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Octagon’s athletes shine in Rio

At the Olympics, no representation agency got more bang for its buck than Octagon.

Carried by mainstay Michael Phelps and first-timer Simone Biles, nine Octagon clients took home 24 medals at the Rio Games, including 16 gold. Four of the top 11 American medal winners were Octagon clients.

As agents are quick to note, direct comparisons among talent agencies in the medal tables are difficult because business models differ and Olympic sports vary widely in their marketability, not to mention how many medals certain sports award. But Rio was a huge success no matter how you slice it for Octagon, which had a total of 15 clients worldwide at the Games.

Aly Raisman (left) and Simone Biles added to Octagon’s 24 medals.
Photo by:GETTY IMAGES
Atop The Stand

Selected Rio medal winners by agency

Octagon (24 medals total): Michael Phelps (5 gold, 1 silver), Simone Biles (4 gold, 1 bronze), Nathan Adrian (2 gold, 2 bronze), Aly Raisman (1 gold, 2 silver)
Wasserman (19): Connor Fields (1 gold), Kristin Armstrong (1 gold), Ibtihaj Muhammad (1 bronze), April Ross (1 bronze)
WME-IMG (18):
Allyson Felix* (2 gold, 1 silver), Jack Sock (1 gold, 1 bronze)
Paul Doyle Management (15):
Tianna Bartoletta (2 gold), Ashton Eaton (1 gold), Ryan Crouser (1 gold), Andre De Grasse (1 silver, 2 bronze)
Chicago Sports & Entertainment (8):
Maya DiRado (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)
* Co-represented by her brother, Wes Felix

Sources: SportsBusiness Journal, the agencies

“The strategy, in a way, is to represent as few athletes as you can, but to represent as many of the top 10 stories coming out of the Games,” said Peter Carlisle, Octagon’s Olympic and action sports managing director.

“So that all of the time you’re spending is doing the most substantive work and productive work. If we were trying to just represent medalists in general, then we would have an entirely different roster and take a different approach.”

Paul Doyle Management, a track and field speciality agency, also shined in Rio. With 18 total clients from the U.S., Canadian and Jamaican teams at the Games, Paul Doyle athletes took home 11 individual and four relay team medals, including seven golds.

“We killed it,” said founder Paul Doyle, whose gold medalists include repeat decathlon champion Ashton Eaton, who was already among Team USA’s most heavily marketed athletes.

Doyle said he accompanies athletes in their warmups and sees part of his job as making unfamiliar events like the Olympics feel normal. “We try to make sure our athletes are comfortable,” Doyle said. “I think that’s a big part of competing at a major championship, especially if it’s your first time.”

Nineteen out of 57 Wasserman clients in Rio medaled, with eight winning gold as part of the U.S. women’s basketball team. Wasserman’s bright spots included some lesser-known sports, such as Connor Fields’ gold in BMX cycling — Team USA’s first in that sport — and Kristin Armstrong’s gold in road cycling.

Generally speaking, team or relay medals are less marketable than individual medals. But circumstances can make seemingly less significant accomplishments shine, said Dan Levy, Wasserman vice president of action sports and Olympics.

“It’s interesting, not all colored medals are created equal,” Levy said. “Emma [Coburn] wins bronze [in the 3,000-meter steeplechase], and it felt like a gold medal for her and her family and team. She’s the first American to ever medal in that event, it’s a personal best and American record.”

WME-IMG’s 52 clients in Rio, mostly international golfers and tennis players, won a total of 18 medals, according to SportsBusiness Journal calculations. Chicago Sports & Entertainment Partners did well for a small agency, with seven athletes combining for eight medals, including four from breakout swimming star Maya DiRado.

In general, the Rio Olympics posed a challenge for marketers because several of Team USA’s biggest stars are committed NCAA amateurs, including swimmers Katie Ledecky, Simone Manuel and Ryan Murphy, and gymnast Madison Kocian.

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