Baseball representation firm
Sosnick Cobbe & Karon has hired
Jonathan Einalhori away from The Topps Co. as the agency’s vice president of marketing, to work on off-the-field deals for more than 30 MLB clients, including Mets slugger
Jay Bruce.
Einalhori was formerly director of player and talent licensing at Topps, where he handled negotiations with agents in multiple sports on trading card and autograph and memorabilia deals. Einalhori started his new job May 8 and is working out of New York. He will report to agency partners Matt Sosnick, Paul Cobbe and Adam Karon.
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“We have had people in marketing roles, but we have never had anyone with the pedigree of a Jon Einalhori,” said Sosnick, who started the firm 20 years ago, in 1997. “Each year our business has grown and the industry is putting more of an emphasis on the marketing side and we didn’t want to feel we were piecemealing it together,” he said.
Last year, SCK represented five first-round and four second-round selections in the MLB draft. The agency also represents players in Japan and South Korea. Clients in MLB include Giants pitcher Matt Moore, Angels pitcher Ricky Nolasco, Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Blake Snell and Colorado Rockies pitcher
Chad Bettis. SCK also represents Brewers first baseman Eric Thames, who made headlines last month by leading the league in home runs after playing baseball the last three years in the Korea Baseball Organization.
Sosnick said the firm went through a thorough search process before hiring Einalhori. “We literally went out and identified three or four guys at major, major companies,” he said. “These are guys we know and felt like they could take a marketing department and whatever their vision was and have the financial and physical resources to do what they felt they needed to do.”
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Einalhorni said he got to work with and to like and respect all three partners at SCK at his job at Topps. He has been impressed with their professionalism and ability to recruit top talent.
“Topps is doing really very well and I really, truly didn’t want to leave,” Einalhori said. “But [Sosnick, Cobbe and Karon] are really good agents and there is a need in their business to grow the off-the-field piece, so I relish the opportunity to build something.”
> ICM SIGNS ED WERDER: ICM Partners has signed veteran NFL insider, reporter and broadcaster Ed Werder for representation.
At ICM, Werder will be represented by veteran sports broadcast agent Lou Oppenheim, partner and head of broadcasting. He was previously without representation, although he had been represented in the past by Creative Artists Agency.
Werder was among the 100 on-air reporters and personalities laid off by ESPN last month. During his time at that network, he contributed to “NFL Insiders,” “NFL Live,” “SportsCenter,” “Sunday NFL Countdown” and “Monday Night Countdown.”
> LOTTERY WINNER: Jeffrey Wechsler’s 24/7 Sports Management is representing two projected NBA lottery picks, Duke forward Jayson Tatum and Florida State forward Jonathan Isaac, in partnership with Perry Rogers’ PR Partners.
Wechsler is the lead NBA agent and will represent the players with NBA clubs. Rogers, and Colin Smeeton, president of PRP, will work with Wechsler on marketing and other off-the-court deals. Wechsler began his career at David Falk’s F.A.M.E. and currently represents Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving.
DraftExpress.com ranks Tatum No. 4 and Isaac No. 8 on its mock draft.
> MILLER NARROWS REPS: Vanguard Sports Management is now representing Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller on and off the field on an exclusive basis.
Joby Branion, founder of Vanguard, who negotiated Miller’s reported six-year, $114 million extension with the Broncos last year, will lead his representation. He was previously co-represented by Vanguard and Athletes First for marketing. Miller’s endorsements include Adidas, Chef’s Cut Jerky, Muzik and Old Spice.
Liz Mullen can be reached at lmullen@sportsbusinessjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @SBJLizMullen.
