BASEBALL AMERICA's Josh Leventhal profiled MiLB VP STAN BRAND under the header, "Baseball's Power Broker On The Hill." Brand is "a star to politicians, lawyers and lobbyists" on Capitol Hill in DC, where he "doubles" as MiLB VP and a partner in his law firm. Brand is now leading MLB's defense "in a lawsuit brought by former minor leaguers demanding fair pay and seeking to change the salary structure for today’s players." The players "say it is time for minor leaguers to earn a livable wage, one that meets minimum wage standards." But Brand contends that playing minor league baseball "was never meant to be a career but is rather a de-facto internship, and he is now lobbying Congress on behalf of MLB to add minor league ballplayers to the list of 35 occupations not required to receive minimum wage or overtime pay as dictated in the Federal Labor Standards Act" (BASEBALLAMERICA.com, 4/10).
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Crowe's rugby plan has the backing of the top
clubs and marketers |
AS THE CROWE FLIES: Actor RUSSELL CROWE, who co-owns the South Sydney Rabbitohs of Australia's National Rugby League, "wants the top four teams from the two best rugby league competitions in the world, Australia and England, to develop the game internationally by playing a condensed competition in Las Vegas to decide who's number one." Crowe "has the ear of the NRL and ESL (English Super League) and his plan has the backing of the top clubs and sport marketers" (BBC.com, 4/12).
ON YOUR MARC: Grizzlies C MARC GASOL is profiled in the WALL STREET JOURNAL's "What's Your Workout" feature. Gasol, who is "originally from Barcelona," describes his new diet "as semi-vegetarian, or flexitarian, and says weight loss wasn’t the goal." He said that his wife "encouraged the healthier lifestyle." They "planted a garden at home that summer so they could eat fresh, organic vegetables and cut habits like drinking soda" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/14).
LOOKING TOWARD THE ASSOCIATION: College basketball players MONTREZL HARRELL (Louisville) and TREY LYLES (Kentucky) have signed with Klutch Sports Group Founder RICH PAUL, who serves as Cavaliers F LEBRON JAMES’ agent (TWITTER.com, 4/13). Meanwhile, Wisconsin's SAM DEKKER has hired "highly-respected agent" MARK BARTELSTEIN (TWITTER.com, 4/14).
NAMES: Ohio State football coach URBAN MEYER is "the new highest-paid football coach in the Big Ten after a raise and contract extension" announced yesterday by the school. Meyer will now make $5.8M for the '15 season instead of the $4.9M he "had been scheduled to make." The raise is "part of a revision and extension starting this season that will run six years," through the '20 season (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 4/14)....Incoming Univ. of Hawaii AD DAVID MATLIN “will be paid $290,016 a year for five years plus bonuses and has the possibility of a post-AD position in the school’s Shidler College of Business” (HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER, 4/11)....NBA Kings President of Business Operations MATINA KOLOKOTRONIS was named to the Sacramento Business Journal’s annual list of “Women Who Mean Business” (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/10)....Actor PATRICK STEWART has been picked as grand marshal for this year’s Verizon IndyCar Series Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (DAILYNEWS.com, 4/10)....Former NFLer HINES WARD “is teaming up with restaurateur HOWARD SHILLER to open a new restaurant and companion wine bar” in Seven Fields, Pa. (PITTSBURGH BUSINESS TIMES, 4/10 issue).
