For the "first time, large numbers of younger black
athletes are opting for representation by fellow African-
Americans," according to Samuels & Starr of NEWSWEEK. Jets
WR KEYSHAWN JOHNSON, who signed with "fellow South Central
L.A. native and USC alum" JEROME STANLEY: "For me it came
down to having someone who understood me and what it meant
to be a black man in America." Sixers G ALLEN IVERSON, who
dropped DAVID FALK last month and is now interviewing three
black agencies, said, "I'm looking for a comfortable match."
Samuels & Starr write that several of Falk's clients "have
complained that there isn't a single black agent" at FAME,
Falk's firm, but Falk "claims" that 20% of his staff is
black. Falk: "I've never had a problem relating to my
clients. It's shallow to insinuate that this has anything
to do with race." RICHARD WILLIAMS said that he "hired all
black people" to manage his daughters, VENUS and SERENA,
"because I wanted them to know that their race was capable
of doing anything it wanted" (NEWSWEEK, 5/3 issue).
MORE ATHLETES & ARTISTS: In Dallas, Jean-Jacques Taylor
profiled NO LIMIT SPORTS and wrote that the agency is
concentrating "on securing the black athlete." No Limit
Managing Dir LELAND HARDY, on PERCY "MASTER P" MILLER's
appeal to the company's "target audience -- the elite
prospective professional athlete": "They see him on the
cover of 'Source,' which is the Bible of hip hop. We're
talking about Generation X now. They see our guys on the
cover of 'Vibe,' they see us in 'Forbes,' they see us on BET
and MTV. We don't have to make a sales pitch to an athlete"
(DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/25)....Meanwhile, former Woolf VP
ANDREW BRANDT tells Mike Bruton of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
his version of why RICKY WILLIAMS' left WOOLF ASSOCIATES for
No Limit in early February (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 4/25).
