Names In The News
HBO's "Real Sports" next Tuesday will feature footage of U.S.
Sen and presidential candidate BARACK OBAMA (D-IL) playing
basketball March 19 with U.S. troops at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Obama,
when told by HBO's BRYANT GUMBEL that the
White House has an outdoor basketball hoop, said, "I wasn't aware of that.
I was thinking I was gonna have to tear down the bowling alley to build a basketball
court. But I'm still thinking if I get there, we may need at least a little
indoor half-court" (USA TODAY, 4/11).
GROUP EFFORT: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Hannah Karp reports
athletes are "turning the entourage -- once a big punch line in sports
-- from liability to asset." Cavaliers F LEBRON JAMES
founded LRMR Marketing and employs three of his friends, while "players
across the sports world are using a range of management tactics to eke the most
profit and productivity out of their support systems." Sports attorney
FALLASHA ERWIN said that while he has seen athletes "give
their friends lump-sum payments of as much as $100,000," athletes have
discovered that those payments "can't easily be written off their taxes
[and] more are putting their qualified friends on professional payrolls."
Salaried entourage members "doing personal-assistant work typically"
earn $30,000-50,000 annually, "plus a percentage of any deals they put
together" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/11).
THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT: "POND HOCKEY,"
a documentary about outdoor hockey, will premiere April 24 at the
Minneapolis/St. Paul Int'l Film Festival. The film, directed by TOMMY
HAINES and exec produced by Wild General Partner PHILIP
FALCONE, features interviews with Hockey HOFer WAYNE
GRETZKY, Wild RW MARIAN GABORIK and former
NHLer NEAL BROTEN (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 4/10)....TV
producer MARK BURNETT has signed a multi-year deal with AEG
to "translate some of his [TV] content to the arena stage." AEG previously
has produced live stage versions of Fox' "American Idol" and Disney
Channel's "Hannah Montana," among others. Burnett's deal allows a
partnership "to develop and produce live entertainment and tours"
based on Burnett's shows (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 4/11).
NAMES: The Boston Globe's MARK FEENEY this
week was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, and he said his "favorite unexpected"
e-mail came from MLBPA COO GENE ORZA.
Feeney said Orza "sent me an email of congratulation. I do not know this
man. I've been reading his name for years in the sports pages" (BOSTONMAGAZINE.com,
4/9)....Univ. of Kansas men's basketball coach BILL SELF
has agreed in principle on a new contract. Self's current contract, which runs
through the 2010-11 season, pays an annual base salary of $1.375M (WICHITA
EAGLE, 4/11)....Ohio State Univ. football coach JIM TRESSEL's
book, "THE WINNERS MANUAL: FOR THE GAME OF LIFE,"
written with CHRIS FABRY, will be released in mid-July by Tyndale
House Publishers (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 4/11)....A rep from U.S. District
Court in Brooklyn Thursday said that the sentencing of former NBA referee TIM
DONAGHY has been postponed until May 30 (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER,
4/11).
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