Forbes Magazine posted an excellent article last week highlighting the difference between the highest paid athletes of 1991 and today. To say the make up of the list has changed would be an understatement.

The number 1 highest paid athlete in 1991 was a Boxer, Evander Holyfield, making $60 million. In fact, in 2nd place was another boxer, Mike Tyson. Boxers also took up the 4th and 7th places. Compare that to today where not one Boxer falls inside the top 20, with only Floyd Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao likely to make the cut in the next year. This highlights two things. First, Boxing’s decrease in popularity. The sport doesn’t have the same clout it used to, with only the aforementioned Boxers bringing in the bucks. Second, it highlights just how much pay-per-view impacted the industry in 1991, which provides hope for the UFC for the future.

Another huge difference is the amount of athletes who play team sports. In 1991 there were only 4 players who played team sports in the top 20, with Michael Jordan at number 3 being the most notable. Fast forward to now and it is an entirely different landscape. With the significant increase in areas such as TV rights and stadium deals, players plying their trade in the big leagues are now coveting most of the top spots. This is also helped by large off-field deals in the endorsement arena. Kobe, Lebron and A-Rod all headline the list of team sport players making the top 20 today.

Following on with team sports, there’s one sport that has seen a meteoric rise by having an abundance of players breaking into the top 10. Possessing no players in the top 20 in 1991, Soccer now occupies three spots in the top 10 with Beckham, Ronaldo and Messi taking those spots. This increase can be attributed to the globalization of Soccer and its players. These players are now household names worldwide, and the increase in audiences in markets such as Asia has helped line the pockets of these stars.

Golfers still rank as high as they did in 1991, with Tiger filling the number 1 spot and Phil Mickelson at 5. Arnold Palmer was the highest paid golfer, and despite the endorsement dollars skyrocketing since 1991, he would not be short of cash with his beverage line of Arizona doing very well. Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman rounded out the golfing fraternity.

Formula 1 drivers remain just as well paid as 1991, with three drivers at each juncture.

With only Federer and Nadal charting this time round, Tennis has lost some steam. In 1991 the likes of Becker, Edberg, Agassi, Seles and Graf were all featured. The endorsement dollar has certainly stagnated since these times, with only the true champions contending with the world’s athletic elite. Is it that companies are losing their luster for Tennis, or is it just other sports have moved ahead?

An alarming stat is that at present there are no female athletes featured in the Top 20. With Tennis and Golf the most likely to appear, Seles and Graf made the cut in 1991, however not even the highly endorsed Maria Sharapova could crack the list this year. Alas, there is some hope for the future. Li Na, the Chinese born Tennis player, has signed a multitude of contracts including a lucrative deal with Mercedes. She is the star that the world’s biggest country has been looking for, and if she has continued success there is no reason why she can’t upset the ‘Boy’s Club’ that has become the top 20.

So what, if any, changes can we expect in the future? With the increased popularity of Soccer worldwide and the subsequent commercialization, there is no reason why in the near future half of this list cannot be Soccer players. Team sports’ athletes in general should steadily increase their rankings as TV rights deals continue to break records. Golfers will always feature heavily due mainly due to it’s popularity. One area that doesn’t feature, which may soon, is the UFC. The sport has exploded over the past few years, and with pay-per-view it is possible it can reach Boxing like levels.
As previously mentioned, Li Na is the best hope for female athletes to crack the top 20. Others that could sneak a place include Danica Patrick (If her move to NASCAR proves successful), Maria Sharapova (By continued growth in endorsements) and Caroline Wozniacki, who at 21 appears to have a long career ahead of her.

1991 To Now – What’s Changed? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Terry Bradshaw

Taking the lead in Bradshaw’s representation at Evolution are Joshua Schwartz, Ben Litvin, and Brian Samuels.  Evolution was founded in 2005 and is comprised of former executives from the popular SFX Sports Group.  Bradshaw said the following regarding his new relationship with Evolution:

“Evolution’s vast experience in marketing and forward-thinking strategies are a great match with my no-nonsense style and personality.  Their representation will broaden my ability to reach more companies and fortify a number of long-term corporate partners.”

Terry Bradshaw Hires Evolution For Marketing Purposes from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Shortly after the event, I begin experiencing “light bulb” moments with considerable questions. Why are the women of the WNBA and “star players” not securing more endorsement contracts? If the players obtain more endorsements, will it support the WNBA brand more effectively in communities? How can agent advocates secure more endorsements for their female clients?

Women are the leading consumers of products and services in various industries such as retail, automotive, social media, and even sports merchandise (i.e. NFL). Research over the last ten years proves there has been a shift of purchasing power in American households. More women are heading households, more women are career oriented, more women are becoming entrepreneurs, and more women have the power to make choices that affect the family. Teenagers are big consumers too.

The WNBA specifically directs marketing strategies to women and families in metropolitan cities. The market is segmented to include women and the community. The emotional appeal is the feminist type of mentality.

Based on this information, one would think players in the WNBA could attain a significant amount of additional monies via endorsements. However, it is not true.

If we examine women’s tennis, the endorsement contracts are very lucrative (female golfers are not far behind). For example, Maria Sharapova leads female athletes in endorsements with an estimated at $26 million (Nike, Sony, Canon, Motorola, and Pepsi). Serena Williams is second with an estimated $14 million (Hewlett-Packard, Nike, and Kraft) and Venus Williams is third with an estimated $13 million (PowerAde, Nike, Wrigley’s, and Reebok). Some of us can read between the lines and conclude Maria Sharapova has secured more endorsements due to her physical appearance. She has not won as many majors or titles as Serena Williams.

Consequentially, physical appearance does impact athletes’ opportunities of securing endorsements. It is called the athlete’s marketability. The marketability depends on tangible and intangible factors. Level of skill and success are tangible factors. Image, charisma, physical appearance, and personality are the intangible factors. The intangible factors are the consumers’ perceptions.

So, when we look at the women of the WNBA; many of the women are physically attractive, some are mothers, some are very charismatic with huge personalities, and most are skillful athletes. Candace Parker is the first name that comes to mind.

She is attractive, wife, mother, and personality with notable image. She is believed to be the new face of the WNBA. Unfortunately, I found numerous articles questioning whether Candace Parker’s first pregnancy would hurt the WNBA. It was deliberated because she is the “face” of the league, but had to take a maternity leave for most of the 2009 season to give birth. Even though Candace would not start the 2009 season with the team, I thought this would be an enormous opportunity for the league to expand marketing to a broader audience.  The  opportunity and possibility of Candace’s agent securing more endorsement contracts with corporations targeting women and mothers could have been developed.

Agent advocates need to understand clients’ marketability for potential placement as spokespeople and for obtaining endorsement contracts. We need to understand the league’s or organization’s marketing strategy. If a client is marketable and wishes to seek endorsements, what organizations can we approach that are supporters and an integral part of the marketing strategy?

Hence, leading us to ponder more questions such as: what companies or corporations are considered the “best fit” for a client seeking endorsements or sponsorships? Is the client a good match for an organization inquiring about a spokesperson? Is the relationship good for the client’s image?

Marketability is important for endorsements and sponsorships. I am shocked a majority of women in the WNBA have not acquired major endorsement deals. Hopefully, agent advocates will begin to initiate this change. We can improve the visibility of our clients and increase the revenue stream for our clients and organizations.

WNBA: Endorsements and Marketability from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

In less than a week, the discussions over what team will pick Tim Tebow, and at what position in the draft, will be gone.  We will know where Tebow will call his new home (where you will buy NFL tickets to go see him) and whether he was a first, second, or third round pick.  No matter what round Tebow is selected in, he is already profiting off of the popularity of his name appearing over and over again on paper and on television.  On January 4th, I predicted this would be the case.  The fact that so many people had something good or bad to say about Tebow and his “ability” made him newsworthy every day leading up to the draft.  As I wrote a few months ago,

Tim Tebow shows his emotions.  If he is not smiling on the field, he is probably crying, but he is a guy who any team would want on their side and any company would want endorsing their products.  Whether he makes it as a professional Quarterback or not, he will be successful in life and a great return for any company that invests their money in him.

Nike agreed by giving him roughly $300,000 per year (plus heavy incentives) in a shoe and apparel deal.  Meanwhile, Tebow is signing autographs at $160 a pop.  Don’t worry – Tebow is donating a lot of the money he earns – only making him even more marketable.  And a good friend of mine, Ryan Totka of AthletePromotions.com, has been busy booking Tebow in speaking engagements for college, churches, and corporations.

So when I read that,

Multiple companies told him before the Super Bowl that they could not let him represent their products if he went ahead with his pro-life commercial at the Super Bowl. But Tebow said losing sponsors was a small price to pay for the ability to spread his message about family and faith.

I didn’t feel too bad for him.  He said that comment in a paid speech at Lipscomb University.  He has Nike and EA Sports (who named him NCAA Football 11 Cover Athlete) feeding him money.  He continues to be on top of the world.  As I said to Nathan Crabbe of The Gainesville Sun back in January,

“He will be getting endorsements before he even touches the ball. Tebow’s display of Bible verses in his eye black means most people already associate him with his religious beliefs. Even fans who support abortion rights might respect him for standing up for his beliefs”

The More You Talk About Tebow, The More Money He Makes from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

I began the week by making a profile sheet for one of our clients so that it can be given to team officials overseas. It is our hope that we can find him a team to play on this season. The profile sheet basically involved finding career stats for the player, compiling video for the player, and writing a short blurb on his recent accomplishments. I was not involved in the video portion, but did compile the stats and write the blurb.

I was also involved with getting a company NCAA pool going for employees/clients via Facebook. I friended a lot of clients and invited them to join the pool. Many of our clients were happy to join. After yesterday’s games, it is impossible to know what’s going to happen. So far after the first day, Darren is in first, but I’m only one game behind.

I also completed various other tasks. One of our advisee’s had a question regarding whether composite or two part bats will be legal next season in the NCAA or whether single part bats will only be allowed. I emailed the NCAA individual associated with bat questions. So far I have not received a response. If anyone does know the answer, I’d be happy to hear it. We also received a message from a high schooler looking for an international team to play on this summer before entering college. I did some research and emailed some individuals, but really did not find a good answer for the player. It appears he might be too old for the opportunities that do exist for summer international play.

But despite not being successful on these two questions, I did have some success this week. I managed to get two of our clients endorsement deals with some product companies. Darren had given me a list of companies to contact regarding endorsements. I emailed many of these companies explaining who I was, what we had to offer, and why they should go with our clients. I received a response from a company and also an agreement. I passed the information along to Darren so he could look it over. I acted as sort of a liaison between Darren and the individual from the company as they negotiated the terms. In addition, I also got to look over the contract and give my input on what I thought. It was a great opportunity, as I got to finally put some of my law school skills to work in the sports industry. I had taken a contracts drafting class, which greatly familiarized me with the different parts of the contract. I am also currently taking a Sales class which helped me asses the warranties section. Hopefully my insight was helpful.

In addition to this company, I also might have set up a deal with another product company for a different client. They weren’t able to offer much in ways of compensation, but did offer product. The company was willing to send a sample product for our client to try out before we decide to make a deal. This is important, because you don’t want to sign a product deal for a client and then have the client not be comfortable in the product. Hopefully this deal also turns into something beneficial for our client.

Besides these developments, I also did my usual updates for college players and also helped out a fellow intern with the updates for our high school player watch list. Without giving any names, we did have two college players have tremendous offensive weekends last weekend. Most of the players on our list are having great seasons and hopefully some of them decide to sign with our company.

In closing, I had quite a busy week last week, but it was an exciting week. I finally got involved in a deal for our clients and saw first hand what goes into creating relationships with companies. This experience will help as I try to get my foot further in the door in this industry. Until my next post, have a great week.

An Intern(al) Look At Becoming a Sports Agent from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

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.

An Intern(al) Look At Becoming A Sports Agent from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

As soon as Torah Bright claimed the Womens’ half-pipe in Vancouver on Thursday, it was clear to see that her profile was sure to rise. The 23 year old Australian literally has the world at her feet.

Torah is far from a household name in Australia, with many winter athletes failing to attract any exposure unless they bring home a gold. Aussie gold medalists Steven Bradbury and Alisa Camplin have carved out nice careers in the media, but never garnered the raft of endorsements they deserved. However Torah is different, as her appeal spans globally because snowboarding is the hottest winter sport going around.

With the popularity of snowboarding comes the money. Take gold medalist Shaun “The Flying Tomato” White for example, who pulls in around $9 million a year from a wide variety sponsors.

So what is it about Torah that makes her a marketers dream? Firstly, she’s gorgeous and photogenic, which means her face on any product is going to attract attention. Secondly, she has wholesome values which companies look for when endorsing a client. She is a member of the Church of Latter-day Saints, and although she enjoys to party from time to time, holds this very close to her heart. With Torah, you know you are getting a level headed, focused athlete who strives for success and won’t get caught up in the hype.

Despite enjoying success in the past, including a X Games gold medal, Torah is listed as only having a few sponsors. Roxy is her biggest sponsor, which includes her own range of Snowboards. Her other sponsors include the Solomon Group, which manufacture Snowboard related equipment and Boost Mobile. With minimal industries covered, this leaves a lot of room for opportunity.

So how does one tackle an opportunity like this?

Firstly, her website (http://www.torahbright.com) needs a massive overhaul. Many areas of the site have not been updated in a while, and with Torah Bright being Google’d by everyone during the games, her website needs to entice fans. The website doesn’t list all of her sponsors, and with new media providing a wealth of opportunities, this is an outlet that can’t go unnoticed.

Continuing with new media, Torah Bright may do well to set up a Twitter account. Being as personable and likable as she is, this outlet will provide an avenue to interact with her fans and develop a strong fan base.

She has many industries that she can garner endorsements, in particular the food and beverage sector. Torah currently has a deal with health food drink Fuze, so a new beverage deal may be against her current contract. In regards to food, Torah could strike a deal with a health/protein bar company or other foods which associate with performance. Alternatively, if desired, she may choose to go down the route of companies associated with extreme sports such as fast food companies like Pizza Hut, Doritos, etc.

Torah has previously appeared in the Amped range of video games, but may choose to release her own range of video games, including in the increasingly growing mobile market.

Another area to look at is the electronics sector, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Hewlett-Packard try and snap her up as they have Shaun White already on their roster. Having the two best snowboarders with one company can provide them with a wealth of exposure.

Torah’s snowboarding apparel and related sponsorships are covered, so the only opportunities I can think of would include instructional DVDs, snowboarding movies, public appearances, interview columns and other media-related items.

Armed with a knockout smile, Torah’s other opportunities may include cosmetics and non-sporting fashion, such as watches or jewelry.

There is no doubt that her agent will be inundated with phone calls and offers over the next few weeks, so expect to see this gorgeous blonde from Australia the next time you open a magazine.

She is managed by the Wasserman Media Group, with her agent being listed as Circe Wallace.

The Undeniable Marketablity of Torah Bright from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

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.

An Intern(al) Look at Becoming A Sports Agent from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Darren Rovell has a very interesting piece on his blog that describes the development of Jack Marucci‘s bat company, which has its products used by some of Major League Baseball’s best hitters.  Marucci’s clientele includes Pujols, Howard, Ibanez, and Teixeira…hitters who come to mind when you think of “power swing”.  I agree that it is interesting that Marucci has not paid any players to use his bats or endorse his product.  There is no stronger endorsement than a person using a product out of pure choice, with no monetary consideration involved in the equation.  It is also very rare that a professional would do this, and actually pay for the product (or have his team pay for it), instead of getting free product at a minimum (and possibly being paid to use the product, if it is a prominent player).

Not everyone has a product that players may willingly purchase, however.  With that statement in mind, I thought that this was a particularly telling part of Rovell’s piece:

As for whether big hits by players using his bats help out sales?

“We see it,” Marucci said. “Someone watches Jason Werth hit a home run last night. They see our logo in the paper or during the replay -– HD has helped us a ton -– and they find us.”

So while Marucci does not pay for this beneficial publicity, the quoted passage says a lot about endorsements, in general.  Players and fans have no idea whether Jayson Werth is paid to use the Marucci bat when he steps up to the plate, but they are paying attention to the equipment that successful players are using.  This should be of use to companies deciding whether it is worth it to supply free equipment to players and their agencies of record, in exchange for the use of such equipment in the hope that someone will notice it and possibly make a related purchase, or at least spread word about the company.  For the higher-end players, free equipment may not be enough, and actual payments to the player may be justified by the increase of exposure, especially in an era where practically everyone has an HD TV.

Jack Marucci Has A Product That Players Want To Buy from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

As noted in the piece, this is the first year since Jonah started recording figures, that the average earnings for the list, decreased.  Blame it on the economy?

Beware of the bullets:

• 5 New York Yankees players are listed, but they all make the list because of their salaries, not an overwhelming endorsement portfolio.  Maybe LeBron James (#3 on the list) notices that meeting his endorsement potential is not all about moving to NY.  Or perhaps he believes that baseball players in NY have no chance getting as much money in endorsements as he would (a basketball player).  I still hope that he stays in Cleveland.
• It’s not as if A-Rod’s contract is new to us, but just look at the difference in salary between Rodriguez and every other athlete on the list.  Unreal.
• Shaq is getting old and less productive, but still making a great amount of money…especially in endorsements.  How will his love for Twitter help/hurt his ranking over the next year?
• Teixiera and Sabathia, combined, make less in endorsements than Jermaine O’Neal?  Okay, baseball players do have some marketing hurdles to overcome.
• Steve Francis at #22 hurts a lot more than Barry Zito at #26.

Those Who Are Fortunate from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules