William Morris Endeavor (WME) landed a massive coup this week with the signing of Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton. He was previously managed by Simon Fuller at XIX Management. Lewis’ contract with XIX ended last month and he decided not to renew. Hamilton has one year remaining on his 3 year, £51 million contract with […]
Will Turner, PhD, who has been a football journalist and broadcaster in the UK for the past 20 years. He specializes in the corporate, marketing and communication aspects of British football. The imposition of financial fair play (FFP) throughout European football is proving to be a provocative affair. FFP has already seen significant sanctions handed […]
On the eve of her first round match at Wimbledon, rising star Genie Bouchard announced an endorsement deal with Coca-Cola. The partnership will run for three years, with financial terms not being disclosed. Under the deal, Bouchard will market Coke and and Diet Coke products in her home country of Canada. Her image will be […]
Blake Lawrence is co-founder and CEO of opendorse, an online platform that connects companies with athletes. I had an opportunity recently to talk to him about the company, and how he got his start in the industry. How did you get into the industry? I’ve been around sports my entire life. I joined the Nebraska […]
Kelly Slater has announced that he will end his association with clothing brand Quiksilver. The 42 year old surfer had been with the company for over 23 years. Slater has decided that the time is right for him to set up his own brand that, in his words, “combines my love of clean living, responsibility […]
With major MMA leagues airing on network television including FOX, NBC sports network, CBS, and Spike T.V. one would assume that fighters are being paid more to represent companies in and out of the cage. Well that assumption is dead wrong. In the last few months we have seen fighters such as Mac Danzig voice […]
On August 18, 2011 the UFC announced they had reached a seven-year agreement with FOX Sports Media Group. Within minutes of that groundbreaking announcement both managers and fighters began to wonder what major brands would enter into the MMA market now that the UFC had secured a network television deal. Fast forward to 2014 and […]
Johnny Manziel may not be the number one overall pick or first quarterback taken in the 2014 NFL draft. Nonetheless, Manziel’s marketability may be greater than any other player selected. Manziel brings a spark to the NFL that is most comparable to Washington Redskins’ Robert Griffin. Griffin competed with Andrew Luck for endorsements and positioning […]
Zenith Watches has named Oklahoma City Thunder point guard, Russell Westbrook, its new brand ambassador. Westbrook already endorses Kings & Jaxs, Nike’s Jordan Brand, Six Star Pro Nutrition, BancFirst and Ozarka Water. Arn Tellem of Wasserman Media Group represents Westbrook. According to Globe Newswire, “Zenith chose Westbrook for his commitment to excellence, skilled technique and […]
Sports Business Journal Olympics writer, Tripp Mickle, recently chatted with Peter Carlisle, head of Octagon’s Olympic division at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. Carlisle — most well-known for representing 18-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps — represents a number of athletes at Sochi, including women’s snowboarder Jamie Anderson and men’s snowboarder Alex Deibold. Below are […]