Per a press release, Wasserman Media Group, a global sports, entertainment and lifestyle company, has acquired The Sports Syndicate, one of the leading Action Sports and Olympic athlete management and marketing agencies in the world. The deal was announced today by Wasserman’s Managing Partner Steve Astephen and Bobby Nichols, President of The Sports Syndicate. The acquisition is unprecedented in the Action Sports and Olympics space, with the two industry leaders joining forces to represent nearly 300 athletes across 45 sports.
The Sports Syndicate, founded by Bob McClellan and Nichols, is a full-service athlete representation agency with particular expertise in both Action Sports and Olympics. Their extensive knowledge of, and access to, youth culture enables them to create meaningful and productive relationships for their talent, authentically integrating events and corporate sponsors to build their brands. Based in Newport Beach, The Sports Syndicate represents nearly 40 athletes, including Torstein Horgmo (Snowboard), Mark McMorris (Snowboard) and Ryan Villopoto (Motocross).
“Throughout the years, The Sports Syndicate has been our biggest competitor in the industry and we have had nothing but the utmost respect for their business, work ethic and clients,” said Astephen. “With the industry maturing, now is the perfect time for us to join forces and consolidate our practices into the biggest Action Sports and Olympics representation business in the world.”
Nichols added: “Joining Wasserman is very exciting for us. Our team will now have access to a wider breadth of services and resources, which is critical in being on top of today’s competitive landscape. With our combined teams, there is no limit to what we can do for our clients and we look forward to what the future holds at Wasserman.”
A standard in the marketplace, Wasserman has led the industry in both the representation of Action Sports athletes and the creative growth of its lifestyle brand, event and licensing partnerships. Combined with Wasserman’s growing Olympic representation business, the agency has an expansive roster including Ryan Sheckler (Skate), Ken Roczen (Moto), Ken Block (Rally), Julian Wilson (Surf), Sage Kotsenburg (Snowboard Olympic Gold Medalist), Gus Kenworthy (Ski Olympic Silver Medalist), Alex Morgan (Soccer Gold Medalist) and Dawn Harper-Nelson (Track and Field Olympic Gold Medalist). A creative agency as much as a representation firm, the Wasserman team has supported the growth of its athlete talent (in Action and Olympics as well as traditional sports like Golf, Global Football, Basketball and Baseball), created powerful brand partnerships and even launched lifestyle brands.
About Wasserman Media Group
Founded in 2002, Wasserman Media Group is a leading sports, entertainment and lifestyle marketing and management agency that represents brands, properties and talent on a global basis. Wasserman is headquartered in Los Angeles and also has operations in Carlsbad, Doha, Dubai, The Hague, London, Miami, New York, Portland, Raleigh, São Paulo, Singapore and Toronto. For more information please visit www.wmgllc.com.
For more information please visit www.wmgllc.com.