Menu
Labor and Agents

Relativity Sports Names Ron Burkle Chair, While CEO Happy Walters Departs

Penguins co-Owner Ron Burkle has been named Relativity Sports Chair and will invest $30M in growth capital to expand the sports agency, the company announced yesterday. Relativity Sports also announced that CEO Happy Walters has left the company, and it will begin a search for his replacement. Additionally, the agency announced that all of its senior baseball agents have renewed employment agreements. Two junior agents resigned -- Tom Little and James Reid. Little is listed as the agent for MLB Giants P Madison Bumgarner. Relativity Baseball is one of the largest MLB player practices, representing more than 75 players. Walters, who is both an NFLPA- and NBPA-certified agent, joined Relativity Media in '09 and was instrumental in launching Relativity Sports and growing it into one of the largest sports agencies in the U.S., representing 400 athletes, including high-profile players in the NFL, NBA and MLB. Walters in a statement said he was leaving to start a new sports and media company. He said, "I leave confident that the company is in good hands. ... With Ron Burkle taking over the chairmanship of Sports, there is a solid foundation for continued growth, and I wish the company much success" (Liz Mullen, Staff Writer). In N.Y., Richard Morgan notes Relativity Sports "bills itself the sports division of Relativity Media," however, it "was not part of the studio’s bankruptcy filing on July 30." The parent company "currently owns just a quarter of Relativity Sports, after a complicated deal days before the studio sought Chapter 11 protection boosted the equity stakes Burkle and another investment firm hold in the division" to more than 30% (N.Y. POST, 10/8).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 19, 2024

PGA Tour/PIF inching closer? Another NWSL sale for a big return and MLB's Go Ahead Entry expands

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2015/10/08/Labor-and-Agents/Relativity.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2015/10/08/Labor-and-Agents/Relativity.aspx

CLOSE