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POWER PLAYERS: TENNIS WEEK EXAMINES "BIG THREE" AGENCIES

          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).

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