Besides the competition, I also worked on numerous tasks for Dynasty this week. Darren has been putting in work to sign a top NFL prospect for marketing purposes. Along with the other interns, our task was to design a marketing plan in order to show the prospect exactly what Dynasty had to offer him in terms of marketing. My part involved a lot of research relating to competition and why, despite competition, Dynasty was the best option for the player.

In addition to the marketing plan, I contacted several companies regarding sponsorships for our clients. I also contacted other companies specifically to work out endorsement deals for three of our bigger baseball clients. I received responses back from a few of these companies. The response I received was quite normal, the standard “we’ll take a look at what you have given us, make a decision and get back to you as soon as we can.” Other companies have not responded yet. For some of these companies, they had no contact information for individuals that would be helpful to me, so I had to send emails to their generic email accounts. For those that don’t respond to me, my next step is to call the phone number listed and ask for someone in the marketing department.

The best advice I can give on this matter is to keep pressing to find the correct contact person and then just made an honest proposal. The worst they can do is say “no.” The best is that you get a great deal for your client. At the very least, maybe you make a contact that you can use in the future. With the economy still recovering from recession, it won’t be easy to find sponsorship deals for clients. However, if you at least make contact, when the time is right for the company to start spending money on sponsorships again, you might be at the top of their list.

In addition to these tasks, I did my regular tracking of college baseball players. There are a few guys on the list having stellar seasons and hopefully they make the right decision to go with Dynasty. One note on this assignment, I have one or two high school players to track as well as college players and I find it is incredibly hard sometimes to find stats for these kids. This week I did manage to contact one of the player’s coaches. He was very receptive and quick to respond with stats. He had no problem with me contacting him weekly to get stats on the player. If all coaches were this receptive to agent interns, it would be great.

I am ending this week working on two other side projects. I am researching a few prospects that were passed along to Darren as referrals to see if any have draft potential. I am also putting together a compilation of stats, highlights and a biography for one of our players to be sent to someone with ties to Japan. Hopefully it works out and our player can start a new chapter to his career.

So until next week, Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone.

What: 2010 St. Thomas University School of Law Spring Symposium

Where: St. Thomas University School of Law (map)

When: Saturday, March 13, 2010 (8:30 a.m. – 5:15 p.m.)

Cost: Click here to pre-register.
Pre-Registration/On-Site
STU Law Students             $15 / $20
STU Students                     $15 / $20
Law Students (Non STU)   $20 / $30
General Admission             $20 / $30
Attorneys for CLE              $30 / $40

Spring Symposium Time Line Breakdown:

8:15 am – 8:45 am CHECK IN, REGISTRATION, BREAKFAST

8:45 am – 8:55 am PANEL I (Moot Court) / OPENING STATEMENTS

General introductions made by ESLS and Board Moderators

9:00 am – 10:00 am PANEL II (A) / NCAA Athletics: More than a Deal

Panelist: Anthony Hernandez (UM Athletics), Jamie Israel (UM Compliance), Monique Garcia (FIU Compliance)

A discussion of college sports including sponsorships, compliance, and other forgotten issues facing players, coaches, and attorneys

9: 00 am – 10:00 am PANEL II (B) /Homegrown and Stable?:  A Look at Web Based Content

Panelist: Sira Veciana-Muncio (Sony Pictures Entertainment), Dainira Falk (Discovery Communications), Ernesto Luciano (Yahoo! Latin America)

The internet has become a facet of everyday life but how sustainable is the content created for the Web?  What will the future hold regarding the shelf life of content and for deals structured around that content?

10:15 am – 11:15 am PANEL III (A) / Community Development through Sports

Panelist: Derek Jackson (The Marlins), Nancy Olson (Florida Marlins Community Foundation), Latoya Williams (Orange Bowl Committee)

Community development through sports includes working with the community, local school districts, and business organizations to provide a service which can cut across cultural divides. A look at the positive effects local sports teams can have in terms of creating jobs, bringing revenue, and promoting local vendors through partnerships.

10:15 am – 11:15 am PANEL III (B) / Hollywood or Hollywood, FL: Film Making Florida

Panelist: Melissa Exposito (Exposito Law), Ruth Paul (Screen Actors Guild), Fred Moyse (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes)

Feature films and television have used South Florida as a backdrop for years.  What does the market look like currently?  What can be done locally to grow the industry? Discussion includes viewpoints from local attorneys, government, union officials, and production companies

11:30 am – 12:30 pm PANEL IV (A) Sports and Social Networking

Panelist: Johnny Williams (ProMotion Sports & Entertainment, LLC), Leslie Bauknight Nixon (Super Bowl Host Committee), Darren Heitner (Dynasty Athlete Representation)

Social networking’s explosive growth can be felt in all sectors of sports. A discussion of the legal influence or implications of Facebook, Twitter, My Space and other social networking tools on the four major professional leagues.

11:30 am – 12:30 pm PANEL IV (B) All the World’s a Stage: a Look at Theaters

Panelist: Louis Tertocha (Adrienne Arsht Center), Steven Eisenberg (Lipscomb, Brady & Bobadilla), Jeff John (Revolution Live)

Examining the issues dealing with venues; union issues, performance rights, insurance issues and the viability of managing theaters here in South Florida

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm LUNCH

1:45 pm – 2:15 pm KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Marc Stollman (S2BN Entertainment)

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm PANEL V (A): The Future of the Sports Business

Panelist: Jason Weiss (Arnstein & Lehr LLP), Jaime Vining (Lott & Friedland)

Possible Panelist: Kim Kolback (Kimberly Kolback, Esq.)

A discussion on the developing trends in contract negotiations, licensing, and IP rights tied to sports.

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm PANEL V (B): 360 and Beyond: The Future of Negotiations in Music

Panelist: Richard Wolfe (Ehrenstein Charbonneau Calderin), Marc Stollman (S2BN Entertainment), David Bercuson (David Bercuson, P.A.)

Declining album sales and a changing industry has given rise to the “360 Deal” which encompass taking a financial stake from the artist on all revenue points.  Is this the future?  What are other ways to survive the downturn in music profits?

3:45 pm – 4:15 pm CLOSING PANEL: Looking for a Client who is Looking for You

Panelist: Stephen Carlisle (Stephen M. Carlisle, P.L.), Darren Heitner (Dynasty Athlete Representation), Leslie Bauknight Nixon (Super Bowl Host Committee)

When seeking talent what are some pitfalls for an attorney to avoid?  What should they look for?  What are some of the murky ethical areas when courting potential clients?

4:15 – 5:15 pm RECEPTION

Besides school related matters, I also did numerous tasks for Dynasty. I spent much of the week researching contacts for several sports equipment companies that Darren had given me so that we could potentially get some bats, gloves, etc. sent to our players. He also asked me to start working on finding baseball card deals for our players. There were several companies where I couldn’t find anything but a generic consumer email as a way to contact the company. I used the generic email. I am hoping to hear back from someone soon. Hopefully this information leads to our guys getting some great products to use during spring training and beyond. So far I have only heard back from one inquiry that I made regarding baseball cards. Panini America (formerly Donruss) responded to our inquiry that it only puts out one baseball product each year and it is in the fall. However, the women was familiar with our company and seemed to indicate that we may possibly get our guys come baseball cards this Fall.

I did manage to find a contact from a bat company on LinkedIn. Joining the different groups related to baseball, and sports in general, can be very valuable. It has led a contact with a bat company. The company has supplied 2 bats to our players so far. Hopefully this is the beginning of a good relationship with them. However, I am not stopping at this one bat company. There are a few other bat companies that I’ve been trying to contact, to no avail so far. If I do not hear a response back from the emails I sent this week, the next step is to call and try to talk to someone on the phone. In today’s email age, sometimes the best way to make a contact is actually via the telephone.

Other than trying to make equipment and baseball card contacts, I also did my daily updates on college players we are targeting. I emailed a few of the teams that these individuals play on to try to get them to update their statistics. Most schools update daily, but some of the smaller schools have not yet updated their scores and stats. In addition, I realized that two of the players on our watch list play relatively locally to my location in Harrisburg, Pa. One is actually playing an away game at my alma mater Lebanon Valley College in April. I am planning on at least getting to that game and perhaps more. The other individual is playing about an hour north of me near Williamsport, PA. When I indicated that I would be willing to see these guys and get some tape, Dynasty seemed happy for me to go meet the players. I have a new MinoFlip HD video camera that I want to try out and this would be the perfect opportunity.

One final note, yesterday marked the beginning of Spring Training games for most teams. Good luck to all our players as they begin a very promising baseball season for Dynasty. That about sums up my week. I am off to continue studying. Have a great weekend.

If you take a look at Dynasty’s website, one of the aspects highlighted when describing our services is the word innovation.  As we have always been focused on using the newest forms of technology and networking to better represent our clients, we continue to aspire to be the next level of Sports Agency: Sports Agency 2.0.

This Summer, we are excited to be having our 8^th Internship Class.  While the progression of the internship program is enormous, the most difficult part always lies in the selection process.  With hundreds of interns applying each semester, the challenge of distinguishing oneself from the field is a common worry.  Following the steps that many top universities have already taken, we are now allowing all applicants to submit a video essay along with their resume and cover letter, hopefully allowing them to present the more creative side not able to be captured on paper.

If you have already applied or are still planning on applying, feel free to take advantage of this opportunity.  After making your own personal essay, please post it on YouTube or a similar site, and then just send that link to HR@Dynastyreps.com.  Remember, the deadline to apply for the 2010 Summer Internship Program is April 15^th.  I am looking forward to seeing what creative and interesting video essays you will make!

This week marked the beginning of college baseball for most teams I’ve been following. I was given a list of college players Dynasty wants to keep an eye on this season. I follow the players as their season progresses. I also get players added to the list from time to time as Dynasty receives information on these players. As I look at the list of stats so far, there are several players on the list that had a stellar opening week of the season. Hopefully they keep up the good work and will want to sign with Dynasty in the future.

My other major task this week was to find Pete Parise potential sponsors in St. Louis in the hopes that he lands on the Cardinals 25 man roster this season. Darren has started with a local company and my job was to add to the list of potential sponsors. Without the Internet, this task would be impossible, as I live about 1000 miles from St. Louis. I’ve found some potential companies and businesses; the only major concern is the economy and that they’d want to sponsor our guy.

A word of advice for current interns that are doing similar tasks: Don’t worry about finding sponsors related to the sport. For instance, if you are looking for a baseball sponsor, don’t worry about finding him a sponsor with a bat or glove manufacturer. Usually the agent, if he is established, has these contacts already. Focus your attention towards other sponsors such as local businesses or major brand names.

I’ve also been working on getting some information about a potential basketball client that was emailed to me this week. The individual is a college student who was writing on behalf of a college friend of his who wants to play overseas. He has recently left his third school in two years and does not want to sit out anymore. He would like to play immediately overseas. I took a look at his biographical as well as playing history. I also looked at his stats. There was not much to go on just from looking at this information. I am waiting on film to be sent to me from the individual so that Dynasty can further asses his worth as a client. This will give us a better look at whether this guy will be worth the investment. The only video that was found on the player on the Internet was a clip of him breaking a backboard. This intrigued me, but in no way determines what kind of player he is. Hopefully when the film comes in, it will show that he is worth it.

Either way, I am happy to be getting emails from individuals like this. If even one turns out to be a great client, it will improve my stock here at Dynasty. Client generation and contacts is a big part of this business. If I can show that I have enough contacts to generate worthy clients, it improves my chances of landing a job after graduation at Dynasty or an equally reputable company.

I get emails every now and then from people who read this weekly column asking my advice on getting into the industry. I want to stress that I am by no means “in” this industry yet. I was given the great opportunity to write for this blog and intern with Dynasty, but have not proven myself by any means. It takes time to establish yourself in this industry. I am in the process of learning so that one day I can say that I am “in” the industry. What I can suggest is that anyone who wants to learn this business should utilize resources such as LinkedIn and the many sports related groups that you can join via LinkedIn. Networking is huge in the business, and so far, I’ve found that these tools are great resources. I also recommend trying to obtain an internship of some sort with an agency, agent, team front office or sports marketing company. They are invaluable in building your worth in the industry.

I started this week by researching contact information for potential sponsors in the poker industry. Online poker has become a lucrative business. Forming some kind of relationship with the individuals at these companies will be good for business. I am unsure of the capacity Dynasty will be using these companies, but I’m sure whatever capacity it is, it will be beneficial to both parties.

The work is about to pick up as the baseball season draws near. Reporting dates for pitchers and catchers are as early as Wednesday. As the season starts, I will be keeping track of Dynasty’s baseball clients and tracking their progress. I wish Pete Parise and the rest of the guys luck as they begin their season.

In addition to keeping track of current clients, I will be keeping track of a list of prospects. There are several high school baseball players on Dynasty’s list of prospects. My job is track them through their high school baseball season and report on their progress. It is important to keep track of young players throughout their high school years. Some players get drafted right out of high school, so the next few seasons for some of these players is very critical. I wish all the prospects good luck, as well, as their high school seasons begin near the end of the month.

As an aside, a good idea that Dynasty had was to find out the high schools of its current clients and then compare them to the high schools of the prospects that we are watching to see if any match up. Its a good marketing tool to a young player to say that we have signed one of his high school’s former players and he is in fact doing well. As I don’t want to take credit for something I didn’t do, another intern was assigned this task. I just thought it would be good to mention.

Finally, the other interns and I were given the task of trying to generate ideas for Parise as he begins his rise through the Cardinals organization. We are hard at work coming up with ideas as far as sponsorships, equipment deals, endorsements, etc. We are also hard at work trying to improve Parise’s Facebook FanPage. If you are not already a fan, go to www.facebook.com/peteparise and join Pete’s fan page. As updates to his fanpage are made, I will let you all know.

I will spend the weekend enjoying NYC and creating player profiles for a few potential clients that Darren will be meeting next week. I also have a few classmates at school that I need to contact again to get names for potential clients. Its been hard getting ahold of these people and getting them to give me information. But it doesn’t hurt to ask again. I also will be looking for some sponsors for the blog to see if I can generate any revenue for the company. If you can show that you can bring in money, it’s all the more reason for them to keep you around after your internship is over.

Taking a 0-28 team to a 15 win season in less than four years is an accomplishment that is pretty hard to miss. This is something Horace Broadnax was able to do with the Savannah State University men’s basketball program. Something even more compelling was Broadnax’s ability to do this with the second lowest basketball budget in all of Division I (339 out of 340)! But what does it really mean in comparison to the rest of college basketball?

Broadnax’s 2009 season produced argubly the best Dollar-Per-Win ratio in modern college basketball. With 15 wins and a budget of $376,968, it came to roughly $25,131 per win. This may sound like a lot, but when you compare Coach Broadnax to his colleagues it is pretty apparent he may be the best bang for your buck in college basketball. Compared to the likes of big names like Howland, Williams, Self, and Donovan, Broadnax’s productivity is astounding. The bottom line is for less than one tenth the cost of the coaches just named, Horace Broadnax can get you a win.

One point of hot contention is whether completely turning around a program or doing it on such a meager budget is greater accomplishment? Regardless, Horace Broadnax has proved himself amongst the coaching ranks. It is hard to imagine what this guy could do with a little financial support and a program with an already well-established tradition as some of the heavy hitters listed above possess. The only disparity in Broadnax’s case is in the wins columns. His 15 wins is less than the generously budgeted basketball powerhouses mentioned above were able to achieve. This raises the question, how did Broadnax compare to coaches with the same number of wins?

Above is a chart reflecting teams with similar records to Broadnax’s tigers in 08-09. Remarkably all these team except for one spent over ten times as much on their programs to achieve the same number of wins or less. This is reflected in the average price per win column. Broadnax’s price-per-win- was at least 1/11^th the cost than that of Knight, Hill Jr., Lickliter, and McDermott yet he was able to win at least as many games as these coaches. In the case of Iowa, Broadnax’s price-per-win was less than 1/13th the price-per-win of Todd Lickliter!

Looking at the schools, it is evident there is a disparity in conference schedule strength. However, considering the talent and funding these programs receive compared to Savannah State, Broadnax and the Tigers greatly outperformed in comparison. All of these schools are ranked in the top 65 in division one funding compared to Savannah State’s 339^th ranking, yet the win column is the same? Clearly, Broadnax has done a superior job coaching Savannah State and making the most out of his situation.

Let us take the analysis a step further and make it even more relevant. How does Broadnax compare to a set of mid-major programs with similar RPI and even similar athletic budgets? Take the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Western Division. During the 2008-09 season, all six head coaches in the division failed to lead their programs to as many wins (15) as Broadnax did.

Despite the lack of financial support, Broadnax maximized his resources by winning 15 games and achieving a winning season at the University for the first time in 25 years!  This is clearly a testament to Broadnax’s coaching ability and resourcefulness.

Broadnax’s ability to make a lot of out a little makes him an attractive pick for athletic directors.  His average price-per-win (basketball budget/total wins) was a mere $25,131. Comparing Broadnax to coaches in the MAC conference whose budget was at least 3 times the size of his reveals just how impressive a feat this really was.  He won more games than any MAC West coach and his price-per-win was less than ¼ of all MAC West coaches last season.  The numbers don’t lie.

Skeptics of Broadnax’s accomplishment will point to the disparity of competition between Savannah State and MAC West teams. Yet such an assertion is completely false as Savannah State ended with a higher RPI (255) than its closest competing MAC West School, Ball State – a 262. In fact, Savannah’s RPI finish was well over 50 spots higher than the MAC West average because of a stronger-strength of schedule. This makes their 15-win season all the more impressive when weighed against the MAC West schools’ performances.

* Information on athletic budgets, wins and losses, and RPI were obtained through: http://www.bbstate.com, http://www.statsheet.com, http://realtimerpi.com/*

First, I’ve been watching the Caribbean World Series all week. Congratulations to Pete Parise on his performance for Puerto Rico so far. On Tuesday, he pitched a scoreless 8th inning, allowing a hit but throwing 8 of 10 pitches for strikes. On Thursday, Parise pitched the middle three innings of Puerto Rico’s 5-3 win over Mexico. He had another fine performance allowing no runs, one hit and striking out four. He also threw 28-38 pitches for strikes.

Second, I’ve also been doing a lot of research on potential clients this week. The clients were potential women’s basketball players. My task was to put together an analysis of what the player brings to the table. This was great experience. I’ve played basketball my whole life, so watching videos of highlights was not foreign to me. I watched videos of the different players to try and assess their playing skills. Numbers are one thing, but you don’t quite get the feel of whether someone can play unless you see them.

Numbers are important though. I looked up stats on the players and then compared them to what current professionals are putting up domestically and in Europe. I also assessed the strength of the conference the player played in to give context to the numbers. Hopefully my insights will help Dynasty make a decision on whether to sign these players or not.

I also researched a potential client in the MMA field and put together a dossier on her. This was interestingm as I do not follow MMA that closely. I did learn a lot about the sport from researching the fighter, though.

Third, I spent Wednesday doing research on Dynasty competitors as part of a competition analysis for Dynasty’s Marketing Plan that was to be compiled by Thursday morning. I didn’t get a chance to really start the assignment until around 10 p.m. due to class and other obligations. However, I didn’t have much to do on Thursday. I worked through the night, finishing at around 4:30. It made for a late night, but the important thing was that it was done and done well.

It was a good assignment for me to do, as well. I was able to do research on numerous sports agencies. I got a good understanding of the major players in the business, where they are located and what their strategies are. This will be helpful for potential job research at a later date.

In addition to this assignment, I also got a list of baseball prospects to keep an eye on this Spring. I’ll keep tabs of how they do for their high school teams and report back to Dynasty with the information. Hopefully one of these kids turns out to be a gem.

I also did my daily research on Dynasty clients to see what was happening with them. This past week, Dynasty client Mike Fagan won the PBA Dick Weber Open. Congratulations Mike. Also, basketball client Brandon Brown switched teams for the second time in two weeks, ending up at Kotwica Kolobrzeg SA of the Polish League.

Finally, I looked at a proposal that was given to Dynasty regarding a possible new Fantasy Sports product. Obviously, I cannot explain what it is (because of confidentiality reasons), but the concept had some potential. If it could be implemented without certain problems, the idea could take off. Again, I can’t say too much other than that. If the product ever makes it off the idea bloc or Dynasty decides to become a part of it, it will be unique to know that I got to read about it before the public.

As the weekend rolls around, I’ll probably spend it doing law school work, researching sponsors, and watching the Super Bowl. A foot of snow is expected Friday and Saturday, so there won’t be much else to do. A few of you have taken the time to email me and say hi. I appreciate it and enjoy talking to people who are in the industry or looking to get into it. If you have any suggestions on things to focus my posts on, let me know: rwebber@dynastyreps.com

I first want to thank Jorge for his comment after my first post in this series regarding www.surchur.com and www.addictomatic.com. After looking at both sites, I found that Addictomatic was much easier to navigate and more user friendly. The site allows you to type in a name and get results from different sources on the web. You can then bookmark the page for easy recall.

This past week I’ve made Addictomatic pages for all of Dynasty’s clients. Every day or so I bring up pages for clients and look to find any news that may have developed. This week it allowed me to find that Tom Smallwood was named Kegel Bowler of the Month for December 2009 by the Bowling Writer’s Association of America. I also use it to keep track of how Dynasty’s bowlers do each week.

Using a site like this is beneficial for anyone thinking of becoming a sports agent. As an agent, a giant task of yours is to promote your client. It makes your job a lot easier to promote your client when you can type his name into a search engine and get tons of information on him.

In addition to researching Dynasty’s clients, I had the opportunity to draft a press release with another Dynasty intern for a new client signing this week. This was good exposure for us. If I ever decide to have an agency of my own, press releases are an important way of relaying information about a signing. In order to write the press release, we looked up as much information as we could about the client. In addition to just his stats, we also thought it would be good to mention his off the field work as well. Image is everything in sports and any way we can promote a positive image of a client, the better.

I also finished up my assignment of compiling contact information for Japanese league clubs. Google Translate was very helpful in completing this task. These contacts may become important as Dynasty tries to find homes for its free agent baseball players.

Once I was finished here, I decided to continue looking for sponsors for Dynasty’s bowlers. Besides one or two potential sponsors, I’ve limited myself to the bowling industry. I need to expand my search into other areas to find companies that best suit Dynasty’s clients.

That’s about it for this week. I do want to leave you with a thought. In my first post, Rick asked if I could provide insights into breaking into the sports agent industry. I will leave you with a suggestion. Don’t be afraid to contact someone. The worst that could happen is they don’t respond or tell you they cannot help. The way to begin to develop a career in this industry is to network. I started law school with an idea of becoming an agent or at least landing a job in the sports industry in some capacity. Through the powers of the Internet and email, I was able to at least have conversations with some people in the industry. Perhaps these conversations will lead to friendships and potentially that coveted first job. So don’t be afraid to just email and introduce yourself.

The title bar contains links to all sub-pages of the site, including a section that provides information about those who work at Dynasty, Dynasty’s clientele broken up by division, the various services we provide our clientele, our event planning capacity, a new downloads section, a simple contact page, and a link back to this website.  Each sub-page beyond the pages linked on the title bar now contains a link on the top right of that page, which will easily direct you back to where you came from.  No longer will you have to press the back and forward buttons on your browser.

The home page is now content-rich.  It captures all Dynasty Athlete Representation related posts from SportsAgentBlog.com and republishes them in their entirety.  The home page is limited to the latest 10 stories, but on the bottom, there is a link to view archives that date further back.

Every page has a right sidebar, which contains the Dynasty Facebook and Twitter feeds.  The Facebook feed is linked up to our official Facebook Fan Page, while the Twitter feed is linked to an accumulation of Tweets from those who work at Dynasty and Dynasty clients who are active on Twitter.  We also highlight the recent posts and have full archives.  On the bottom of the right sidebar, we show love to some of the companies that have been an asset to us in our years of formation.

Besides having a new Downloads section, you will find that we have extremely enhanced our Clientele page.  We have added much more useful information about our clients.  We are also using new technologies for our video playback and image viewing (take a view of some of our models’ pages!).

I hope that you like what you see.