Sports Business Awards
Best Talent Representation of the Year
CAA Sports / Excel Sports Management / Lagardère Sports / Octagon / Professional Sports Representation / The Montag Group / Wasserman
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CAA Sports
CAA Sports assisted client J.J. Watt of the Texans in engineering charity relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey, which generated nearly $38 million from 200,000 people worldwide. It also represented former Cowboys QB Tony Romo in his successful transition from the field to the lead NFL analyst’s role at CBS.
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Excel Sports Management
Excel Sports Management led all agencies in the NBA draft with four first-round selections, added the Texans’ DeShaun Watson to its NFL quarterback marketing roster and developed the marketing campaign with Budweiser around the retirement of former Yankee Derek Jeter’s number.
Lagardère Sports
Lagardère Sports represents a roster of 250 athletes in multiple sports, including golfers Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm (above) and top women tennis players Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki. The agency is a force in the NFL with 25 Pro Bowlers, including six 2017 first-ballot selections.
octagon
Octagon
Octagon negotiated Steph Curry’s max five-year, $201 million deal with the Warriors on the court and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s (above) off-the-court signature shoe deal with Nike. It also helped guide Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps in his new philanthropic venture to raise awareness about mental health.
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Professional Sports Representation
Bob LaMonte’s Professional Sports Representation was involved in the biggest moves in NFL management, including Jon Gruden’s return to coaching with the Raiders, and deals for Pat Shurmur and Frank Reich as head coaches for the New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts, respectively. LaMonte also represents last season’s NFL coach of the year (Sean McVay, Rams), assistant coach of the year (Shurmur) and executive of the year (Howie Roseman, Eagles).
THE MONTAG GROUP
The Montag Group
Formed through the merger of Sandy Montag’s agency with IF Management and Vision Sports, The Montag Group represents some of the biggest names in sports broadcasting, including Mike Tirico, Bob Costas, Jim Nantz and Jay Bilas. It also partners with Ari Fleischer Communications in media strategy, training and crisis management.
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Wasserman
In 2017, Wasserman represented the MVPs in three leagues: Giancarlo Stanton in Major League Baseball, Russell Westbrook in the NBA and Sylvia Fowles (above) in the WNBA. The agency has been at the forefront of supporting its athlete clients on social justice issues, including WNBA player Breanna Stewart in the #MeToo movement, USA Hockey player Hilary Knight in addressing the gender wage gap and WNBA player Maya Moore with criminal justice reform.
