Pro tennis players changing agents is a "certainty in
this competitive marketplace," as when a "top player believes
that he or she is not getting the best possible counsel and
performance from those who manage them," the player will
"inevitably look elsewhere," according to Steve Flink of
TENNIS WEEK, who examines competition for tennis clients
among the "Big Three" agencies -- IMG, Octagon and SFX. SFX
President of Talent Rep Ivan Blumberg: "It is an incredibly
cyclical process. ... As a client manager, you are constantly
in a situation where the competition may be talking to
whomever it is that you represent. And that is unnerving and
frankly unhealthy." Flink writes that Blumberg's "point of
view is shared by all of the topnotch people in the
business." But Flink adds that the "Big Three" firms are "in
accord: they are not looking to steal players as a means of
competitive protection." Octagon Senior VP Tom Ross
"believes that by and large" the major management agencies
are "appropriately restrained in their pursuit of players
from rival firms." Ross: "It is not a question of taking one
of theirs because they took one of ours. But if the facts
present themselves in a compelling manner where we feel a
particular player is going to be better off with us than a
competitor, and if in that case the player is in an unhealthy
situation, then certainly we will pursue it." ProServ
Founder Donald Dell, on whether the trend of players
switching agencies will continue: "Yes, the trend is
continuing and it is unhealthy for the industry because it
has a destabilizing effect. But in my judgement it is being
limited more and more between the haves and have-nots. With
the Big Three companies jockeying for players, the smaller
companies have a much harder time competing, so the smaller
ones go after one or two people, find out who is unhappy
among the players and go after them. There is more of that
going on than among the three big ones. There is that
constant churning." But Dell "realizes" that the Big Three
"still reach into each other's rosters from time to time."
Dell: "You are playing with much bigger, better known
players, so the stakes are much greater" (TENNIS WEEK, 8/10).
SFX INKS "LITTLE-KNOWN" NUNEZ: The SPORTSBUSINESS
JOURNAL's Daniel Kaplan reports that SFX has signed "little-
known Hispanic-American" tennis player Eric Nunez to a rep
deal. SFX's Ken Meyerson said, "From the marketing
perspective there is a large Latin community in the U.S. I
have good interest in Nunez from three or four companies and
am convinced I will have a deal by the U.S. Open [which
begins August 28]." Meyerson cited Spanish-language Web
sites such as SportsYa! as possible endorsement opportunities
for Nunez (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/14 issue).