To be honest, I kind of did a lot of thinking in this offseason and I wanted to go back to playing golf because I loved playing golf again. It had nothing to do with not even wanting sponsorships or if there wasn’t availability there. I just used to love playing golf, I used to love going out to the course everyday and some of that stuff can kind of get in the way. This year, I wanted my focus to be golf, and golf only and just not even worry about that other stuff.

His father, Mike Moore, echoed his sons sentiment in a recent ESPN article, “It’s not about money — it wasn’t going into the year and it isn’t now,” Mike Moore added. “It’s about aligning himself with products that befit his game. … He has a way that he enjoys looking and a way that he enjoys playing the game. He’s a very unique individual and he feels it’s important to be true to himself.”  Unique is right. Moore, at various times throughout the season, has sported a headband, flashy v-neck sweaters with ties and puma shoes (just like a pair people where on the streets) but with golf spikes attached – all items purchased by Moore.

So was it worth it? Moore’s answer would be an astounding yes. Moore finished this season with personal bests of a 70.46 scoring average, just over $2.2 million in earnings and his first PGA Tour victory.  Furthermore, that $2.2 million in earnings is over $1 million more than he earned in his previous season on tour. So to all pf Moore’s naysayers who bashed his decision to forgo $300-500K, he quips “less is Moore.”

CAA is the old IMG, shot up with a dose of corporate steroids.  Its football division is leaps and bounds above its competition, in a sport where new entrants come into the fold every day trying to take some of CAA’s share (with not much success).  Its baseball division is right up there with names like Sosnick-Cobbe, Hendricks, Reynolds, and Octagon.  Basketball and hockey are extremely well established divisions, too.  Condon, Close, and Brisson were formally with IMG before turning to CAA.  Is CAA now interested in prying away IMG’s long standing golf empire?

Even though IMG let many of its team-sports employees move on, it retained a strong presence in tennis and golf.  Mark Steinberg, a former interview subject on this blog, is the director of Global Golf Business, and represents names like Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam, among many others.  Is IMG nervous that it may lose its spot as #1 in golf?

CAA has wanted to get into representing golfers for a while now, and recently hired Andy Pierce, who was formerly the head of corporate consulting at IMG.  His role will be in “identifying and developing new business opportunities for CAA Sports.”  Establishing a golf division would definitely fall into those duties.

Much debate has occurred throughout the past week over whether this is a good move [Tiger Woods' fee queried in Australia]. Premier John Brumby believes that Tiger’s presence at the tournament will net an estimated 19 million dollars to the Victorian economy. The tournament may now attract visitors from both interstate and New Zealand to catch a glimpse of Tiger. Ernst and Young have released a report estimating an increase in 10,000-20,000 more visitors, and at 50 bucks a pop that could end up at around 1 million.

Some people argue where this magical number of $19 million came from, as the event does not have a major television or sponsorship deal; if anything these two companies will benefit by snapping up a bargain deal early. The only way the money will be made up is by tourists spending money elsewhere, which is a high possibility.

Some welfare groups have criticized the fact that taxpayers money is being spent on sport when, with the global financial crisis, many families are struggling.

Tiger hasn’t played in Australia since the 90’s, as the prize money is that of some Nationwide events- hardly appealing for most international players. Some fear a similar disaster like that of when Woods was paid $4 million to play the New Zealand Open a few years ago. The event was washed out and the tournament lost millions.

Whether the presence of Woods in the Australian masters attracts international players remains to be seen; as I previously said, the money isn’t that appealing. Also, instead of spending $3 million on one player, would money be better spent across say 8 players? Why not attract a high quality field rather than just a marquee player? I feel this would increase the standard of the tournament.

Either way, Tiger’s got my money and I’ll certainly be attending at least one day. I just hope the rain stays away.

MMA

• Gary Wimsett expands his online presence and has a great interview with Jens Pulver [No Rest for the Wicked: Jens Pulver Fights for the Little Guy].

Basketball

• Jason Belzer looks at some young college coaches who have tons of talent [Young Guns: 3 Top Under-the-Radar College Assistants].

Golf

• From WMA to IMG [Wie to get ‘fresh start’ with IMG].

Football

• The last of the big-name inside linebacker free agents has been signed [Peterson, Falcons ink deal].
• A $16.6 million pay cut for the former #1 overall pick [Smith reworks last 2 years of deal].
• Nothing that $100 million can’t fix, right? [Haynesworth indicted on traffic charges]
• Do Trace Armstrong’s connections to CAA have you concerned about him being a candidate? [Contentious campaign, critical vote for NFLPA's top job]
• It only keeps getting worse for Alvin Keels.  I cannot imagine the amount of stress he is under [Alabama’s Tubby, Shirtless Wonder, Andre Smith].

Sports Agents

• Bruce Ciskie has doubts about Bus Cook [Is Bus Cook a Troublemaker?]

Baseball

• One of those “great stories” [Lester lands five-year extension with Red Sox].

First, the allegations. The NY Post broke the story this past week that “IMG quietly agreed to steer clients looking for investment advice to Stanford Financial Group, potentially exposing them to millions of dollars in losses resulting from the financial firm’s alleged fraud.” Additionally, the story states that Stanford also held talks about a consulting deal with Octagon, during which it inquired about a “financial management deal,” according to a source with knowledge of those discussions. “Basically, they wanted assurances that Octagon would park its clients’ money with them if they did a deal,” this source said. The story continues:

According to three sources with knowledge of the situation, IMG and Stanford have a quid-pro-quo agreement under which Stanford Financial paid IMG a low to mid-seven-figure consulting fee in exchange for IMG advising its clients – which include golfers Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Anthony Kim, Camillo Villegas, Vijay Singh, Sergio Garcia and others – to have their money managed by Stanford. The backroom bargaining has exposed IMG to charges of double-dealing, and is raising questions about where the firm’s allegiances lay: with Stanford Financial or its athlete clients.

It is alleged that in return, IMG advised Stanford on where and how to spend its sponsorship money, especially in regards to golf tournaments.

This scandal is not the first time IMG has made the news for arguably dubious practices. Several years ago, Ernie Els lambasted the firm (he since left) for circulating his name and a corresponding price tag, without his permission, to corporations–some of which were title sponsors to Tour events–that were looking to set up corporate outings with IMG clients during tournament week. The PGA Tour, as is still the case, regulates against players being paid appearance fees to play in specific tournaments (as opposed to Europe, where appearance fees are kosher), though client or corporate outings independent from the event itself are distinguished.

Tiger’s agent, Mark Steinberg, who has been interviewed on SportsAgentBlog.com and is the senior corporate vice president & global managing director of IMG Golf, vehemently denied the charges, stating flatly that “IMG does not give investment advice to our clients…period.”

Yet evidence suggests otherwise. A 2005 Telegraph story on former tennis great and IMG client Virginia Wade, for instance, suggests that in fact the firm is quite integral in the financial decisions made by its clients.

“Since 1974, Ms. Wade has benefited from financial advice from her management company, International Management Group ‘We are in touch regularly, maybe once a month,’” she said.

In the meantime, it’s business as usual for the Cleveland-based firm, widely considered one of the most dominant players in the management of professional golfers and tennis players, as well as its involvement in the two sports’ various tournaments and media related ventures. Prized client Vijay Singh just entered into a major endorsement deal with Stanford that included sponsorship of his bag, visor and left chest on shirts and sweaters. He says that he will continue to wear the logos, relics to a once distinguished name and company that has since found the wayside, mired in deceit and fraud. And both Camilo Villegas and Morgan Pressel have ongoing deals as well. Finally, Tour commissioner Tim Finchem stated that the Stanford St. Jude Championship on June 11-14 in Memphis, Tenn. will be played – with or without its title sponsor (the PGA Tour has a rainy day pot of about $200 million it can dip into for such emergency situations, i.e. if Stanford backs out or cannot continue its sponsorship). However, as one senior Golfweek writer wrote, Stanford also is affiliated with IMG’s prized client, , with a three-year founding sponsorship of AT&T National, a Tiger Woods Foundation event.

Chances are that Camp Tiger is looking none too kindly on this whole sordid affair, and that IMG will get an earful. From IMG’s standpoint, that will hopefully be the end of it. But if more murky details emerge, things could get worse for the mega firm before they get better. And if push comes to shove, more clients could choose to do what Ernie Els did a long time ago and cut their losses. Or at the very least, ask the company precisely whose interests it is serving.

I just feel more comfortable out here this year. I pick a club now because I want to play it, not because I have to use a club because of a deal I have, and then I have to make the club work for me.

Moore’s attitude is a breath of fresh air in a sport that is dominated largely and relies on the sponsors.  Hopefully he can turn his new peace-of-mind into victories, and earn back some of the green he just lost.  I’m guessing his agent is thinking something similar.  But in the end, you still have to admire Ryan’s passion for the game.  Besides, how many other golfers can say that they walked into a department store to pick out their gear for next weekend’s game?

Check out USA Today’s article on Moore for more in-depth coverage.

Golf

• A troubling economy touches the links [PGA Tour purses likely to flatten].

College Football

• A cool 2.2 mil per year [Gundy rewarded with seven-year, $15.7 million deal].
• The Gator Nation will definitely miss Dan Mullen [Mississippi State hires Florida coordinator as coach].

Baseball

• Albert Irby has indictment dropped, but still must pay $ to Ray Lankford [Deal ends agent's case].
• A rise of 3.6% is a cause for concern? [MLB salary increase lowest since '04]
• Investing in Brazil…next up, Panama? [Rays Invest in Brazil. What Took So Long?].

NFL

• Even the NFL is not immune [NFL laying off about 150].
• While the NFL and the rest of the economy is suffering, the NFLPA is doing just fine [NFLPA earns a record $35 million].

When Tiger Woods returns to the golf course in 2009 there will be a new logo adorning his bag, a coveted spot that Buick has held since 2000.  General Motors, the automobile company that owns Buick, recently announced the end of their 9-year endorsement deal with Woods as part of their cost-cutting strategy in the midst of the current economic crisis.  The deal, which has been cut short by a year, has been speculated to be worth at least $7 million a year.

Woods’ agent at IMG, Mark Steinberg, noted that the decision was mutual as Woods was seeking more personal time as he expects his second child.  The end of the Tiger-Buick era does mean that there is an open spot on what the New York Daily News called a “bag that gets more television time at tournaments than any other golfer.” Steinberg expressed that the bag would not be blank when Woods’ plays next.  With regards to the future status of his client’s accessory, the super-golf agent said “I’ve got a few ideas, and we’re in the process of working through that.”  In this time of economic hardships, who will take on the risk of giving away a huge endorsement deal?  To be sure, a new deal should be for less money as Woods expects to spend less time marketing his new endorser than he did for Buick, but will still most likely cost a new suitor several million dollars.

Rapidly vanishing lines of credit are not only taking their toll on inflated asset prices and the global financial markets in general, but also in the willingness of companies to not only underwrite sporting events, but also to market their brands through athletes. During financial stress, marketing budgets are historically one of the first to get slashed, and this current slowdown is no exception. One of the sports which will be hit the hardest in the coming months and year(s) will be golf. Sports Business Journal (SBJ) reported several weeks ago, for instance, that “golf is unusually dependent on revenue from the financial category, with about 25 percent of network ad time coming from that area. Plus, nearly one-third of all events sanctioned by the PGA Tour are sponsored by banks, investment firms, credit card distributors or financial consultancies, putting golf at the biggest risk from the crisis.”

From a player agent’s perspective, this crisis will be most visible in terms of endorsements. SBJ’s latest piece on the matter–”Golf endorsements pinched by economy”–highlights the dour sentiments of several of the game’s most prominent player managers:

Andrew Witlieb – Goal Marketing (Jim Furyk): “I’ve been doing this for 15 or 16 years and this is the worst year yet. You look next year you’ll see the fewest new deals you’ll ever see.”

Mac Barnhardt – Crown Sports Management (Davis Love III, Boo Weekley): “Dollars are coming down a little bit. I think you’re going to have to get more regional and more creative (with prospective endorsement deals). I think it’s going to get tough.”

John Mascatello – SFX Golf (John Daly): “Getting the long-term commitments will be tricky because there is some instability right now.”

Andrew “Chubby” Chandler – ISM (Lee Westwood) : “The knock-on affect of American banks is hitting everywhere.”

Chandler’s quote, which is part of a sit-down of sorts that can be seen on video at CNN, makes the point as well that the “global” slowdown has had a seemingly less drastic effect on Middle Eastern and Asian economies. This is one reason why many U.S. players are allegedly thinking about “jumping ship,” so to speak, over to the European Tour next year, at least in a limited capacity, in an effort to diversify the reach of their brand, as well as to play courses with a more player (and fan?) friendly setup (i.e. less penal rough). Among those committed to more events overseas include Vijay Singh and Robert Allenby of IMG, although rumor has it that Phil Mickelson (repped by Steve Loy, President of Gaylord Sports) is seriously mulling the prospect over, as is Camillo Villegas, who shares an agent at IMG with Sergio Garcia. For that matter, expect to see the latest IMG acquisition, Anthony Kim, explore more options internationally.

“You’d be stupid not to join [the European tour],” said Allenby. “Some tournaments over [in the U.S.] get a bit monotonous, with the thick rough. I miss the fairway by two feet and I’m screwed. My body hasn’t been handling it very well, particularly my tennis elbow. The other thing is to freshen my mind up.”

Moreover, The Guardian’s Lawrence Donnegan opined that the U.S. based credit crunch may also play a role in players’ scheduling:

“With the credit crunch affecting many American financial institutions the long-term prospects for sponsorship of golf in the US are gloomy, in stark contrast to the opportunities enjoyed by the European tour. The latter has a long tradition of staging events in the Middle East and Asia, where next year will see the start of the European tour’s “Road to Dubai” series which culminates in an end-of-season tournament in the Emirates where the players will be competing for a $20m prize fund – the biggest in the history of the game.”