Sports & Celebrity Newswire

Posts Tagged ‘Sports Booking Agent’

VANCOUVER, BC – Apolo Ohno won the bronze medal Saturday in the 1,000-meter short-track speed skating event winning his seventh Winter Olympics medal setting a new American record beating Bonnie Blair who held the record with 6 medals. Ohno now has two gold, two silver and three bronze medals in his three Olympic appearances.

Apolo Anton Ohno wins 7th Olympic medal in Vancouver breaking Bonnie Blairs record.

Ohno, who is already a successful motivational speaker, may very well walk away from Vancouver with millions of dollars worth of new endorsement deals. He already endorses luxury Omega watches, and since his record breaking win in Vancouver Saturday night, other sponsors are sure to follow soon. Alaska Airlines, which is Ohno’s biggest sponsor, painted his image on a Boeing 737. ... Read Full Story

WHISTLER, British Columbia — American skier, Lindsey Vonn, won the Olympic downhill on Wednesday, and her American teammate Julia Mancuso won the silver medal in a surprise second place.

Lindsey Vonn wins gold medal for United States in downhill in Vancouver Olympics

Vonn, who has been plagued with a bruised right shin, seemed to have no problem racing down Franz’s Downhill in 1 minute, 44.19 seconds taking her to a gold medal victory for the United States. ... Read Full Story

Photo by Chris Helgren / Reuters

Freestyle skier, Hannah Kearney, wins the gold for the United States in Sunday’s competition at the Vancouver Olympics. She claims the honor of being the first American to win the gold. Kearney, who hails from Vermont. won a dramatic victory over Canada’s Jenn Heil.

“I heard the crowd. I heard Jenn’s score, and I knew I’d have to have the run of my life,” she said. “I’m glad she scored a good run because it means more to me to come out on top.”

“I couldn’t even imagine the pressure on Jenn. You could almost feel it. I know Canada hasn’t won a gold medal on their home turf, but I have a feeling they’ll do it these Games,” Kearney said. “But I’m pleased that I could stop that for now.”

... Read Full Story

With the Winter Olympics beginning, it will be interesting to see which American athletes become the darlings of these games. After each Olympics, it seems that a couple of athletes come away with a new-found celebrity that stays with them forever.

When I think of the Winter Olympics, I think of Dorothy Hamill and  Peggy Fleming’s gold medal figure skating performances, speed skater Dan Janzen deciding to race despite his sister’s losing battle with leukemia earlier that day, and the U.S. men’s hockey team led by Mike Eruzione defeating the mighty Russians in 1980 in what is still considered the greatest upset in Olympic history.

So who will become immortalized in American Olympics history? Here are a few Olympians to keep an eye on…

Lindsey Vonn – Vonn, the most successful American woman skier in World Cup history, will be favored in three events – Downhill, Super-G and Combined. She is the first American woman to win back-to-back overall World Cup championships and a Super G Title, and she has also won back-to-back downhill championships.

Lindsey Vonn is this years Olympic medal hopeful for downhill skiing and Super G

Apolo Anton Ohno -  Ohno has a chance to become the most celebrated American speed skater in Olympics history. He’s already won five medals (two gold, one silver, two bronze) and should add to that in Vancouver. He’s currently tied with Olympic legend Eric Heiden for most career medals by an American male. He has been the reigning United States champion since 2001 and has won the men’s national title a total of 12 times.

Already a 5 time Olympic medal winner in speed racing, Ohno is an odds on favorite to win.

Lindsey Jacobellis – Who can forget Jacobellis at the 2006 Winter Games? With a big lead and gold medal in-site, Jacobellis inexplicably fell as she neared the finish line and settled with the sliver. She’s dominated the women’s snowboard cross scene and should get redemption in Vancouver. She was the winner of the 2009 Snowboard Cross World Cup as well as the 2009 Winter X Games.

Lindsey Jacobellis dominates the women’s snowboard cross scene and is favored to win gold.

Steven Holcomb – The U.S. hasn’t won a gold medal in the four-man bobsled since 1948, but that might change this year. Holcomb’s “Night Train” bobsled team comes into Vancouver as the favorites. His team leads the current World Cup standings and are the reigning World Champions.

Steven Holcomb and his “Night Train” bobsled team comes into Vancouver as the favorites.

Rachael Flatt – Flatt won the gold medal at the recently completed U.S. Figure Skating Championships and appears to be peaking at the right time. She had previously won the silver medal at both the 2008 & 2009 Championships and was the 2008 World Junior Champion.

Rachel Flatt is America's favorite to win a medal in figure skating at Vancouver in 2010

If you would like to find out how to hire Olympic athletes for a speaking engagement, appearance, endorsement, autograph signing or special event,  request Olympic medal winners such as Dorothy Hamill, Peggy Fleming, Apolo Anton Ohno, Lindsey Vonn booking agent information from PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency. PFP is a top booking agent for Olympic athletes,  sports stars and celebrities. For more information call 800.966.1380

NEW YORK – Eight time All-Star outfielder, Andre Dawson, was finally elected to the Hall of Fame after nine trys. Other players considered for baseball’s honor who just fell short were Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar.

Andre Dawson elected to National Baseball Hall of Fame after nine trys

The Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced that Dawson received 420 of 539 votes in voting, 15 more than the 75 percent necessary to gain election.

“It was well worth the wait. I can’t really describe the elation,” Dawson said during a telephone conference call. “If you’re a Hall of Famer, eventually you’re going to get in, no matter how long it takes.”

Dawson, whose nickname was “The Hawk,” played 1,443 games with the Expos, fourth highest in franchise history. As an Expo, Dawson set single-season club records for home runs (32), RBI (113) and extra base hits (78).

Dawson played for the Expos until after the 1986 season when he signed with the Chicago Cubs. In 1987, he became the Cubs starting rightfielder, hit 49 home runs and was named NL MVP. Dawson played five more seasons with the Cubs and was one of the franchise’s most popular players during that time.

Dawson also played for the Boston Red Sox and the Florida Marlins before retiring with 2,774 hits, 438 home runs, 314 stolen bases and 1591 RBI. He is one of only six players in major league history to record over 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases in his career. Dawson is also one of only three members of the 400 home run-300 stolen base club, joining Barry Bonds and Willie Mays.

Bert Blyleven, who played from 1970 to 1992, and was best known for his curveball, had 400 votes (74.2 percent), up from 338 last year. Blyleven has two more tries on the BBWAA ballot and will most likely eventually make it.

“Hopefully, next year will be my time,” Blyleven said in an interview on MLB Network.

Alomar, who received 397 votes (73.7 percent) was followed by pitcher Jack Morris who received 282 votes (52.3 percent).

“I feel disappointed, but next year hopefully I make it in,” Alomar said “At least I was close.”

PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency is a  top booking agent for sports stars, athlete appearances, endorsements and celebrities. For more information,  call 800.966.1380

I’ve read on more than one occasion since the Tiger Woods story broke last month that the endorsement market for all athletes will suffer as a result of his indiscretions. The thinking goes that if companies can’t trust someone like Tiger, who for years had the cleanest image among all athletes, who can they trust?

Tiger Woods continues to endorse Nike. The organization stands behind him.

I don’t agree with this assessment. There’s an inherent risk whenever a company utilizes an athlete. He could get hurt, traded, arrested or, in the case of Tiger, caught with his pants down. Athletes have been endorsing products for close to 100 years and will continue to do so.

For every high-profile scandal such as Tiger or Kobe Bryant earlier this decade that resulted in companies either cancelling or not renewing their endorsement agreements, there are countless examples of endorsement deals that have been successful. Do you think Nike was disappointed with Michael Jordan or Gatorade with Derek Jeter?

Over the weekend, I was watching CNN and three commercials in a row featured athletes – Howie Long for Chevrolet, Dan Marino for NutriSystem and Chris Berman for Applebees. So will there be any fallout from “Tigergate”?

My guess is that companies will scrutinize potential endorsers even closer. Morality clauses, which give companies the ability to opt out of an endorsement agreement should an issue arise, will likely be tightened even more. And most importantly, companies likely won’t build their entire advertising campaign around just one athlete, which is what Accenture did with Tiger. Some people have estimated it will cost Accenture tens of millions of dollars just to remove all the advertising featuring Tiger. How many times have you been in an airport and seen an Accenture billboard with Tiger?

Speaking of Tiger, his fall from the mountaintop has been historic. Never has an athlete of Tiger’s stature fallen so far so fast. Just a month ago, ask someone to describe Tiger’s image and you would likely hear such words as squeaky-clean, trustworthy and integrity. To date, among his sponsors who have either cancelled or scaled down their involvement with him  include Tag Heuer, Accenture and Gillette. Gatorade is phasing out its Tiger product, although it made the announcement a few days prior to the start of Tiger’s problems.

PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency is a top booking agent for athlete endorsement deals,  athlete appearances and sports speakers. For more information on how to book an athlete endorsement or appearance, call 800.966.1380

Jim Abbott Baseball Icon, is a popular inspirational & motivational speaker

Jim Abbott was the underdog growing up. He was born with only one hand but had aspirations of reaching the Major Leagues.

As a youngster, he would spend hours bouncing the ball off a wall to practice fielding and throwing. He showed enough promise in high school to be drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays but chose instead to attend the University of Michigan. He led the Wolverines to Big Ten titles in his freshmen and junior years and had a career record of 26-8. He went on to win the prestigious Golden Spikes Award, presented annually to the outstanding college baseball player in the United States.

As a member of Team USA in 1987, Abbott became the first American pitcher in 25 years to beat a Cuban team on Cuban soil enroute to winning the silver medal in the Pan-American Games. In 1988, Abbott participated in the Summer Olympics and led the U.S. to its first-ever gold medal after pitching a complete game seven hitter in a 5-3 victory over Japan.

After the Olympics, Abbott reached his dream of playing in the Majors. He enjoyed a 10-year career with primarily the California Angels and New York Yankees. His most famous moment occurred when he threw a no-hitter for the Yankees in 1993.

As a result of Abbott beating the odds and achieving success, he received numerous awards, including…

• March of Dimes Athlete of the Year (twice)
• Academy Awards of Sports, Courage Award
• 1991 Victory Award recipient at the Kennedy Center Washington D.C.
• Freedom Forum’s Free Spirit Award

Today, Abbott is a highly sought-after motivational speaker and one of the most popular baseball speakers along with Jim Morris, Bill Buckner & Goose Gossage. From corporate sales meetings to charity fundraisers to baseball banquets, Abbott travels the country delivering his message of ADAPT: Overcoming Adversity. ADAPT is an acronym for Adjustability, Determination, Accountability, Perseverance and Trust. He resides in Southern California and spends part of his summers in his home state of Michigan.

If you would like to find out how to hire Jim Abbott for a speaking engagement, appearance, endorsement, autograph signing or special event, request Jim Abbott booking agent information from PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency. PFP is a  top sports speakers bureau &  celebrity booking agent for athlete appearances,   sports stars,  entertainers and celebrities.

Tiger Woods earns $1B becoming highest paid athlete

Forbes reported last week that Tiger Woods became the first athlete to earn $1 billion in career earnings from endorsements, prize winnings, golf course design and appearance fees. Woods reportedly earns $30 million a year from Nike and receives $10 million per project for his golf design work. He also just won $10 million last week for winning the FedEx Cup title.

The crazy part is that Woods in only 33 years old and has many years of competitive golf, endorsements and golf course design ahead of him. It’s not a stretch to say that he’ll likely make well in excess of $2 billion by the time his career ends. It’s estimated that he has now earned more than NBA great Michael Jordan ($800 million) and retired Formula One driver Michal Shumacher ($700 million).

Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan compete at San Francisco Golf Tournament

I thought it would be interesting to look at the list of highest paid endorsers…

1. Tiger Woods ($110 million)…Even though he missed the second half of 2008 and the first part of this year with a knee injury, Woods is still the king of earnings.

2T. Kobe Bryant ($45 million)…The NBA’s most popular player on a global basis, Bryant is more popular in China than he is in the United States.

2T. Michael Jordan ($45 million)…Jordan is still Nike’s highest paid endorser, reportedly earning more than $40 million per year from his Jordan brand.

2T. Kimi Raikkonen ($45 million)…Formula One’s highest paid driver.

5. David Beckam ($42 million)…Although Beckham’s on the downside of his career, he’s still the most visible soccer player in the world and has endorsements with Adidas and Motorola among others.

6T. Manny Pacquiao ($40 million)…His last two fights against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton generated more than $100 million in revenue from pay-per-view.

6T. LeBron James ($40 million)…The Michael Jordan of this era, James is the face of the NBA along with Bryant.

6T. Phil Mickelson ($40 million)…Mickelson has earned more than $54 million in prize money during his career, trailing only Woods and Vijay Singh in money earned over a career.

9. Valentino Rossi ($35 million)…The most popular motorcycle racer in the world. Rossi earns $16 million per year just from Yamaha.

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr. ($34 million)…Earnhardt Jr. was voted NASCAR’s most popular driver for the sixth straight year in 2008.

Next Ten…11T. Roger Federer ($34 million); 11T. Shaquille O’Neal ($33 million); 13T. Oscar De La Hoya ($32 million); 13T. Lewis Hamilton ($32 million); 13T. Alex Rodriguez ($32 million); 16. Vijay Singh ($31 million); 17T. Kevin Garnett ($30 million); 17T. Jeff Gordon ($30 million) and 17T. Ronaldinho ($30 million)

The most glaring absence from this list is the lack of representation from the NFL. One would think the most popular sport in the U.S. would be well represented, but NFL salaries aren’t as high as other sports and only a handful of players earn large endorsement income. Even though they’re not on the list, among the top earning NFL players are Payton Manning and Ben Roethlisberger.

Another interesting fact is that the only retired player on the list is Jordan. Among the top earning retired athletes who didn’t make the list are Cal Ripken Jr, John Elway, Muhammad Ali, Magic Johnson and John McEnroe.

PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency is a top booking agent for sports stars, athlete appearances, endorsements and celebrities. If you would like to hire a sports star for an  endorsement,  appearance or speaking engagement, contact us or call 800 966-1380.

With a quarter of the NFL season behind us, who are the two most surprising teams thus far?

San Francisco 49ers vs Buffalo Bills

Josh McDaniels Broncos coach

The most surprising team in my opinion is the Denver Broncos. No one predicted the Broncos would start 4-0. With the departure of Jay Cutler, the hiring of a new head coach in Josh McDaniels and the pouting of talented wide receiver Brandon Marshall, many people predicted the Broncos would have a hard time winning more than just a couple of games this season.

So why are they playing so well?

The main reason is the defense. The Broncos defense has been dismal in recent years, one of the worst in the league. This year’s defense is completely rebuilt. Defensive end Elvis Dumervil leads the league with 8 sacks through four games and is likely headed to his first Pro Bowl, veteran Brian Dawkins is playing like a future Hall of Famer and Champ Bailey continues to be one of the top cornerbacks in the league. As a team, the Broncos are ranked third in the league in overall defense and are in the top five in most major defensive categories. Last season, the Broncos gave up an average of 28 points per game. This season, they’ve given up just 26 points in four games. The team has also produced 10 turnovers, three shy of what they did all of last season.

Offensively, the team is enjoying a balanced attack. No one will mistake quarterback Kyle Orton for John Elway, but he’s not making many mistakes and is doing enough to put points on the board. Rookie running back Knowshon Moreno leads all rookie running backs in rushing while a talented wide receiver corps led by Eddie Royal, Brandon Marshall and Brandon Stokley gives Orton numerous weapons.

Up this week: New England Patriots

Mike Singletary 49er's coach

The next most surprising team is the San Francisco 49ers, who are 3-1 and would be 4-0 if it weren’t for a Brett Favre desperation touchdown pass in the closing seconds two weeks ago. It looks as though the team has bought into the philosophy of coach Mike Singletary, a very fiery and intense coach who commands respect from his players. The defense, led by Takeo Spikes, Nate Clements and Patrick Willis, has played stellar and is ranked 5th in the league in rushing defense and 8th overall. The offense has been productive as well with running back Frank Gore and tight end Vernon Davis giving the team a legitimate air and ground threat.

Up this week: Atlanta

PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency is a speakers bureau and top booking agent for football speakers, athlete appearances and endorsements. For more information call 800.966.1380

Brett Favre won his debut in Minnesota as the Vikings beat Cleveland 34-20 behind Adrian Peterson’s 180 rushing yards and three touchdowns. The opening game, Minnesota vs Cleveland, has been billed as the Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson Show.

Brett Favre passes to Sidney Rice Vikings vs Browns Sept 13, 2009 (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

“I haven’t played with an offense like this,” Favre said. “It starts with 28 [Peterson], but I’ll tell you what — that offensive line is pretty impressive.”

Erik Kramer & Brian Webber of FOXsports Online OT recap Brett Favre Viking’s debut, show highlights and more. Watch video.

If you would like to find out how to hire Brett Favre or other NFL players for a speaking engagement, appearance, endorsement, autograph signing or special event, request Brett Favre booking agent information from PFP Sports and Celebrity Talent Agency. PFP is a top speakers bureau and booking agent for sports speakers, football speakers, athlete appearances, endorsemnt deals, celebrities and corporate entertainment.