Seth Meyers is hosting the 19th annual ESPYS on July 13, 2011.  This will be Meyers’ second year in a row hosting the awards show.  Yesterday, I was given the amazing opportunity to interview Meyers as he prepares for the show.  This correspondence is being provided by me (with, ahem, some help from Darren Heitner), exclusively to you, Sports Agent Blog readers.  Here is a bit of a synopsis of what was asked along with Meyers’ answers.

Q:        Who is the funniest celebrity that you’ve worked with?

A:        “Peyton Manning… he is one of the funnier guys I’ve ever met… that being said, Charles Barkley might be more fun to talk to… He is absolutely more outrageous.”

• Meyers continued to state that the reason that Barkley is so outrageous is because he has been so outlandish and crazy in the past that no one is surprised by anything he does anymore, so he can say whatever he wants (and does).

Q:        Will your SNL friends be working with you for round two (of hosting)?

A:        “Absolutely, [I’m] so blessed to work with so many talented people, and we’re good at pulling things together in a week.”

Q:        Do you enjoy working with the athletes?

A:        “The good thing about athletes is that they’re very competitive, so they always want to make people laugh.”

Q:        As a Red Sox fan, are you able to be impartial in the baseball categories?

A:        “I’m fairly impartial now since they’ve won a World Series…”

• Meyers continued on to say that prior to winning a World Series, he was “completely partial to the Red Sox.”  Breaking that “curse” seemed to loosen up fans around the world.

Q:        How are you preparing for the awards show?

A:        “Currently we’re shooting a few short films… But, [if] any athletes want to have a sex scandal in the next few [days], that’d be great.”

Q:        Are you going to be teasing anyone new this year?

A:        “The good news about something like the ESPYS is that you have the entire year to find someone worthy of a joke or two… with that [being] said… LeBron and Tiger aren’t completely out of the news.”

Q:        What’s your opinion on the world hating LeBron James?

A:        “All Americans would like to work where they want and work with the people that they want.  Unfortunately, with [the] few missteps that he made… it made a few people upset.”

• A few may be the understatement of the year… but what do I know… I’m a Lakers fan.

Q:        What’s off limits in the sports world?

A:        “I don’t think anything is off limits.  The trick with us this year is [that] with so many labor strikes, [being able to find] the humor in it… For most people, the lockout [means to them that] their favorite sport isn’t going to happen, they’re not in tune with the intricacy of the labor disputes.”

Q:        Where do you draw the line?

A:        “[You] try not to make a joke that’s so unfair that if you saw the person [on the street] you’d walk to other way… at the heart of them, they’re fun and not mean-spirited.”

Q:        How do you judge mean spirited vs. something that’s not?

A:        “[We have six writers] if one comedy writer thinks it’s mean spirited, it’s probably mean spirited.  [Usually you know by the fact that] when you say to them, in the back of your mind, you’re like ‘That’s probably over the line.’… and to be honest, as a comedy writer, you aim for the line, and you’re going to go over, and later on, you have say with hindsight, ‘[I shouldn’t] have said that.’”

Q:        What is the most nerve-wrecking part of hosting a live show?

A:        “Most of my experience is in live [television].  The weird thing about the ESPYS is that there is no dress rehearsal, so a lot of times you’re telling the jokes for the first time.  So when you tell them and no one laughs, you see the bewilderment of the audience [as to] how you ever thought that was funny.”

Q:        In regards to hosting the Correspondence Dinner versus the ESPYS, who is the harder crowd to deal with, politicians or athletes?

A:        “Politicians are harder as the comedy audience, as they take themselves very seriously.  Athletes take themselves seriously on the field, but off of the field, my experience with them, is that they’re a fun-loving bunch…”

Q:        Who are your sports heroes?

A:        “Mike Greenwall”

• Former left fielder who played his entire MLB career with the Boston Red Sox

A:        “Roger Clemens.  [I] lost track of him once he left the Red Sox, but I’m hoping he’s doing well.”

• Strange wording from Meyers as Clemens’ perjury trial in on deck… so to say

Q:        What was your favorite person sports memory playing in high school?

A:        “If you asked anyone I went to West High School with they probably wouldn’t remember either… I didn’t’ have many great sports moments… I ran track, and… there was at least one time when I finished [a race].”

Q:        What sets the ESPYS apart from other awards shows?

A:        “It’s different than any other awards shows, because in order to be nominated, you have to already have won what you wanted.”

Q:        If you were to be nominated for an ESPY, what would you get?

A:        “Probably baseball, or any other sport where contact is minimized… something where no one can hit you.”

Q:        How are you going to top last year’s show?

A:        “I hate to say this… but… Performing Enhancing Drugs.  That’s my move.”

• Meyers continued on to comment that, “Six days before the ESPYS, a lot can happen, I beg any athletes that [thinking about having] a scandal, to make it happen.”

Q:        Have you lost sight of a career as a pro-athlete?

A:        “I was hoping that hosting the ESPYS would get me into becoming an athlete. … [I would] love to be a baseball player for the Boston Red Sox.  That’d be a dream come true, and not a dream [that] I see unreasonable.”

Q:        Award two of your co-hosts ESPYS.  Who are they and what would they be?

A:        “Jon Hamm – ‘Handsomist Outfielder’”

• Don Draper did actually play baseball (and football, and was a swimmer) at the private John Burroughs School in Laude, Missouri.

A:        “Justin Timberlate – He would be ‘Most Versatile’”

Q:        What was that moment in sports that solidified you as a sports fan?

A:        “1986 World Series solidified my loyalty to sports forever.  Often our passion in defeat solidifies our [dedication to] sports forever.”

• The 1986 World Series was played between the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox.  The error by Bill Buckner in Game 6, which allowed the Mets to extend the series to a seventh game, is often cited in the legend of the “Curse of the Bambino.”  Mets beat the Red Sox, four games to three.

Q:        Any athlete you would have liked to play against?

A:        “I wish I hit against Chris Carpenter, because then I would be a much younger man.”

• Meyers is 37… Carpenter is 36.

The ESPYS airs live on Wednesday, July 13 at 9pm EST on ESPN.  Make sure to tune in as it is always a hilarious, great, talent-filled show.  Furthermore, fans can still VOTE for their favorite athletes up to July 12.

Interview With Seth Meyers, Host Of The 2011 ESPYs from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

1.      QB Drew Brees ~ New Orleans Saints = Brees is entering his 9^th season and at age 30 is now in his prime. Brees lit up opposing defenses last season for 34 touchdown passes, 5,069 yards (2^nd all-time), and had a 96.2 quarterback ranking. He was the top performer in fantasy last year and carries the same value headed into this season. If TE Jeremy Shockey can stay healthy this year, Brees touchdown numbers could possibly improve.

2.      QB Tom Brady ~ New England Patriots = Brady is coming off a serious knee injury, so some people may hesitate to pick him too high. I’m not one of those people because Brady has proven to be the consummate pro, he has an incredible work ethic and if anyone can come back 100% healthy one season after a serious knee injury it’s him. Prior to this last season Brady broke QB Peyton Manning’s NFL record of 49 touchdown passes in a single season with 50 to only 8 interceptions. You shouldn’t expect astonishing numbers like this for the upcoming year, but with the depth at every offensive position that the Patriots have, Brady will have the time and weapons to pick apart defenses once again.

3.      QB Peyton Manning ~ Indianapolis Colts = Manning is probably the safest pick out of the top three because of his unmatched consistency. Over his 11 year NFL career Manning has thrown for over 4,000 yards 9 times (NFL record) and has thrown for over 25 touchdowns every year of his entire career. WR Marvin Harrison is now gone, so WR Anthony Gonzalez, Roy Hall, or Austin Collie will need to step up. The Colts will be running essentially the same offense even with the loss of their head coach and offensive coordinator. Expect more of the same from one of the best to ever play, another 4,000+ yards & 25+ touchdowns.

4.      QB Philip Rivers ~ San Diego Chargers = Rivers is one of the toughest, most durable quarterbacks in the game which is a big plus for fantasy owners. Coming off a career year in which he passed for over 4,000 yards and 34 touchdowns with only 11 interceptions and a 105.5 QB rating. With RB LaDainian Tomlinson coming back healthy, less pressure will be on Rivers so his touchdown numbers could fall slightly. His excellent TD/INT ratio will continue, especially with the amount of weapons around him.

5.      QB Matt Ryan ~ Atlanta Falcons = Ryan was last year’s offensive rookie of the year and lead his team to the playoffs. He posted decent numbers, 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 3,440 yards and an 87.7 rating. All these numbers should improve significantly with the continued improvement from WR Roddy White who appears to be a superstar in the making. It doesn’t hurt that the team traded for one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history this off-season either (Tony Gonzalez).

6.      QB Kurt Warner ~ Arizona Cardinals = Arizona has the best receiving combo in the NFL with WR’s Anquan Boldin & Larry Fitzgerald. Assuming the team works out an extension with the disgruntled Boldin, Warner could throw for some incredible numbers once again. The selection of RB Chris Wells in the first round tells me the team wants to be more of a balanced attack and with Warner being 38 by the time next year starts, an injury could happen sooner rather than later. There is no doubting that Warner was a top 2 fantasy quarterback last year with his 4,583 yards, 30 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and 96.9 rating.

7.      QB Donovan McNabb ~ Philadelphia Eagles = McNabb has more weapons around him now than in his entire career. His offensive line is much improved as well. Donovan posted a career high in yards last season (3,916) to go along with 23 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and an 86.4 rating. With RB LeSean McCoy joining the backfield, McNabb won’t throw quite as much last season so his yards could take a hit. What I do expect to improve to the 28-30 range is his touchdowns. WR Jeremy Maclin adds even more speed to an already very explosive offense. The Eagles have one of the deepest receiving corps in the NFL, two very explosive tailbacks, and a massive offensive line. Don’t be surprised to see a career year out of the 11 year pro.

8.      QB Aaron Rodgers ~ Green Bay Packers = Rodgers has the weapons around him to post a similar year to last season’s statistical breakthrough. In his first full season as a starter, Rodgers threw for 4,038 yards, 28 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, with a 93.8 rating. A significant reason for this was how disappointing RB Ryan Grant was last year. This is a new season, and the team will look to gear their offense to a more balanced attack. Rodgers still has one of the top duo’s at WR in the NFL with WR’s Donald Driver & Greg Jennings and a very good #3 WR James Jones & #4 Jordy Nelson. Look for 3,500+ yards and around 25-28 touchdowns from the 4 year pro.

9.      QB Tony Romo ~ Dallas Cowboys = Dallas lost WR Terrell Owens, so WR Roy Williams will finally get his chance to be the #1 on a good team. I don’t doubt Williams ability to step up nearly as much as I do with the other receivers on the roster. These names include WR’s Patrick Crayton, Travis Wilson, Manuel Johnson, Miles Austin, and Sam Hurd. TE Jason Witten gives Romo the best tight end target in the NFL, and with the best trio of running backs in the NFL (Marion Barber, Felix Jones, Tashard Choice) Romo will have solid weapons and a ground game to make life much easier in the best division in football.

10.  QB Ben Roethlisberger ~ Pittsburgh Steelers = Big Ben isn’t known to put up very big numbers; all he does is win football games. Entering next season, I fully expect all of his numbers to improve. In 2008, Ben threw for 3,301 yards, he had 19 total touchdowns and only an 80.1 rating. With his offensive line benefiting from much needed upgrades through the draft, more receiving weapons, and RB Rashard Mendenhall coming back from injury, the Steelers entire offense will be much better next year and so will Big Ben’s stats.

Sleepers

1.      QB Matt Hasselbeck ~ Seattle Seahawks = The year before last season when Hasselbeck suffered his season ending injury, he was stellar throwing for 3,966 yards, 28 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. He did so without newly acquired WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, rookie WR Deon Butler, and one of the best young tight ends in the league John Carlson. With new weapons around him expect Hasselbeck to have enough left in the tank to give you a productive season, somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,250+ yards and 20-25 touchdowns.

2.      QB Jay Cutler ~ Chicago Bears = Cutler had a career high last season in completions, attempts, yards, and touchdowns. He had arguably the best protection of any quarterback in the entire league, getting sacked only 11 times. In Chicago not only will the pass protection not be quite that good, he won’t have near the weapons he had in Denver. Still expect 3,500+ yards and 25+ touchdowns from Cutler.

3.      QB Trent Edwards ~ Buffalo Bills = Buffalo got rid of QB J.P. Losman for a reason, because they are giving Edwards full control of the offense this season. The Bills strengthened their offensive line through the draft with OL Eric Wood & Andy Levitre, drafted TE Shawn Nelson, and added WR Terrell Owens.  With these offensive pieces added with WR Lee Evans (who is one of the most underrated players in the NFL) as well as WR James Hardy who is a legit red zone threat at 6’6″, Edwards should post some solid numbers and is a good #2 QB for your fantasy team.

4.      QB Jason Campbell ~ Washington Redskins = Perhaps no quarterback in the NFL has a bigger chip on their shoulder than this guy. Owner Dan Snyder and the Redskins tried to replace him by trading for QB Jay Cutler and drafting QB Mark Sanchez. Campbell has tons of talent and hasn’t been able to have the same offensive coordinator for back to back seasons in his NFL career. These are factors working against him, but I still expect Jason to prove people wrong with a solid season where he throws for 3,000+ yards and 22-25 touchdowns.

2009 NFL Fantasy Player Rankings (QBs) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

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Every year, hundreds gather to “Network with the Pro’s”, an elite networking experience of hand picked athletes (retired and active), celebrities, and top executives.

Last year’s successful event was at the Wrigley Mansion in Arizona. This year’s event is hosted at and sponsored by Robb and Stucky (International Plaza), The Strand, Budweiser, and Athletes and Executives. The massive luxury furniture store will close down the entire upstairs and most of its downstairs areas to make room for custom designed and very private VIP networking rooms, a press room for red carpet interviews, and a 100 item silent auction. Along with of course the classic amenities of gourmet food, drink, and live music.

Hand picked invitees for the event range from the local up and coming executives to the respected local mainstays. But the wow factor for everyone will be the opportunity to network with top level executives and CEO’s from major national and international corporations including but not limited to: Anheuser Busch, M&M Mars, Adidas, Nike, Sports Illustrated, XM, Red Bull, Lear Jet, Marriott, and Raymond James.

Of course there will also be a fair share of politicians, sports agents, and even Olympic Committee officials coming to tag their piece of the action.

“Business will be done at this event. This is not a shake a hand and lets exchange small talk. The entire event is centered around making connections and making business happen. People come to this event every year- fly in from all over the country- expecting to sign deals and start on the path to new negotiations” says Jenn Greacen, Executive Director of Red Frog,  the Coordinating host of this years event.

Pro player sightings will include Hall of Famer John Hannah who’s charity foundation Fourth and Goal Unites will benefit from the massive silent auction featuring items from the traditional signed Peyton Manning jersey or a Bruce Springsteen Hand Signed Guitar, to the exceptionally unusual items like a Tony Hawk signed skateboard or a Michel Phelps signed swim cap.

A confirmed 50 pro-athletes are registered to attend including retired local resident Seth Joyner, our own Bucs local Dave Moore, two time Super Bowl Champ Leonard Marshall, and MLB baseball great Curt Shilling.

“What makes this event unusual and unlike any other is the fact that it is not a party. It is held during business hours, you can’t ask to get on the list, you can’t buy a ticket, it isn’t about the food or the glitz or glam, it’s just about business. That’s why our people love it. That’s why everyone wants on the list year after year.” Says Alan Anastos, co-founder of Athletes and Executives.

Network with the Pros will take place at Robb and Stucky in International Plaza on Friday, January 30^th 2009 from 1-5PM. For security reasons, invitees including press must register in advance at www.networkwiththeprostampabay.com and bring proof of ID or press credentials to be granted access.

Tomorrow Is Your Chance To Network With The Pro’s from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Olympics

• Was Bolt’s early celebration a strategic move to set up future endorsement earnings? [Bolting to The Bank?]
• Peyton Manning used an exclamation mark in his petition [Peyton Petitions to Make Football an Olympic Sport].
• The Hey! Nielsen’s Olympic Trivia Challenge ends on Monday [Trivia Challenge].

Baseball

• A look into what the MLB free agent market landscape may look like this offseason [Bullish or Bearish on Free Agents?].

Basketball

• Milan is beautiful and there are tasty cookies there too. Marbury is interested, case closed [Stephon Marbury still plans to play in Milan].
• Isn’t our economy supposed to be a lot stronger than Russia’s? [Ex-Hornet Pargo signs one-year, $3.5 million contract with Russian club].
• All along, I thought Ben Gordon would be the most likely player to go overseas after Childress made his declaration [Gordon thinks he will be traded, also considers playing in Europe].
• Shawn Kemp finds a place to play, too [Italy Gains Custody of Several Hundred Out of Wedlock Children].
• Tom Crean will get $23.6 million+ as long as he doesn’t pull a Kelvin Sampson [Crean signs deal with Hoosiers that's worth $23.6 million over 10 years].

Football

• An extended regular season could mean more money per year for players [NFL owners looking at extending season].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Yet, Braylon Edwards, like many other professional athletes, dreams of bigger and better things, inside and outside of football. In a recent article in ESPN The Magazine, writer Carmen Reneé Thompson followed Edwards around for a day of meetings with the higher ups who hold his pass to silver screen stardom. Edwards claimed that “Outside of a Super Bowl ring, my definition of success is making more money after football.”

Of course, Edwards was not alone. His agent, Creative Artists Agency’s Howard Skall (who also represents Brady Quinn), accompanied him throughout the day. Edwards represents a growing percentage of athletes who are getting more and more interested in off-the-field pursuits in the entertainment industry. Along with hoping to make cameo appearances on shows like HBO’s Entourage or being a guest on Oprah, Edwards feels that he is capable of being a lead actor in a film and hopes to lock down a major endorsement deal this summer.

While CAA and other “powerhouse” agencies are doing a great job of getting their athletes, such as Peyton Manning, major endorsements deals (Manning scored an estimated $13 million in endorsements in 2007) and cameo roles (Manning hosted Saturday Night Live), where does this leave the smaller, “boutique” agencies? While agencies like CAA, IMG, and Octagon have divisions in the agencies dedicated to entertainment talent management and are well established in Hollywood, how can smaller firms open up the door and help their clients pursue their off-the-field interests without having to refer them to different agencies?

Some of these difficulties can be seen even with some of the largest “boutique” firms. KCB Sports Marketing is the firm that handles marketing for all of Drew Rosenhaus’ clients (Over 90 players including some of the NFL’s top players like Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson). Except for a few players like Johnson or Jeremy Shockey, it doesn’t seem like a lot of KCB’s high end clients (Tommie Harris, Willis MaGahee, Anquan Boldin, Frank Gore, etc.) have had their names linked with specific brand endorsements. That is not to say that this is for a lack of effort or forgetting that many other factors exist like player marketability, demand for athletes to endorse products, or even the players’ interest in endorsing a product play a factor in these endorsement deals. It just seems to me that when your organization represents around 5% of the NFL, more than 2 or 3 of your clients should have recognizable endorsements with major products and brands.

With endorsements being a major market for athletes, and as more professional athletes look to get into the entertainment business, how are the “boutiques” going to get their slice of the pie? Just a little food for thought.

Am I missing something? Feel the need to put in your two cents. Please leave your thoughts and comments below. The Sports Agent Blog Community would love to hear what you have to say on the topic. Thanks!

ActLetes – Professional Athletes, Endorsements, and the Entertainment Industry from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

When will the social network bubble burst? Has it already been popped? I do not really know anybody who uses any social friending site other than Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace or possibly Plaxo, on a frequent basis. That surely has not deterred CAA, MLB Advanced Media, and a company called Pequot Ventures to form a new youth sports social network. WePlay.com is geared towards athletes between the ages of 6-16, their parents, and their coaches.

WePlay.com’s mission: to enable and enhance the joy of sports for kids, families, coaches and fans both online and on the field. What the hell does that mean? Oh wait…read down a couple of paragraphs on the press release: young athletes can create profiles, blogs and fan clubs, play games, connect with friends and create a highlight reel. How innovative! Children are already doing all of this on MySpace.

Their business platform is to find revenue in advertisements on the WePlay.com site (how innovative…sarcasm). It seems like 5,000 new social networks sprout up every day with this same goal in mind. Create a social network for a niche group of people, don’t make them pay to be members, and make money off of advertisements. My guess is that most of the sites fizzle out after making pennies. Why do CAA, MLB Advanced Media and this Pequot group believe that WePlay.com will be any different?

For one, Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning, LeBron James, and Tony Parker are among its athlete founders. Will the endorsement of those athletes and whatever equity they have in the venture be enough to make it successful? It seems that their backing has allowed WePlay.com to generate a bunch of buzz thus far, even making a story on SportsAgentBlog.com! But what about longterm? When the hype dies in a week, will the site survive?

It definitely has strong financial backing behind it. The site has already been financed with $4.5 million dollars. Personally, I do not care how much money you have behind something, if the idea stinks and is not innovative, it is destined to fail (or at least not be profitable). Like my colleague Jason Peck over at Take a Peck, I took WePlay.com for a short test drive. I understand that it is only in Beta, but I was thoroughly unimpressed. I agree with Jason, it is early on in the game for WePlay.com and I should wait a little while before I get too critical. But from what I see as their mission and their original product, I think this is a wrong move by all parties involved in its success (however, there is no loss to the athletes that do not invest any money into it).

WePlay…No, YouPlay…Without Me from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules