It makes sense that major West Coast agencies continue to grow.  Creative Artists Agency was a player in the entertainment world well before it started buying out the largest sports agents/agencies.  It figured that its existing model and connections could bring in more revenue than those entities had been receiving in the past.  It seems to be doing quite well with that business plan.  Another company with broad entertainment connections for its clients is Wasserman Media Group.  I don’t know when agent Arn Tellem finds time to sleep, with his enormous list of clients in professional basketball and football.  He probably receives over one-hundred calls per day from GMs, reporters, and clients, and still finds time to go on the recruiting trail and find new business.  He also keeps his current clients happy, and seems to have a strong connection to the entertainment world through his wife, Nancy Tellem.  Nancy is the President of CBS and is in charge of all of its television programming.

Quite the power couple, and it definitely benefits Arn’s clients.  Recently, Pau Gasol made an appearance on CSI: Miami.  Last year, Gasol and Jordan Farmar appeared on NUMB3RS.  Both shows are on CBS, both players are clients of Arn Tellem and WMG.  Gasol and Farmar are not the biggest names in the game of basketball, but both of them are playing in Los Angeles, so it is natural for them to want a piece of the limelight.

Want to be a MAJOR player in this industry?  Better start cultivating those connections in the entertainment industry, as well.

Basketball

• 5 games in 3 continents, and a total of 40 sponsors. NBA office in India opening soon [NBA Int'l Games Reach New Levels With Record Number Of Sponsors].
• Casey Jacobson with a great look into the world of AAU basketball [(Too Much?) Power to Influence].
• Trading gym bags for backpacks [N.B.A. Players Make Their Way Back to College].
• The Chinese REALLY love them some Kobe Bryant [Kobe Bryant’s jersey still top seller in China; D Wade's moves up to fifth].

Baseball

• “This is the business we chose.” [Last Week].
• Dennis Gilbert’s chances at becoming a part owner of the Rangers may be increased due to his access to liquid cash [Notes from a press conference: Wrapping up the Texas Rangers 2009 wrap-up get together].

Entertainment

• Did you know that Arn Tellem (President at WMG), has a pretty powerful wife who works at CBS? [CBS' Nancy Tellem is in talks to step down from post].

Sports Agents

• SMWW may want to do a better job on its background checks in the future [ONLY IN AMERICA: From Corrupt SEIU Boss to Sports Agent].

Football

• Adrian Peterson’s next contract is going to shatter Larry Johnson’s current deal.  Poor Pierre Thomas…for now. [Under the Cap: Top Ten Running Backs].

First Round

1. Clippers - Blake Griffin PF/C – Agency: Excel Sports Management
2. Grizzlies – Hasheem Thabeet C – Agency: BDA Sports
3. Thunder – James Harden SG – Agency: Landmark Sports Agency
4. Kings - Tyreke Evans PG/SG – Agency: Wasserman Media Group
5. Timberwolves – Ricky Rubio PG – Agency: BEST
6. Timberwolves - Jonny Flynn PG – Agency: CAA
7. Warriors - Stephen Curry PG/SG – Agency: Octagon
8. Knicks - Jordan Hill PF – Agency: BDA Sports
9. Raptors - Demar DeRozan SG/SF – Agency: Goodwin Sports Management
10. Bucks - Brandon Jennings PG – Agency: BDA Sports
11. Nets - Terrence Williams SG/SF – Agency: Goodwin Sports Management
12. Bobcats – Gerald Henderson SG – Agency: Wasserman Media Group
13. Pacers – Tyler Hansbrough PF – Agency: Excel Sports Management
14. Suns - Earl Clark SF/PF – Agency: BEST
15. Pistons - Austin Daye SF/PF – Agency: BDA Sports
16. Bulls - James Johnson SF/PF – Agency: Wasserman Media Group
17. 76ers - Jrue Holiday PG/SG – Agency: BEST
18. Timberwolves – Ty Lawson PG – Agency: Peake Management Group
19. Hawks - Jeff Teague PG/SG – Agency: BDA Sports
20. Jazz - Eric Maynor PG – Agency: ASM Sports
21. Hornets - Darren Collison PG – Agency: BDA Sports
22. Trailblazers – Victor Claver PF – Agency: Wasserman Media Group
23. Kings – Omri Casspi SF/PF – Agency: CAA
24. Mavericks – B.J. Mullens C – Agency: ASM Sports
25. Thunder – Rodrigue Beaubois PG – Agency: Comsport
26. Bulls – Taj Gibson PF – Agency: Priority Sports
27. Grizzlies – DeMarre Carroll SF/PF – Agency: Priority Sports
28. Timberwolves – Wayne Ellington SG – Agency: Wasserman Media Group
29. Knicks – Toney Douglas PG/SG – Agency: FAME
30. Cavaliers - Christian Eyenga SG/SF – Agency: ASM Sports

Notes:

• Leading up to the draft, I really liked that Goodwin Sports Management was doing to get its clients connected on social networks.  My man Nate Jones, a law student at UCLA, has been doing a great job helping out Aaron Goodwin and Co. on publicizing GSM client Twitter accounts and setting up Rookie Chronicles.
• BDA Sports seems to have dodged any potential negative recruiting ramifications from the company’s involvement with the O.J. Mayo scandal.  Three BDA clients were taken in the top ten picks of the draft.  Four BDA clients went in the top fifteen.  Six in the top twenty-one!  Where WMG made the headlines last year, BDA definitely took over the 2009 draft.
• Speaking of WMG, the company had three players taken in the top sixteen picks.  And BEST had three guys selected in the top seventeen picks.  WMG still dominated with five total draft picks in the first round.
• The first Israeli player drafted was taken by the Kings.  The fairly new GM of the Kings is a friend, Jason Levien.  I am happy for him because I think Omri Casspi was a steal at the slot picked, and Levien is supporting the Jews!
• One of my favorite players in the draft, Toney Douglas, was taken by a team who I think will really benefit from drafting him.  Knicks fans should be happy with that pick.

But just because NBA teams are cutting down on the number of “official” workouts, does not mean that team scouts and GMs are not traveling across the country to see the top talent in person.  Before Nick Calathes decided to accept a 3-year 2.1 million Euro deal with Panathinaikos, scouts were loving his play down in IMG Academies.  Prominent athlete preparation facilities are not the only places that scouts are visiting, either.

WMG put together a private workout to show off their clients, alone, which is quite an impressive list.  Many teams showed up, and it might have been enough to improve James Johnson’s draft stock.  Interesting tactic from one of, if not the, best basketball agencies in the world.

Last week, Jonathan Abrams wrote a piece in the N.Y. Times that highlights the relationship between Derrick and B.J.  They do all the normal things that agents and their clients do, like talk about endorsement deals and other opportunities, but most importantly, B.J. can relate with Rose because they both played ball for the same professional team in different eras.  B.J. can not only prep Rose for his off-the-court matters as any agent would do, but can also lend insight on how to play the actual game.

How valuable is it for a client to not only be able to learn from his agent concerning business and legal issues, but also have his agent be a mentor in fine tuning his trade?  Derrick has both with B.J. Armstrong and WMG in his corner.  Game 5 is tonight.  I wonder if B.J. has any pointers for Rose leading up to tip-off.

When people think about agents, they often think: football (Rosenhaus), baseball (Boras), basketball (Falk/Tellem), hockey (who cares?).  Meanwhile, CAA, with its prominent agents (Condon, Dogra, Close, Brisson, Barry, Rose…) really run the sports agent industry.  Funny thing is, CAA is an entertainment agency that only recently entered into the space of sports.  Hold onto that thought.

On July 16, 2007 (almost 2 years ago), I wrote a piece titled, An Industry Of Conglomerates.  Since then, IMG has completely removed itself from representing athletes other than the world’s best tennis and golf players.  The New Guard consists of CAA, WMG, and BEST (the sports and entertainment wing of Blue Equity).  It does seem as though the door has been closed for a while on potential conglomerates.

What will the future hold?  Will two major entities like a Rosenhaus and Boras ever team up to battle against the New Guard?  Or will other competitors of CAA in the entertainment space pick up on CAA’s business model and join forces to compete with Creative Artists Agency?  Could we ever see a company like Endeavor enter the world of sports.  May it possibly come about after a potential merger between Endeavor and another massive entertainment agency?

Over the past few months, I have heard many rumors about the potential merger of Endeavor and William Morris Agency (WMA).  The two companies are rivals (CAA is also a rival), but their merger would put over $300 million in under one entity (fun for its accountants!).  This new company, if created, would have all of the television and entertainment connections as CAA (if not more), and would be in a situation to take a huge chunk of the money out there in the world of sports.

If this new merged company were to create an athlete representation division, who would run it?  Would they hire the best, brightest, and most ambitious young minds who have shown a proclivity for success or would they model the division after CAA’s, prying some of the most respected names in the industry from other companies and paying top dollar salaries for their services?  Maybe it will be a mixture of the two.

The character Ari Gold on Entourage is based on Endeavor’s Ari Emanuel.  Might we see Emanuel/Gold representing sports clients in the future?

Bill Neff

Neff recently stated that Jonny Flynn would be signing with Leon Rose of CAA after being told to do so by Lebron James (a Rose client).  In fact, Neff said that Arn Tellem of WMG was hot on Flynn, but that Lebron’s testimonial would be enough to persuade Flynn to sign Rose.  His statement was true.  Yesterday, Flynn announced that he is signing with Rose and CAA.

Neff was not done talking, though.  He also said that Eric Devendorf will sign with Chris Luchey of CGL Sports, who represents Wilson Chandler.  The article says that the agent is Chris Grier-Lukie and that he represents Tyson Chandler.  I believe that those names were an error.  Correct me if I am wrong.

The process of relocating a professional sports franchise is not an easy one.  That could be one reason why the Chargers have hired Wasserman Media Group (WMG) to market the team in L.A. and Orange County.  That specific market accounts for roughly 30% of the team’s luxury suites and club seats currently in San Diego. The LA Times has called the move “an initial step” toward relocation. But Chargers Special Counsel Mark Fabiani claimed that the newly formed partnership “has nothing whatsoever to do with the team staying or going.”

Besides being known as one of the leading global sports management companies,  WMG’s website also states that consulting is one of the groups areas of expertise.  Specifically it states “WMG works with some of the largest and most successful companies in the world and manages their marketing strategies, develops strategic alliances, and drives innovative programs to elevate their brands.”  Does this suggest that WMG will create an alliance between Los Angeles and the Chargers organization?

Could Phillip Rivers and the Bolts be the next franchise to relocate, or is WMG really just located in a great place to help San Diego market its team?  San Diego’s success may suggest that this is only for marketing purposes or to bring in more revenue during the tough economic state.  WMG would be a great choice to market any sports team, as WMG represents many of the top organizations and companies in the world including David Beckham’s Los Angeles Galaxy organization, A.C. Milan, many of the English Premiere League teams (Newcastle, Liverpool, Reading, Totenham, Rangers..), and almost every team in the NBA. Although WMG has dealt with many storied franchises, the Chargers would be the first NFL franchise on the client list.

On the other hand, the poor record the Oakland Raiders had the past several seasons could make them more of a candidate for relocation than the Chargers.  Owner Al Davis has shown his unpredictability last season, so with Oakland, anything is possible.  Maybe changing locations will help the team (Using OKC in the NBA as a comparison, maybe it won’t).  Signing Dynasty 2009 Draft Client Kevin Grant to strengthen the Raider defense could be a nice addition as well.

The Braves were under the impression that Furcal was going to be representing the tomahawk next year in Atlanta, GA, but last Thursday, the Furcal signed a deal with the LA Dodgers.  Arn Tellem of WMG said that Furcal and the Braves never reached a deal.  The Braves said that Paul Kinzer, who along with Tellem represents Furcal for WMG, agreed to a deal with the Braves on Monday.  So who was telling the truth?  The Braves were confused, WMG was confused, and baseball fans in general had no idea what was going on.  What could be done to make the situation more clear?  Finger pointing!

This was said on Thursday by John Schuerholz, President of the Braves:

“Having been in this business for 40-some years, I’ve never seen anybody treated like that. The Atlanta Braves will no longer do business with that company — ever. I told [agent] Arn Tellem that we can’t trust them to be honest and forthright. I told him that in all my years, I’ve never seen any [agency] act in such a despicable manner.

“It was disgusting and unprofessional. We’re a proud organization, and we won’t allow ourselves to be treated that way. I advised Arn Tellem that whatever players he represents, just scratch us off the list. Take the name of the Atlanta Braves off their speed dial. They can deal with the other 29 clubs, and we’ll deal with the other hundred agents.”

WMG being completely cut off from a professional club?  Those were pretty powerful words spoken by Schuerholz and directed at the company with the #1 position in Jason Belzer’s 2008 Sports Agency Power Rankings.  Arn Tellem could not let Schuerholz make a statement like that without submitting a rebuttal.  His statement included seven main points:

1. There was never an agreement reached between Rafael Furcal and the Atlanta Braves.

2. In fact, the Braves were fully aware that Furcal was not prepared to make a decision but had requested an opportunity to sleep on it, before deciding.

3. Moreover, the Baseball rules which all agents and teams operate under are clear that no deal exists between a player and a team unless and until: (i) there is a signed and executed player agreement or; (ii) the Player’s Union and the Commissioner’s office have otherwise confirmed the deal.  Neither occurred here.

4. Furcal ultimately decided to accept the Dodgers’ offer, taking into consideration a number of factors the most important of which was his desire to continue playing short-stop and not make the position change to second base that the Braves were requiring.

5. Losing out on an all-star player like Furcal is always disappointing, and we understand the Braves’ frustration with the outcome of this negotiation, but it does not change in any way the fact that we conducted ourselves with integrity and complied with all rules of major league baseball throughout this process.

6. Our primary obligation is to serve our client’s best interests, and we will continue to do so in accordance with all relevant rules governing MLB negotiations and the utmost integrity.

7. If it serves our clients we will continue to present opportunities to the Braves, which in accordance with the rules governing Major League Baseball, the Braves must entertain. We hope that once emotions have subsided, the Braves will act in a manner consistent with not only their obligations under the Collective Bargaining Agreement and the National Labor Relations Act, but also the best interests of the franchise. In short, we would not want this incident to color their better judgment.

Without taking sides, I think that Tellem made a very well crafted statement.  It is very easy to read, cuts straight to the point, and was timely made.  Will it make Braves executives any more willing to deal with WMG and its agents in the future?  It depends on how limited of a memory Schuerholz and others in the organization have.  After Schuerholz’s statement, though, you better expect the MLBPA to keep a close eye on the Braves’ actions concerning WMG clients in the future.  If there is even a slight inclination that the Braves do not sign a WMG client based on the fact that said player is represented by Tellem or Kinzer, the MLBPA will be right on the case.

Will Brinson of AOL Fanhouse believes that the Braves should sue Arn Tellem for fraudulent trade practices.  I say that both sides decide to take this into a closed room, away from the media, and somehow come to an understanding over what transpired, how it may be corrected in the future, and how both entities can work together amicably.  The finger pointing, name calling, and public outcries need to stop.  It’s not good for either party, and does nothing to build the image of baseball or sports agents.