined in the two former companies, only 1 person objected to the merger.

Obviously, WME will operate with publishing, music, motion picture, and television departments, but what about sports?  I re-ask the question: Now that WMA and Endeavor are joining forces, do they start up a sports division to rival superpower CAA as well?

Sorry for the brevity of this post, but I cannot reveal too much at this point in time.

Wild Bill is played by legendary Australian actor John Wood, who fits the role perfectly. Bill is a selfish character who is motivated by money, and this is further proved by his gambling addiction. His son is clean cut, and has ditched the opportunity of working for the U.N. to help his family.

The show itself does not provide the best representation of the business, as it over dramatizes many stereotypes associated with sports management. Bill has no accounting records and as far as you can tell no accreditation to represent in specific sports. He is also the sole representative of athletes over a multitude of sports, something that would be near impossible to do. The show takes all of the worst possible situations with a positive ending.

However, as they say, never let the truth get in the way of a good story.

The show is fun, and unpredictable which makes for a good show. There’s no million dollar parties, Maserati’s or flashy diamond rings – instead there’s Ford Falcons, Pokies and Pub meals. The show is set in Sydney, which provides a fantastic landscape for the series.

So overall I recommended The Cut, if anything, about what not do in the Athlete Representation business, as Wild Bill is no Angel.

The ABC website has some episodes available for streaming through their iView feature, so check it out here.