Heading to sunny and warm New York next Wednesday. I will be there through Monday, checking out many Super Bowl-related events and hopefully seeing many of you Sports Agent Blog readers in the streets. This week on FORBES: (1) As Super Bowl Approaches, Adept NFL Retailers Are Saying So Long To ‘Shrink It And Pink It’; (2) No Need To Bash The Record Ninety-Eight Underclassmen Declaring For NFL Draft; (3) Outcome Of 49ers And Seahawks Match-up Is A Victory For Children’s Hospitals; (4) Analyzing Airfare And Ticket Prices For Seahawks Vs. Broncos Super Bowl; and (5) Tanaka’s $155 Million And Kershaw’s $215 Million Means Excel Sports Is Having A Wonderful Winter. And as always, the weekly wrap-up:
Baseball
- Casey Close gets in an opt-out and no-trade clause [Signing breakdown: Yankees add Tanaka].
- How about that Gregor Blanco? [Arbitration and Free Agency: A Key Distinction]
- Does anybody (other than his lawyers) like him anymore? [Sources: MLB Players Association would expel Alex Rodriguez – if it could]
Basketball
- Awesome list of the individuals most followed (on Twitter) by NBA players [HoopsHype Twitter follows].
- Average NBA franchise worth (equity plus debt) $634 million, up 25% over last year [As Stern Says Goodbye, Knicks, Lakers Set Records As NBA’s Most Valuable Teams].
- The breach of contract and defamation claims could not hold up in court [Ex-NBA Union Chief’s Claims Against Derek Fisher Tossed].
- Endorsement income of $42 million a year [LeBron James’ Endorsements Breakdown: By The Numbers].
Football
- Forget about second contract; many of these guys will soon be searching for second career [Underclassmen are changing the landscape of the NFL draft].
