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Cleaning the desk while wondering where summer of ’16 has gone

Peter Guber went to NYU Law School with Michael “Vino” Levine’s father; Nick Khan got his career jump-started through “Wheel of Fortune” and by representing boxing trainer Freddie Roach; and New York Yankees President Randy Levine doesn’t feel that CAA Sports was responsible for the corporate sponsorship revenue at the new Yankee Stadium. Those were among the nuggets I took away when skimming a copy of James Andrew Miller’s heavily anticipated book, “Powerhouse: The Untold Story of Hollywood’s Creative Artists Agency.”

The story is told in Miller’s traditional oral history format, and much of the back story on CAA Sports will be well known to readers of SportsBusiness Journal/Daily. He notes that in 2015, CAA Sports was the agency’s top revenue producer, bringing in more than $215 million, as motion pictures brought in less than $200 million and television came in around $160 million. But there also is some rich color on CAA Sports’ formation and growth, and its rivalry with WME-IMG. A couple of takeaways:

Guber, on counseling his former employee Howie Nuchow before he joined CAA Sports: “I came to the realization that this was part of life — people move on — and I was supportive. I was especially supportive when I found out he was going to have a partner, Michael Levine, because Michael’s dad was like my roommate and best pal in law school.”

Michael Levine, on CAA Sports’ efforts in selling inventory at the new Yankees Stadium: “We sold $707 million worth of sponsorship and put the Yankees in a position to be able to maintain their leadership position for a long time.”

Randy Levine: “They assisted us in three deals, AT&T, Delta, and Pepsi — only two of them were commissioned, and then we decided not to renew them. Not because the guys [aren’t] great guys, because they are, but we didn’t want to give the impression that they played instrumental roles in the new Yankee Stadium because that would be an over-exaggeration and unfair to our guys here.”

Khan had $200 in his bank account and was studying for the bar when he auditioned to be on “Wheel of Fortune” and got on: “I wound up winning $16,500 and was able to take the bar review course and passed it. I worked as a lawyer for seven years.” Khan at one point represented Roach in a lawsuit, and Roach then introduced him to Manny Pacquiao — which started Khan’s career in sports talent representation.

WME’s Ari Emanuel: “When Richard Lovett heard that Patrick [Whitesell] and I were talking to Teddy [Forstmann] and he thought we were going into sports, he got into sports, without any conception of what sports was or what to do in it. Then he picked the shittiest business in sports, the team sports business, where commissions are locked in by the guild. I mean, he’s a moron. He has not done one innovative thing in the company. We’re four times the size of CAA Sports. I mean, it’s a joke now.”

Former CAA managing partner David O’Connor: “I didn’t want IMG at all. We thought IMG was a mess, and I was not a believer in their college business.”

The book from William Morris’ Custom House publishing arm was released last week.

> BAKER STREET: I felt for David Baker during the cancellation of the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 7. Baker is one of the most genuine, honest and good-hearted people in the sports business who has always been forthright with me. Watching him, drenched in sweat on a hot August evening, get booed by the crowd while announcing the cancellation of the game put a pit in my stomach. As a father of a former player (his son Sam was an offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons), he did what he felt was right for the players, but it certainly ended the league’s celebration weekend on a very dour note. Baker’s got big ambitions in making over the Hall of Fame as part of a $500 million redevelopment project, but now he has the cleanup from this embarrassing incident and the future of the game in Canton added to his plate.

> TV TIMEOUT: I’ve become completely hooked by the HBO series “The Night Of,” a dark, grisly, edgy, engrossing murder mystery about a shy Pakistani American college student named Naz who meets a random woman during a night out in New York City and wakes up to find her dead. It’s based on a BBC series, and the character drama features great acting, especially from John Turturro. I’m through Episode 5 (I believe there are only eight), so if you haven’t checked it out, do so and let me know what you think. … Sundays on HBO represent a double dip for me, as I continue to also enjoy “Ballers,” which looks at the exploits of off-the-field player management in the NFL. The show is a fun ride and has been filled with player cameos (Terrell Suggs, Ndamukong Suh), coaches sightings (Sean Payton), TV personalities (Jay Glazer) and use of intellectual property. Spencer Strasmore’s new rival financial agent, Andre, is played with just enough smarmy bravado by the cool Andy Garcia, and I can’t get enough of John David Washington’s portrayal of the needy free agent wide receiver Ricky Jerret. Based on the success “Ballers” and the rich storylines around pro sports, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more sports-themed shows in development.

After ESPN’s “O.J. : Made In America,” those have been my shows of late summer. What are yours?

> A CHANGE IN OUR NEWSROOM: One of our publication’s original editors, Mark Mensheha, will be leaving SportsBusiness Journal to join our parent company American City Business Journals’ National Content Team. Mark has given so much of his time and talent to SportsBusiness Journal since it launched in 1998, serving as assistant managing editor for years. In addition, he led our launch of “Game Changers: Women In Sports Business” in 2011 and has overseen our Forty Under 40 editorial effort since 2012. A number of you have worked with him over the years and know of his true professionalism. All of us at SportsBusiness Journal offer our thanks and wish him the best in the future.

Abraham D. Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.

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