Sports Business

• ESPN should start taking notes [The SportsStream Comes To SBNation].
• Makes sense to stick with a brand you have been using your entire life [Phelps Re-Signs With Speedo Through 2013].
• Good tips on preserving and protecting your clients’ wealth [Play Ball! Estate Planning for Professional Athletes].

Football

• Is the LFL living up to its hype? [Lingerie Football Sizzles in Season Opener]
• Ever wonder why so many players get injured near the end of the preseason? [Injury Settlements for Waived Players]
• Peter Schaffer, definitely wearing his lawyer hat [Quinn arrested after confrontation].
• Anyone want the Flacco Family Feast? [Flacco's potential as pitchman grows with on-field success]

Baseball

• The internet has done wonders for fan access to information and players’ ability to communicate with fans and other players [A Whole New Game].

Football

• From $20k per year to $2 mil per year…quite a jump…especially when Starter is the endorser [Cowboys QB Tony Romo signs apparel endorsement deal].
• Name that sticks out to me: Alex Smith [NFL - Highest Player Salary Cap Numbers For 2008 Season - Top 25].
• Gain an endorsement and get to call yourself Chief Mayhem Officer at the same time?  Win-win situation [T.O. Is Chief Mayhem Officer].

Basketball

• A new Carnival of the NBA has been released.  Our story on Joel Bell and Michael Beasley is included [Carnival #60: The Brotherhood of the Traveling Blogs].
• A former Gator gets his contribution on [Gift from NBA's Mike Miller makes magazine list].
• Good times to represent a point guard [Points Made: Point Guards Today Can Dish and Swish].

Olympics

• Speedo took down a giant [Nike Pulls Out of Olympic Swimwear Battle].

Soccer

• An interview with our boy, Max Eppel [Agent Talks Soccer In America].

Baseball

• My hometown’s fans really need to start showing some support [Marlins rank last in attendance … again].
• You think the Marlins have anything to do with this? [MLB Will Pull in $6.4 Billion in 2008]

If Phelps does capture 8 gold medals and breaks the record for the most gold medals in a single Olympics, he will undoubtedly become one of the most sought after athletes from a marketing standpoint.

Now, some may say there is no way an Olympic athlete who is only in the limelight every 4 years will receive endorsement deals equal to the main stream superstars. Well those people are very wrong. Phelps has two unique factors that separate him from most of the stars in Nascar, the NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL, golf, and tennis. Phelps is not only backed by an entire country, but he is also known worldwide. He is a symbol of dedication, success and dominance.

Athletes that have worldwide recognition are few and far between. Tiger, Beckham, Lebron, and Federer are certainly the cream of the crop. But I wouldn’t be surprised if Phelps soon finds himself among that company. The $5 million a year that he currently receives certainly can double when these Olympics conclude and the countdown to 2012 begins. When Michael Phelps calls it a career, he will go down as of the highest endorsed athletes in sports history.

The endorsement industry has certainly come a long way when you have an Olympic swimmer making a splash. His agent, Peter Carlisle, has made a name for himself in the niche market of action sports. Some of his other clients include Kelly Clark, Ross Powers, Danny Kass and Chris Klug.

Mr. Carlisle will certainly be a very busy man in the near future.

Basketball

• Shawn Kemp sits down for a one-on-one interview.  Discusses everything from loving the feeling of slamming on opponents to dealing with drugs [Shawn Kemp: Confirms Rumors].
• CAA would make a cool $5 million per year if this ever happened [Source: LeBron would consider European offer of $50 million a year or more].
• And Rob Pelinka would make the same type of commission on this deal [NBA’s Worst Fears Realized: Kobe Would Leave to Play in Italy for $50 Million a Year].
• This should be a big signing if the 76ers are also able to lock up Andre Iguodala [76ers re-sign free agent guard Louis Williams].
• I find it interesting that Self’s base salary is only $229,900, but in actually, he should earn so much more [Kansas signs Self to new 10-year, $30 million contract].
• The Chinese continue to show love for Kobe Bryant [Best Selling NBA Jerseys In China].

Football

• An example of why an agent is so important in the negotiation process [Grant ends holdout, agrees to terms on 4-year deal with Pack].
• Former NFL player and future 1L law student, Courtney Van Buren, has a blog.  I suggest you check it out [Country As Cotton].

Baseball

• He is the only reason my fantasy team is not in dead last [D-Backs sign Haren through 2012].

Olympics

• Speedo should give Phelps $1 million just for shaving off the handlebars [It's All Speedo's Cash For Michael Phelps].

Also known as “doping on a hangar” and the “Speedo surfboard,” the Speedo LZR was first introduced in February.  Within four months, individuals wearing the new suit had broken over 38 records causing other swimsuit companies to immediately complain about its fairness. The International Swimming Federation (FINA) scheduled a meeting with Speedo to review this complaint.  After showing the Federation the suit’s design and explaining its physics, FINA dismissed rivals’ claims and even endorsed the suit to athletes as the future of swimwear.  Could this be swimming’s version of “steroids?”

Since this ruling, more swimmers have taken FINA’s advice.  Last week’s Olympics Trials saw 9 swimmers break American records, all of whom wore the LZR Racer.  Michael Phelps, who could win a record eight Olympic medals in China, stated that Speedo’s LZR Racer makes him “feel like a rocket.”   Katie Hoff, a world champion in individual medleys, said wearing the suit is like “flying in the water.”  US national team coach Mark Schubert commented, “I think you’ll see not only multiple world records broken, but also multiple swimmers breaking world records in an event.”  Everyone is giving this new innovative suit the credit.

Nike was so impressed by the LZR suit that it allowed its contract swimmers to wear the LZR in trials to keep up with other competitors.  Nike sponsored World champions like backstroker Aaron Peirsol and breaststroker Brendan Hansen, did exactly that, and set American records.

“It’s a bit unprecedented,” said Nike spokesperson Dean Stoyer, “But we want our athletes to be comfortable and prepared, and we don’t want to get in the way of that.”  Nike makes the rival Swift Amp’d swimsuit and is looking to copy the LZR suit and its effectiveness to compete with Speedo in the future.

The suit is made of woven fabric, which is extremely light and water-repellent.  It is ultrasonically welded together rather than sewn, with compression panels placed along the chest, thighs, and buttocks, plus a corset-like “core stabilizer” to minimize drag and maximize streamlining.  This new design features minimal pieces to be sewn together, which is a huge attribute to its speed and lightweight design.  Instead of 30 pieces or so, the LZR features 3.

While watching the Olympic trials I heard an announcer say that it takes 2 other people to help an athlete fit into the skintight suit.  The athlete must get completely naked and then force on the suit one piece at a time, with help from others. That seems to be the only controversy this suit is getting.  The athletes are complaining that it is an uncomfortable situation needing others to put on the suit, but wearing it is a must if they want to be competitive this August.

I am happy that technology has advanced to the point that we can take milliseconds off our athletes times.  However, I would like to question if this is really the swimwear or if it is the athletes. I have heard of cases where the athlete claims their clothing is the reason for his/her poor performance, but I believe that in this case it is exactly the opposite.  I’m sure the advanced swimsuit is great and makes a big difference, but shouldn’t the athletes be getting the credit, not the $800 dollar swimsuit?