I have been a staunch opponent of suppressing athletes’ ability to communicate on social media platforms (including Facebook and Twitter), but I am certainly a proponent of properly educating those athletes regarding the best practices of using those networks.  Athletes need to understand that the platforms make it relatively easy to post text updates, pictures, and videos, but also just as easy for others to instantly be able to access that content.  The hard part is damage control.  Once the content is made available, it is tough to take down.  The content spreads like wildfire.

I was recently forwarded a webpage created by Twitter titled, Twitter for Athletes.  At first, I was surprised that Twitter took the time to create a page dedicated to informing athletes about best practices for using the service.  But the real shock was seeing just how much effort was put forth by the Twitter team to come up with a guide that is actually worthy for all athletes and their agents to view.

In the guide, Twitter covers the proper usage of hashtags, the value of responding to follows and asking questions, and engagement with teammates.  Most importantly, it explains that Twitter can be used by athletes for breaking news and that “a Tweet can be more powerful and personal than a press release.”  The power of a Tweet can be a great thing for an athlete, but also terribly disastrous if written without thinking.

See also: Forcing social media silence not the answer for colleges [SportsBusiness Journal]

Twitter Creates A Guide For Athletes from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

When: March 31 – April 1, 2011

Where: Renaissance Los Angeles Hotel in Los Angeles, California (map) – Can also attend via Webcast.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

8:00 am: Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30 am: Introduction and Overview

Seth J. Steinberg, Esq., Program Co-Chair
Digital Arts Law / San Francisco, CA

Russell G. Weiss, Esq., Program Co-Chair
Morrison & Foerster LLP / Los Angeles, CA

8:45 am: Social Networking and Mobile Apps

New trends and impacts on traditional gaming 

Russell G. Weiss, Esq., Program Co-Chair
Morrison & Foerster LLP / Los Angeles, CA

Reggie Davis, Esq., General Counsel
Zynga, Inc. / San Francisco, CA

Shawn Foust, Director of Business Development/General Counsel
Booyah, Inc. / San Francisco, CA

10:15 am: Break: Coffee, Tea and Conversation

10:30 am: Special Address: Video Game Industry Growth

New opportunities meet new regulations 

Michael D. Gallagher, Esq., President and CEO
Entertainment Software Association / Washington, DC

11:00 am: U.S. Supreme Court’s Review of California’s Violent Video Games Law (Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association (EMA))

What is its impact? 

Katherine A. Fallow, Esq.
Jenner & Block LLP / Washington, DC

George L. Rose, Esq., Executive Vice President, Chief Public Policy Officer
Activision Blizzard / Santa Monica, CA

12:00 pm: Lunch (on your own)

1:15 pm: Next Generation Systems

Peripherals to Xbox and PS3: The new Nintendo system; consoles meet cloud services 

Heidi Holman, Esq., Senior Attorney, Interactive Entertainment
Microsoft Corporation / Redmond, WA

Eve Saltman, Esq., Vice President of Legal
OnLive, Inc. / Palo Alto, CA

2:45 pm: Break: Soda, Tea and Conversation

3:00 pm: Litigation Updates

Leading copyright and trademark-related cases 

Carole F. Barrett, Esq., Director
Howard, Rice, Nemerovski, Canady, Falk & Rabkin, P.C. / San Francisco, CA

Top 10 for other IP litigation: Leading cases from the past year or so including MGA vs Mattel and Viacom vs Google

William Sloan Coats, Esq.
Kaye Scholer LLP / Palo Alto, CA

4:15 pm: Labor/Employment Update: Developments In Misclassification Cases

Trade secrets and the Activision case 

Eric A. Tate, Esq.
Morrison & Foerster LLP / San Francisco, CA

5:00 pm: Adjourn

Friday, April 01, 2011

8:00 am: Continental Breakfast

8:30 am: Introduction and Overview

8:45 am: Dealing with Patent Trolls and the Growing Importance of ITC Litigation

What do these trends mean for the gaming industry and where are they going? 

Seth J. Steinberg, Esq., Program Co-Chair
Digital Arts Law / San Francisco, CA

I. Neel Chatterjee, Esq.
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP / Menlo Park, CA

Mehran Arjomand, Esq.
Morrison & Foerster LLP / Los Angeles, CA

Richard A. Medway, Esq., Director, Litigation
Nintendo of America, Inc. / Redmond, WA

Michael Edelman, Esq., Director of Litigation
Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC / Foster City, CA

10:30 am: Break: Coffee, Tea and Conversation

10:45 am: Sales and Marketing: Case Studies of Blockbusters

Sharon Scott Zezima, Esq, Vice President, Legal Affairs
Electronic Arts Inc. / Redwood City, CA 

Patricia Masai, Director, Interactive Games
Mattel, Inc. / El Segundo, CA

12:00 pm: Lunch (on your own)

1:15 pm: Digital Distribution Update

How much progress has been made in the past year? What impact will trends in digital distribution have on the gaming industry? 

Marc Jackson, Founder & CEO
Seahorn Capital Group / Malibu, CA

Anthony Jacobson, Vice President Business Development
Atari Interactive / Los Angeles, CA

2:00 pm: Ongoing Operational Vigilence: Privacy, Online Safety and Dealing with Thieves

Mitigating security policy issues in interactive entertainment 

Aaron E. Kornblum, Esq, Director of Security Policy
Microsoft Corporation / Redmond, WA

2:45 pm: Break: Soda, Tea and Conversation

3:00 pm: Operational Vigilance (cont.): Monitoring for and Dealing with Infringement

Developing an effective rapid response strategy; tips for obtaining injunctions more quickly 

Robert W. Payne, Esq.
LaRiviere, Grubman & Payne, LLP / Monteray, CA

3:30 pm: Ethical Issues for Outside and In-House Lawyers

Representing the company without alienating your business contact or compromising the business relationship; negotiation tactics and ethical conduct; negotiation with the other side and unrepresented parties; protecting client confidences and secrets 

Kraig L. Marini Baker, Esq.
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP / Seattle, WA

4:30 pm: Evaluations and Adjourn

Cost: Standard Rate ($995.00), Government Rate ($665.00), Student/New to Job ($497.50) – Register here.

Conference On Gamer Technology Law from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Since my return from Ontario, my two most immediate objectives to accomplish were to develop social networking sites for some of my Russian advisees and to “finalize” my travel schedule for the rest of 2010. Naturally I say “finalize” because I know that my plans rarely pan out as originally thought.

Now you might be wondering why amateur advisees of mine would need social networking sites at this point of their careers, so here’s a little explanation. First, when dealing with Russian players, it’s often difficult for them to connect with their fan base due to the obvious language barrier. As an agent or advisor, you always want your clients to be more marketable. In a time where fans utilize social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter as part of their daily routine, increasing a client’s popularity has never been easier. Second, having the user profiles now helps to protect the user names from being taken once the client hits the professional ranks. Finally, creating these accounts for specifically Russian players provides them with another opportunity to increase their grasp on the English language – something that, while not necessarily essential, teams place a premium on.

So after a few days of creating new email addresses, Facebook Fan Pages, and Twitter accounts, I’m happy to let you know that you can all follow along with three of my advisees, Andrey Kuchin, Alexander Denezhkin, and Semen Golikov, on both Facebook and Twitter. Right now I’ve uploaded some video and pictures of the boys on the ice and I’ve gotten them access to post their own daily updates. Hopefully they should be providing you with some entertaining information on what it’s like to be a Junior hockey player on the path towards he NHL. As I continue to develop sites for other clients, I’ll also be sure to post those updates to the Rookie Duties Facebook Page so you can follow along with their careers as well.

As I mentioned, another goal this past week was to finish putting together my schedule for the first couple months of the hockey season. Not every weekend is filled at this point, but it gives me a great starting point to build off of.

So for a quick look at what I’ve got coming up the next couple months, here’s what’s on my itinerary thus far:

Sept. 23^rd – 26^th: Sudbury Wolves opening weekend vs. Niagara and Ottawa (Sudbury, Ontario)

Oct. 3^rd: Sudbury vs. Windsor Spitfires (Windsor, Ontario)

Oct. 8^th-10^th: Tim Horton’s Minor Midget AAA Tournament (Hamilton, Ontario)

Oct. 22^nd-24^th: Standing up in one of my best friend’s wedding (Chicago, IL)

Nov.  4^th-7^th: Bauer International Invite (Chicago, IL)

Nov. 12^th-14^th: ISA Company Meetings (Lake Forest, CA)

Nov. 28^th: Sudbury Wolves vs. London Knights (London, Ontario)

There’s definitely a lot more travel on my plate than there was last year, but when your number of clients/advisees increase from one to nine and none of them are playing in your backyard, like Kuchin was last season, that’s bound to happen.  But hey, when I’m busy that usually tells me that things are heading in the right direction and you’ll be hearing no complaints from me.

Also this past week I had a little side project for a Russian (and former high-end NHL draft pick) friend who’s currently attending an NHL camp. He’s not a client of mine, and works with another agent, but he’s got a pretty solid shot of making the big club and asked me if I’d mind asking some scouts around the league what they’re hearing about him. His coaches had been giving him great reviews, so I told him not to worry about reviews from independent scouts but nevertheless, he wanted more feedback. While I never want a client or a friend to worry when there isn’t reason to, it is nice to see a kid care about his career this much (and most Russians do). I sent a few emails out to a few scouts I’m close with, and while they didn’t have any personal reports on him, they let me know they’d ask around their respective companies to see if someone else does. I always embrace opportunities to maintain an open line of communication between myself and the contacts I’ve made throughout the past year. Sure this isn’t an opportunity where I’m adding value to them, however letting them know that I’m looking to help out someone who isn’t even a client does show them something about my desire to help out others.  And who knows, if one of them ever wants some inside information about the player I’d mentioned, at least they know they can get in contact with him through myself.

This coming Thursday I’ll be back on the road and heading up to Sudbury again. Kuchin and the Wolves have their home opener on Friday and I’m always excited to be there for a client’s first game at playing at a new level. Before that though, I’ve got some calls and emails to make about a couple Russian kids looking to come play in the United States this year. None of the USHL teams have any openings for import players at the moment, but as the season progresses a few clubs are sure to make some changes. My job is to stay current with the progression of these teams and try to sell them on an upgrade at a needed position. Fortunately I’ve got the talent they want, now it’s just a matter of finding the right situation.

Also this week I’ve got some work translating my company’s representation agreement into Russian. Any clients we’ve had sign in the past have had no issue with signing the English version, but I have been asked for a Russian copy a couple of times and it couldn’t hurt to provide a few families with some peace of mind.

I apologize again for not keeping up with the old “every Monday” schedule for the column. Besides having the computer issues (which still haven’t been completely resolved), a few weeks ago I was approached with an opportunity to broaden the scope of the legal services I provide, and when I haven’t been working for my hockey clients, I’ve been handling some re-structuring of my legal practice to cut down overhead and increase profits. I’m not positive if I’ll be posting again this coming Monday, but at some point next week I will definitely provide you with a recap of the Sudbury Wolves opening weekend. I hope you all have a great week ahead of you and until next time…it’s time to hit the showers.

Rookie Duties: Gearing Up for the 2010-11 Season from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Sports Business

• Big power move for Wasserman [Brody leaving MLB to head sales at WMG].

Baseball

• The Dominican Republic has an education problem, a cheating/PED problem, and many other issues to deal with…but at least some teams are enhancing their D.R. facilities  [Struck Out by Béisbol].

Basketball

• Perhaps an unfair advantage for LRMR [LeBron James' basketball camps push the line in regard to recruiting amateurs for sports agency].
• At least now we know that William Wesley carries a BlackBerry [Agency Role Could Limit Basketball Broker’s Power].
• Athletes, wake up! Learn how to use social networking sites to your benefit not your detriment [“ALCOHOL ON US” – 20-Year-Old Cashmere Wright].

Sports Agents

• Paul Doyle is a track & field agent [Marietta sports agent, wife walk away from plane crash].
• Drew Rosenhaus owns Southwest Florida [Agent knows the area well].
• This is really what makes Arn Tellem one of the best in the biz [Nomar, Mia visit Seeds of Peace: 'You see the joy'].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (8/6/2010) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

In reality, many athlete and agency profiles across various social media platforms are not run by the athletes or top executives themselves.  What too often is the case is that an intern will be given the responsibility of updating Twitter, Facebook, and blog accounts to make it seem like the words are coming straight from the mouth of the athlete or the company CEO, when it could not be further from the truth.  Does this make sense?  In my opinion, no, and if fans/followers/friends catch on (which should not be a hard task), it could be damaging.  Athletes and CEOs, with proper training, can handle the “chore” of posting regularly on these networks, and may even enjoy it.  The one exception for me, is that I will often post updates on my clients’ Facebook Fan Pages just to keep fans updated on achievements of the players and their stats.

It will be much tougher to convince an agency’s CEO to be a regular on social networks than convincing athlete clients (they will probably be on there whether you teach them best practices or not).  After all, why should a CEO bother with the mundane task of sending Tweets containing 140 characters or less, writing lengthy blog posts, or posting updates on Facebook, a site originally created for college students to hookup with and poke each other?

Mashable.com recently talked with Forrester Research CEO George Colony in an effort to understand why so few CEOs are personally using social media and whether or not they should be involved, anyway.

• Fears and issues preventing adoption: Age (most are still trying to switch from the typewriter to the computer), possible regulatory restraints (especially for public companies), risks (of offending customers, partners, BoD and of increased litigation), time.

Casey Wasserman of WMG is tweeting, but he is a young CEO.  Ted Forstmann of IMG and Jonathan Blue of BEST have no Twitter presence.

• Reasons to tweet: Desire (to communicate and to take risks) and audience (will employees and targeted customers listen, participate, comment, criticize?).

If a CEO has absolutely no interest in Tweeting or posting updates to his Facebook page, then there is no reason that the CEO should be forced or encouraged to do so by anybody.  And the CEO also may be someone who is very risk averse.  More importantly, who is the audience for a sports agency CEO?  Is it only the players?  If so, it will be hard to use updates on social media sites to reach those players.  If current clients follow the CEO, they may enjoy reading the updates.  Potential clients will most likely never read them.  But beyond athlete clients, a CEO’s partners, business acquaintances, friends in the media, employees, etc. may appreciate receiving updates, and this granted information may open up doors for opportunities for the CEO’s business.

There is no mandatory number of Tweets or updates for the CEO.  I know that time is a concern, but how often will a CEO be stuck at an airport staring at his Blackberry waiting for the next incoming email to appear?  In that time, why not send out a Tweet updating the world on something that is going on in your or your company’s life?  It makes the CEO seem more like a human being (isn’t that what he is?), which is something employees and clients appreciate.

And it’s not only about posting content.  CEO’s should be keeping up with what is written about them and their companies, and also what others are writing about other companies (including material written by the competition, themselves).  Truthfully, this site should be a bookmark, and CEO’s should also be watching The Master Twitter list of sports agents/agencies.

Should A Sports Agency CEO Be Social Networking? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The Giving Back Fund is a national nonprofit organization that was established in 1997 to provide professional philanthropic management, consulting, and mentoring to athletes, entertainers and others.  The organization will be holding its annual Summit in at the Omni Hotel & Resorts in San Diego, CA on April 21st and 22nd, featuring presentations and panels on the use of technology and social media in philanthropy, how to successfully host a fundraising event, a Q&A session, and a presentation by former sports agent, Jeff Moorad.

Speakers include:

• KURT ASCHERMANN, President, Charity Partners Foundation. In 2006, Aschermann packaged and helped produce Denzel Washington’s first book A Hand to Guide Me, which has raised close to $1 million for Boys and Girls Club of America.
• CLAUDIA CAPLAN, As Chief Marketing Officer at Mendelsohn Zien Advertising, Claudia led the new business efforts and worked on strategy for clients. Carls, Jr. CEO Andy Puzder was quoted as saying, “The chain’s turnaround is attributable in large part to a marketing strategy engineered by the Los Angeles advertising agency, Mendelsohn Zien.”
• CAROL CONE, Chairman and Founder, Cone, Inc. Carol is a pioneer in cause-branding. Her signature cause programs have raised more than $1.2 billion for various social causes.
• SHARON GELMAN, Executive Director, Artists for a New South Africa. Founded in 1989 by Alfre Woodard, Danny Glover, Mary Steenburgen, and other members of the creative community, ANSA works in the US and South Africa to combat HIV/AIDS. ANSA has raised and granted more than $9 million with the help of their supporters who include Samuel L. Jackson and Carlos Santana.
• STACIE MANN, Vice President of Partnerships, Network for Good. Stacie is responsible for the website Six Degrees, which features and was started by Kevin Bacon. The site brings a social conscience to social networking.
• DAN MIGALA, Vice President of Partnership Solutions, San Diego Padres. Dan was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame for a sponsorship program he conceived and implemented.
• JEFFREY MOORAD, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, San Diego Padres. One of the most recognizable names in professional sports, Jeff Moorad brings more than 25 years of sports industry experience to San Diego and the Padres. Moorad was involved in more than $3 billion in athlete contracts, including representing Pro Football Hall of Famers Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Warren Moon and Thurman Thomas. Moorad was the negotiator on a number of landmark contracts for a baseball client base that included Manny Ramirez, Eric Karros, Ivan Rodriguez, Mo Vaughn, Shawn Green and Raul Mondesi.
• JAISON MORGAN, Founder, Common Pool. Jaison is an expert on incentive driven models. While Senior Director of Prize Development at the X PRIZE Foundation, Jason built a pipeline of over $300 million in philanthropic competitions.
• KIM NOVICK, Development Director, Tony Hawk Foundation. Over the past seven years, Kim has put the Tony Hawk Foundation on the charitable map, raising funds through corporate sponsorship, private donations, special events, and foundation grants.

Attendees must confirm pre-existing athlete and celebrity associations before attending. The Giving Back Fund reserves the right to refuse admission to the Summit.

Registration (click here):

• General Registration – $499
• Group Registration (two or more) – $449

For questions please call The Giving Back Fund at 310.649.5222

The Giving Back Fund’s 2nd Annual Best Practices Fundraising Summit from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

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

St. Thomas Entertainment And Sports Law Society Symposium from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

An interesting part of the Woods discussion centered on whether he was instructed by his advisors to take the course of action that he followed or if he was advised to act differently, but did what he thought was best.  I believe that his advisors most likely told him accept responsibility and apologize at an early stage (which would be the appropriate thing to do), but that he ignored is because he believed that he was truly invincible.  What we saw last week, which was hardly a press conference, was Woods’ realization that he could not escape the media and slightly gave in to the public’s desire to hear him speak.

As advisors, all we can do is suggest the way we believe our clients should act.  At the end of the day, we are employed by the athletes (the principals); if they don’t want to listen, they do not have to.  But if they are not going to listen to us, then why pay us in the first place?  That’s what Gilbert Arenas figured.  The guy negotiated his own 6-year, $111 million contract.  Would an agent have done any better?  Maybe not.  But would an agent possibly helped Arenas after Arenas was found storing guns in his locker and drawing a weapon on his teammate?  Quite possibly.  Arenas acted very stupidly thereafter, but eventually came to his senses, hired an attorney from Washington D.C. and accepted full responsibility and apologized.

That’s the key: Accept responsibility and apologize as soon as possible (unless you are being charged with killing somebody – Stallworth).  The problem comes when an athlete is employing all of these different “advisors” who are pulling the athlete in different directions.  Another thing I think is important is that even though social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter allow instantaneous communication between an athlete and the entire world, the 4th Estate (traditional media) cannot be forgotten.  Tiger Woods basically gave the media the middle finger throughout his career, so why would they do him any favors at this point.  Make the media your best friend, or else they will look for any opportunity to pin you and your clients.

Since speaking on the panel, I have read one article that makes me shake my head sideways and one that makes me shake my head up and down.  The sideways: Elijah Fields Got Paid, Kicked Off Pitt Football Team. The up and down: Anything Worth Doing.

The post about Fields shows the potential harm that sites like Twitter can cause for athletes.  One act of stupidity can kill a career.  The other post is about the damage control used by Jeremy Jeffress’s agent after he received a 100-day suspension for substance abuse.  While Joshua Kusnick and I have had our differences in the past, this particular post on his blog is brilliant.  Here are some parts of his piece:

The first step in repairing a damaged image is to apologize but only if its sincere. The second step in this process was finding a place for this player to get help for his problem.

And that’s the game plan when something goes awry. 1.Get everyone calm. 2.Contact the media and apologize 3. Get help. 4. Apologize more. 5. Live up to all the promises you have made. It doesn’t take dangerous gypsy magic to rehabilitate an image, just genuine contrition and the desire to right your life.

No one is perfect.  Apologize, be sincere, mean it, and act on it.  For the most part, the public will not forget, but they will forgive.

Athletes Overcoming Their Indiscretions from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

What: 2010 Scholarly Conference on College Sport

Where: William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

When: April 21^st (Wednesday) – April 23^rd (Friday)

Blurb:

It is the 3rd annual conference for faculty, athletic administrators, students, sport practitioners, and the public interested in research, theory, and critical thinking about college sport and related issues.  It will provide an open forum for independent, organized and focused interdisciplinary research regarding college sport.

Panels:

One and Done: What is the Effect of the NBA’s Age Limit Rule on the College Game?

• Gary Williams – University of Maryland Men’s Basketball Head Coach
• Shane Lyons – Associate Commissioner for Compliance at the Atlantic Coast Conference
• Michael McCann – Associate Professor at the University of Vermont Law School
• Doug Gottlieb – College Basketball Analyst and Radio Host at ESPN

Ethics of Elimination: Will Broad-Based Athletic Departments Survive?

• Amy Perko – Executive Director of the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics
• David Akinniyi – North Carolina State University Varsity Football Player, Former Football Player at Northeastern University
• Dr. John Cheslock – Associate Professor at Penn State University
• Mike Moyer – Executive Director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association
• Jeff Bourne – Director of Athletics at James Madison University

Thou Shalt Not Tweet: Athletes’ Social Networking Legal Rights vs. Institutional Control

• Lester Munson – Legal Analyst at ESPN, Investigative sportswriter and speaker
• Steve Kirschner – Associate Athletic Director at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Kathleen Hessert – Founder and President of Sports Media Challenge
• Marvin Austin – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Varsity Football Player

Keynote Speakers:

• David Williams is the Vice Chancellor for University Affairs and Athletics at Vanderbilt University, a position that is analogous to an athletics director at many universities. Mr. Williams has helped the school navigate away from the traditional model of a separate athletics department to one that functions within the framework of the university. Mr. Williams also serves as Vanderbilt’s General Counsel.

• Michael Oriard is the Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture and associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Oregon State University. An offensive captain and a second-team All-American at the University of Notre Dame, he played four years with the Kansas City Chiefs before leaving the NFL to finish a doctorate in American literature. His books include Bowled Over: Big-Time College Football from the Sixties to the BCS Era and Brand NFL: Making and Selling America’s Favorite Sport.

• Anson Dorrance is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Women’s Soccer head coach. He has one of the most successful coaching records in the history of athletics with an all-time record of 673-33-21. His UNC teams have won 21 national championships, including 20 NCAA crowns and one AIAW title, 19 regular-season ACC titles, and 19 ACC Tournament championships. He was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2008.

• Craig Thompson is the Commissioner of the Mountain West Conference having served in the role since 1998. Under his leadership, the Mountain West became the first major collegiate athletic conference to launch sports channel, the MountainWest Sports Network. He is an integral part of the national landscape in intercollegiate athletics, and he is currently on the NCAA Football Board of Directors and a member of the BCS administration.

To register for the conference, please visit http://csriconference.org/registration.html. The early registration period for the conference ends next Friday, February 26^th, and more information about the mission and purpose of the College Sport Research Institute can be found at www.unc.edu/csri.

2010 Scholarly Conference on College Sport from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Once again, I have to believe that the UFC is ahead of the curve on this front. Fighters, in addition to working for the UFC, are their own brand and websites such as Twitter can help the fighter to directly grow their own personal iamge and receive more exposure. There are different, creative ways for a fighter to use Twitter and other social networking sites to actually make money for themselves. A fighter can tweet about their sponsor or hold sponsored contests through their Twitter account as an incentive for people to follow them and to pay attention, leading to increased value for the fans, the fighter, and the sponsoring company. UFC hall of famer and former champion, Chuck Liddell has even taken the next step and has developed MMAJacked.com a site specifically designed to connect Mixed Martial Arts fighters to their fans on a more personal level. Dana White frequently participates in “Twitter Tag,” an idea that was developed for Shaquille O’Neal by Digital Royalty that allows fans to find you in a public place such as a mall, or restaurant based on your tweets, usually for a prize, or in Dana White’s case, tickets to a UFC event. Georges St. Pierre’s Twitter account isn’t personally run by him, but his handlers had the idea to have fans e-mail Georges during his training by clicking a link that required you to sign up for his fan site before sending the e-mail, which ultimately attracted thousands of new fans.

The UFC is now more accessible than any other sports organization on a personal level. Everyone from the ring girls, to the announcers, to the fighters, to ownership all have highly personal Twitter accounts that are more than just company fluff and that actually give you insight into their lives and opinions which helps us, as fans, relate to them. As social media technology grows I am confident that the UFC will always be at the forefront and it will be interesting to see different business plans develop around these websites.

Please continue to post your comments and follow me on Twitter @zachlipari.

The UFC Has a Stranglehold on Social Media from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules