JOB SUMMARY

The Director, Corporate Partnerships will direct the sales processes and strategies and execute the creation, marketing and selling of corporate sponsorships for TD Garden and the Boston Bruins to build and enhance relationships with corporate clients to maximize sales and profitability.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

• Direct and manage sales processes and strategies for TD Garden and the Boston Bruins by developing new ideas and creating new and innovative ways of selling corporate sponsorships
• Develop and maximize corporate sponsorships for TD Garden and the Bruins through new and existing clients incorporating sales proposals and presentations to optimize business growth and maximize sales and profitability
• Create customized marketing solutions for corporate clients of TD Garden and Bruins based on needs of clients and portfolio of available services to maximize sales and profitability
• Negotiate terms, conditions and pricing of corporate client sponsorship packages through pricing strategy to maximize sales and profitability
• Execute and deliver corporate sponsorship packages and liaison with various Delaware North Company-Boston departments to ensure compliance with contractual arrangements to maximize client satisfaction, renewals and revenue
• Direct and oversee TD Garden business portfolio according to an agreed upon  market development strategy
• Cultivate new business contacts through various research methods to expand the potential client database for maximizing presentations, proposals, sales and profitability
• Attend various TD Garden events, in addition to outside social events, to optimize client relationships, satisfaction, sales and profitability

ACCOUNTABILITIES/SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Responsible for achieving sales and renewal revenue goals

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor degree from a four-year accredited college or university
• Minimum 3 to 5 years of proven and successful team sponsorship sales experience corporate sales, marketing and/or promotion in media, event or team sponsorship sales
• Strong prospecting, analytical, presentation and communication skills
• Detail-oriented, highly motivated and able to handle multiple tasks and prioritize goals
• Ability to meet challenging sales objectives in a high profile, competitive marketplace
• Comfortable managing tight deadlines and meeting aggressive sales goals and expectations
• Ability to establish and maintain long-term strategic relationship with corporate clients and co-workers
• Willing to work flexible hours, including nights, weekends & holidays as necessary
• Travel – 5% of time

CONTACT INFO

To apply or respond to this opportunity, please visit: Prodigy Sports or call (732) 303- 9950

Opening With TD Garden/Boston Bruins 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

What: 7th Annual Relay Worldwide Sports Sponsorship Symposium by SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily

When: Wednesday, Sept. 30 – Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009

Where: New York City, NY at the Marriott Marquis

Keynote: Uli Becker, CEO and President, Reebok International

Panels:

Sept. 30

• 7:30 a.m. – Registration
• 8:30 a.m. – Welcome and Opening Remarks
  • Richard Weiss, Publisher, Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal/Daily
  • Tim Mauer, CEO, Relay Worldwide
• 8:45 a.m. – The Recalibration of Sports Sponsorships and Event Marketing
  • Rich Lehrfeld, VP of Global Sponsorship Marketing, American Express
  • Tim McGhee, Exec Director of Corporate Sponsorships, AT&T
  • Dan McHugh, VP of Media, Sponsorship, and Activation, Anheuser-Busch
  • Scott O’Neil, President of MSG Sports
  • Matt Pensinger, Senior VP of Marketing Services and Consulting, Relay Worldwide
  • Mark Waller, Senior VP of Marketing and Sales, NFL
• 9:45 a.m. – The Rebranding of Gatorade: Inside the G Launch and Defending Against Competition in the Sports Drink Market
  • Sarah Robb O’Hagan, CMO of Gatorade
• 11:00 a.m. – The New Realities of Marketing: The Chief Marketers’ Perspective
  • Phil Clement, Global CMO and Communications Officer, Aon
  • Rory Finlay, Senior VP and Global CMO, Beam Global Spirits & Wine
  • Mark Ingall, Managing Director of Global Strategic Media and Marketing, Citigroup
  • Stewart Mitchell, Senior VP and Chief Strategy Officer, Sharp Electronics
  • Tony Pace, CMO of Subway
• 12:00 p.m. – Lunch
• 2:00 p.m. – Anatomy of the Procter & Gamble/NFL Sponsorship
  • Jason Dial, architect of the deal.
• 2:45 p.m. – Marketing to Hispanics: Leveraging Their Passion for Soccer and Other Sports
  • Marco Lopez, Senior Director of Relay Worldwide’s Hispanic Marketing practice
• 4:00 p.m. – The Ever-Changing Athlete Endorsement and Talent Procurement Business
  • Steve Battista, Senior VP of Branding, Under Armour
  • Frank Mahar, General Counsel, Genesco Sports Enterprises
  • Mike Principe, Managing Director, BEST
  • Ryan Steelberg, CEO, Brand Affinity Technologies
• 5:00 p.m. – Reception

Oct 1.

• 8:00 a.m. – Continental Breakfast
• 8:30 a.m. – Keynote Speech
• 9:15 a.m. – How the Sports Media Business and Media Buying are Changing Before Our Very Eyes
  • Ray Warren, EVP and Chief Revenue Officer, Comcast SportsNet
  • Jeff Flemings, Senior VP and Global Head of Social, VivaKi
  • Eric Fernandez, Senior Partner, MediaLink
  • Ed Erhardt, President, ESPN Customer Marketing and Sales
• 10:45 a.m. – Lifelock Makes its Mark in Sports
  • Todd Davis, CEO, Lifelock
• 11:30 a.m. – Up Next: A Futurecast on the Challenges in Sports and the Changes in Consumer Behavior
  • Rich Luker, CEO, The Luker Co.
  • Jerome Conlon, President, Brand Frameworks
  • Ben Kline, Chief Strategy Officer, Leo Burnett
  • Scott Hess, VP of Insights, Tru
  • Pat O’Connor, President, Minor League Baseball
• 12:30 p.m. – Conference Conclusion

Cost: $1,495 for SportsBusiness Journal paid subscribers. $1,650 for non-SportsBusiness Journal paid subscribers. Must register by September 23. Click here to register.

Relay Worldwide Sports Sponsorship Symposium from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Golf

• Seems like a good fit to me [CAA Sports signs Greg Norman].

Baseball

• Should more players embrace Twitter as a tool to strengthen their fan bases? [Twitter and Major League Baseball: A Missed Opportunity]
• The studs of this year’s Cape Cod Summer League [2009 Under Armour Cape Cod Baseball League All-Stars Named].

Basketball

• The Rockets are the first NBA team to enter into a direct single-affiliation partnership with an NBA D-League team: the Rio Grande Valley Vipers [NBA D-League Announces Affiliates For 2009-10 Season].
• Do you buy that it’s not about Minnesota? [Sources: Drop in salary affects buyout]

Sports Business

• I prefer partnerships, although not the legal definition [Sponsorships vs. Partnerships]
• Some great advice here [Sports Business Review: Athletes can use LinkedIn to build a powerful network].

Football

• Cheating away money from athletes and agents? [Ex-NFL linebacker Bosworth possible fraud victim]
• A lesson on the 80-man active roster [Why do players get cut when draft picks get signed?].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (7/17/09) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

This is the fourth interview in an on-going series by Gary Wimsett, Jr., lawyer and MMA enthusiast, about the business of Mixed Martial Arts.  In Part I, Gary spoke with Sports Illustrated Senior Contributor, L. Jon Wertheim, about his new book, “Blood in the Cage” about the history of MMA, the career of Pat Miletich, and the rise of the UFC.  In Part II, Gary and Sam Sheridan, author of “A Fighter’s Heart” engaged in a Q & A regarding Sam’s insights into the fighting world as a writer and fighter. In Part III, Gary talked to Pat Miletich about WAMMA, the UFC, and unionization.  In this interview, Gary speaks with Ken Pavia of MMA Agents about what life is like for one of the sport’s busiest men.  Ken answered these questions while in Montreal for UFC 97.  Gary exchanged e-mails with Ken before – from Finland, Japan, and points all over the globe, but rarely from Ken’s home in California

Wimsett: When/Why did you start MMA Agents?  What were you doing before and what was it about the industry that appealed to you?  Do you exclusively represent MMA fighters or do you have other sports clients?

Pavia: I purchased UFC 1 and became a fan.  I was introduced to Ricco Rodriguez soon after he lost to Nog in Japan and he approached me for representation.  I was a baseball and hockey agent for 12 years prior.  I now only represent MMA fighters.

Wimsett: How many fighters do you represent?  Who are your top guys?  Do you represent women fighters?

Pavia: I represent 55 fighters.  One female.  Erin Toughill.  They are all top guys…

Wimsett: Do you oversee/coordinate your fighters’ training schedules and programs?

Pavia: I leave the training to the professionals.  I seek business opportunities for my clients.  They choose which fights to take.

Wimsett: How many different promotions do you work with?  Which one is the easiest to work with?  What kind of services are you able to provide to a fighter under a UFC contract?

Pavia: In 2007 we sent fighters to 32 promotions in 8 countries.  In 2008 we sent them to 35 promotions in 8 counties.  We will blow those numbers away this year.  We provide compliance support, media support, travel support, sponsorships, PR, legal, appearances and seminars, and fight procurement.

Wimsett: Who are some of the biggest sponsors in the industry?  How do you ensure them a return on their investment?  How has the slumping economy affected sponsorship and/or endorsement deals you get for your fighters?

Pavia: TapouT is an industry leader.  This question is best answered by the sponsorship department.

Wimsett: Where do you see the UFC in five years?  Still the ”King of the Mountain” or will there be some other large-scale promotion competing for PPV dollars?

Pavia: Really your guess is as good as mine.  I will say they have a significant head start.

Wimsett: Describe a typical workday for you.  Do you travel a lot?

Pavia: I travel 7 out of 8 weekends.  I get up about 9 or 10 and just break to eat and continue to work until generally 3 or 4 AM, 7 days a week.  I will never be out worked.

Wimsett: Other than your law degree, do you have any other certifications or licenses?  Anything really necessary?

Pavia: I was certified to represent athletes by the player associations of the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL.

Wimsett: Where is MMA Agents headquartered?

Pavia: We are based out of Huntington Beach with affiliate offices in Korea, London and Paris.

Wimsett: Do you feel you have to be in or around Las Vegas or be able to travel there regularly to make your business work?

Pavia: I get there enough and with my blackberry, I am global.  I represent about 8 fighters out of Vegas.

Wimsett: Do you have an East Coast operation?

Pavia: No I do not.

Wimsett: Thoughts on WAMMA?  A Fighter’s Association?

Pavia: Don’t really know much about them.  But will say I really like Mike Lynch.

Wimsett: What MMA websites do you stay up to date on?  How do you stay informed about what’s happening in this ever-changing industry?

Pavia: Junkie, Sherdog, Weekly, MMA.tv, Facebook, and Myspace are always open on my computer.  I also peek at CBSsportsline and USAtoday.

Wimsett: As a fan, what MMA matchup would you most like to see right now?

Pavia: Tito v Babalu, Radach v Lawler, Vitor v Anderson, Riggs v Shields or Diaz, Baroni v Davis or Diaz, Cyrille v Houston or Irvin, Hieron v Goat, AJ v Howard or Alves, Pyle v Condit, and Kampman v Swick.

Wimsett: How many employees do you have?  How do you recruit and hire?  Do you have an internship program?

Pavia: We have 5 employees and 5 interns, and one full time consultant.  We do have an intern program and usually take law students.

Wimsett: Who is your biggest competition?

Pavia: Ourself.  We are first and second best.

Wimsett: Who do you look up to in the sports business?  Role models?

Pavia: I admire Drew Rosenhaus and Lee Steinberg.  I admire Jim Rome and Tommy Lasorda.

Wimsett: What’s the most important skill/attribute of an effective MMA agent?

Pavia: Personality, ice in veins, ability to be rational not emotional, and ability to solve problems.  Thick skin too…

Wimsett: Are you actively recruiting college wrestlers?  How do you recruit clients?

Pavia: No we are not.  We only sign fighters that have experienced a significant amount of success at a local circuit and are ready for major shows.

Wimsett: What do you do to get away from the chaos?  When was your last vacation?

Pavia: I haven’t had a real break in three plus years,  I don’t get away from the chaos.  It defines me.

Interview With The Agent: Ken Pavia from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Michael Goldman: Can you briefly discuss your role as Manager of Sports Marketing and your background that led to you to joining Volkswagen?

Ben Freidson: My role is to identify potential sports sponsorships that align well with our marketing and communications strategy. Once we enter into an agreement, our emphasis is to try and leverage the sponsorship at all levels of the organization.

My background is in Business and Sports Management. At one time I worked for D.C. United in their corporate sponsorships division. More recently, I was working for a sponsorship activation agency, Cenergy Communications. At Cenergy, I worked with both corporations like Mentholatum’s OXY and Dial’s Right Guard Xtreme on their sponsorships of the Dew Action Sports Tour as well as with professional teams with the Cleveland Cavaliers/Lake Erie Monsters and the Buffalo Bills.

Michael Goldman: Volkswagen of America Inc. recently announced the renewal of their partnership with Major League Soccer and Soccer United Marketing after a successful first year.  What aspects of the partnership’s initial year pushed Volkswagen to seek a multi-year renewal?

Ben Freidson: Throughout the brand, we are focusing on creating conversations with new, broader and more diverse audiences.  Major League Soccer has strong relationships with loyal soccer fans that are aware of the Volkswagen brand and also are familiar with our global commitment to the sport.  This partnership provides our team with a multi-platform vehicle to engage these important US consumers in a whole new way. Our experiential programs and webisode series for last year’s Road to MLS Cup was positively received by fans and generated good online awareness.  We want to do more to engage the fans.

Michael Goldman: Describe the national grassroots programming that Volkswagen plans to develop with MLS and SUM.

Ben Freidson: I can’t get into the specifics of our new grassroots initiatives for the upcoming season quite yet, but I can tell you that we will look to leverage Volkswagen and Major League Soccer assets to showcase the value of our brand in a meaningful way to consumers. Our biggest need is to get consumers more familiar with our product offerings. We have several vehicles that are a perfect fit for the active soccer family and we launched 5 new vehicles last year including the Routan, Tiguan and CC. Event marketing is a great way for us to educate consumers and have a deeper conversation about Volkswagen and our cars.

We will use media, events and the Web to make sure we’re making the right connections, early and often.

In addition to new grassroots initiatives, we will be a sponsor of existing MLS grassroots initiatives including MLS Futbolito and Sueno MLS, which are both fantastic ways to connect with our Spanish speaking fans.

Michael Goldman: MLS is in an expansion mode still, as well as diligently trying to expand its fan base in the U.S.  As MLS grows, hopefully Volkswagen’s presence in the U.S. will grow too as a result of this partnership.  What are the specific areas of growth or demographic additions that Volkswagen is hoping to attain as a result of the partnership with MLS?

Ben Freidson: As the MLS grows its fan base, the partnership generates tremendous visibility with key US consumers including the Hispanic community, families and the endemic soccer fan, all of whom are very important audiences and customers bases for Volkswagen.  Through our activations, consumers have the opportunity to try out new vehicles and see products in person and hands-on in a way that they might not otherwise have experienced.

Michael Goldman: Volkswagen has been a long-time supporter of soccer on a global level.  This partnership shows Volkswagen’s substantial investment and support for soccer in the U.S.  What fraction of Volkswagen of America Inc.’s resources for sports marketing is dedicated to MLS?  What other American sports is Volkswagen involved with?

Ben Freidson: We’re committed to strategic investments in sports marketing because of its ability to deliver strong value messages and build long-term relationships with key audiences. The primary focus of our strategy lies in the sport of soccer however we do have additional sports sponsorships in our portfolio. We are involved in the Chicago and Pittsburgh Marathons in the Midwest region. In addition we are the official automobile of the Washington Wizards and Verizon Center.

Michael Goldman: While Volkswagen is the official automotive partner of MLS, it is also a partner of the D.C. United club.  In addition, the German football club VFL Wolfsburg plays in the Volkswagen Arena.  Do you envision Volkswagen buying the naming rights of a specific MLS club’s stadium at any point in the future?

Ben Freidson: We will continue to explore strategic fits for the brand on a case by case basis. It is great to see soccer specific stadiums launching across the country as it only strengthens the league for the long term.

Michael Goldman: What advice would you give to college students for trying to break into the sports marketing world or other areas related to sports-business?

Ben Freidson: Keep an open-mind to different opportunities such as internships that help you get a foot in the door. Think broadly – brands, agencies, media corporations and teams all need young, well-rounded and diverse team members. Also, while the sports field is exciting to focus on each day, you cannot forget that it’s called “sports business” for a reason.  Especially in these times, working hard to make the connection from program and sports engagements back to communications goals, sales, results and bottom line is critical.  It’s the reason why brands leverage the power of sports.  Demonstrating that you understand the business side well could make you stand out as a candidate.

There are different routes into the sports business field, remember to stay optimistic and display your commitment and passion for making a difference.

Interview with Ben Freidson, Manager of Sports Marketing at Volkswagen from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

• TV ratings are up 1% in total households and 4% in total viewers – and more importantly have been markedly increasing since the start of the second half of the season.  Schreyer expects that the PBA will end the season with ratings up on a year-to-year basis by at least 5%.
• The PBA will be aired on Wednesday nights at 9:00 p.m. EST beginning on April 22 and continuing for five consecutive weeks and will be sponsored by Amp Energy.
• The players enjoy the new Gemini jerseys, the PBA is getting a lot of publicity from the addition of Jason Belmonte and the usage of plastic balls, and sponsorships are increasing in a struggling economy.

It does not seem like a bad time to represent professional bowlers.

Some Good News From The PBA CEO from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

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.

Less Money…Moore Golf from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules