While the FIFA scandal has been the biggest story in sports over the past week, today has brought a plethora of newsworthy stories. Kyrie Irving has officially been ruled out of the playoffs with a fractured knee cap. While I picked the Warriors to win it all, I am extremely upset that we won’t be able to see the Cavs anywhere near full strength. My Florida State Seminoles are currently facing Darren’s Florida Gators in the NCAA baseball super-regional playoffs. I bet Darren never expected to see this on the site but, Go Noles! On the business side, one of the most prominent basketball agents ever, Arn Tellem, is leaving the sports agent industry to become Vice Chairman of Palace Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Detroit Pistons. Darren covered Arn Tellem’s move and more this week on FORBES: (1) NHL Makes Marketing Pact With Toy Company PLAYMOBIL; (2) Fantasy Sports Startup SportsLock Secures $5 Million; (3) Basketball’s Most Powerful Agent Will Join The Detroit Pistons. And, as always, the weekly wrap-up:
Football
- Great info on rookie contracts for those interested in being an NFL agent [Easy Math for Rookies]
Basketball
- Under Armour is definitely the biggest threat to the Nike empire [Business of Sports: Under Armour versus Nike in NBA finals]
- Priority Sports represents both David Blatt and Steve Kerr [The Chicago agency with a stake in the NBA Finals]
Sports Business
- DraftKings’ first multi team and venue deal [MSG Signs Marketing Partnership With Fantasy Site DraftKings]
Entertainment
- I had to include something on the show that made everyone want to become an agent [Box Office: ‘Entourage’ Parties to $5.4 Million on Wednesday]