Octagon To Acquire CSMG, Become One Of Larger Baseball Practices
Octagon "has agreed to acquire the baseball, coaches, broadcast, legends and marketing divisions of sports management firm CSMG" in a deal that will bring "more than 140 clients to Octagon," including D'Backs P RANDY JOHNSON and Yankees P CHIEN-MING WANG, according to Liz Mullen of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. The deal will make Octagon "one of the largest, if not the largest, baseball practices based on number of clients." CSMG said that it "represents 120 players, including about 50 MLB clients," while Octagon said that it "represents 80 baseball players, including 20 MLB players." CSMG Founder and baseball agent ALAN NERO and 20 CSMG staffers will join Octagon as part of the deal. Nero, CSMG baseball agent SCOTT PUCINO and Octagon baseball agent STEVE HILLIARD "will oversee the merged baseball division." CSMG marketing agents NOVA LANKTREE and ADAM ROSENTHAL also will join Octagon. Nero said that CSMG "agreed to sell the practice after being approached by several companies about a sale four or five months ago." Attorneys last week "were completing the details of the transaction," and CSMG offices in Chicago, Taiwan and Venezuela "will be part of the deal." Financial terms were not disclosed. Mullen notes basketball will now "be the last remaining athlete representation practice known as CSMG." Sources said that CSMG agent HENRY THOMAS' NBA practice, which represents clients including Heat G DWYANE WADE and Raptors F CHRIS BOSH, "was also for sale." However, Thomas last week said that he "was not entertaining offers" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 10/27 issue).
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