Relativity Sports has signed U.S. women’s soccer team goalkeeper Hope Solo as its first female athlete client for exclusive representation in all areas.
Solo will be represented by CEO Happy Walters and Heather Brooks Karatz, vice president of legal. Solo was formerly represented by Wasserman Media Group.
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Hope Solo will be in action in the Women’s World Cup in Canada next month.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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Relativity Sports, launched by its parent company, film and television studio Relativity Media, in the summer of 2012, has become one of the biggest agencies in the business of representing team sport athletes. The agency, which is based in Los Angeles, has one of the largest MLB player and NBA player representation practices and last month led all agencies in first-round NFL draft picks, with six.
Solo is not only Relativity’s first female athlete client but also its first client outside those three major team sports, but Walters said the signing is not necessarily a sign of what the agency might do next.
“There is no hidden agenda,” Walters said. “We’ve looked at other sports for a while. We looked at soccer, tennis and golf and we will be expanding into other sports, but we don’t know when and which. This is just a great athlete. It is not necessarily the beginning of a new soccer division, although that may happen in the future.”
Walters, who is also co-president of Relativity Media, wanted to be personally involved in representing Solo. “I want the community to know this is an important major signing for us and we are taking it really seriously,” Walters said.
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WALTERS
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It is also the first athlete client for Karatz, who handles Relativity Sports’ day-to-day legal affairs. “When the opportunity for Hope came along, it was the perfect fit for me,” Karatz said. “I have a background in female sports; I was a goalkeeper myself,” Karatz said, adding that she played soccer in high school and at the club level.
Solo’s former agent, Richard Motzkin, who heads up WMG’s soccer practice, said, “Hope and Wasserman had a nice, long run together. It was time for both parties to move on and we wish Hope well.”
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KARATZ
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Solo signed with Relativity after meeting Tiffany Shine, director of marketing, in the agency’s Los Angeles office, through a mutual friend. Tiffany Shine is the daughter of sports marketing pioneer Tom Shine, who formerly held executive positions at Puma, Reebok and Adidas. Tiffany Shine will serve on Solo’s representation team.
Earlier this year, Solo was cleared of all charges in an alleged domestic violence incident involving relatives. Currently, she has only Nike as a sponsor.
Relativity will focus on getting more endorsements for Solo, as well as possibly digital and entertainment work But right now, Karatz said, the focus is on supporting Solo for the FIFA Women’s World Cup, which starts next month in Canada. Solo, 33, who holds many records including the U.S. record for most shutouts, is also pointed toward the Olympics in Rio next year.
“Hope has an amazing attitude, amazing spirit, a great personality,” Karatz said.
“She is a great leader for our national team and our country, in general. We are super excited to be working with her now because there is so much momentum with the World Cup and we look forward to getting her out there and to re-establish her brand.”
