Event Recap: Becky Sendrow '02

On Friday, November 8th, The Cornell Sports Business Society was pleased to welcome alumna Becky Sendrow ’02 of Creative Artist’s Agency (CAA). Sendrow, a former Cornell tennis player and government major in the College of Arts and Sciences, currently works as a Sports Broadcasting Agent at CAA. After graduating from Cornell in 2002, she attended Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she earned her law degree. During her time in law school, Sendrow, a native of Philadelphia, focused primarily on intellectual property and alternative dispute resolution. Her exuberance and charisma were the foundation for a great event.

Sendrow began her career upon graduating law school at William Morris Endeavor, one of the largest and most prestigious talent agencies in the world. In 2005, she had begun working full-time in the mailroom—where almost all aspiring agents start out—but before long her talent and work ethic moved her up the corporate ladder. From there she moved over to CAA, where the Sports Agency Department was just being started.

The Sports Broadcasting group at CAA may be young, but it has established itself as a leading team in the business. Clients of the group include the likes of Carl Ripken Jr., Warren Sapp, Jalen Rose, Linda Cohn, and Barry Melrose. CAA also represents coaches, such as Mike Krzyzewski, Erik Spoelstra, and Rex Ryan, and a plethora of athletes including Sidney Crosby, Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Adrian Peterson.

Client Case Study: Michelle Beadle

Michelle Beadle is a sports reporter and television show host who is currently represented by Sendrow. With Beadle’s contract as host of hit segment Sports Nation set to expire, Sendrow was there to help her plan out her future, and take her career in a new direction. Beadle’s show was featured on ESPN2, but she expressed that she was looking to move away from the ESPN brand. By utilizing contacts in the industry, Sendrow was able to work with NBC Sports to create a position for Beadle. While NBC Sports was new at the time, the two sides believed that there were great opportunities for Beadle to advance her career. At NBC Sports, Beadle now works as both a reporter and host. She reported the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and is currently a co-host on Access Hollywood. Beadle also had her own show called The Crossover with Michelle Beadle, although it is no longer running. Sendrow advises Beadle in other facets of the broadcaster’s life as well. She helps arrange speaking engagements, finds endorsement opportunities, and books charity functions. Sendrow was integral in helping Beadle found her own charity through the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to—she is a dog lover—and helped secure her a sponsorship with Bridgestone Tires, which has led to her appearance in commercials, such as a recent ad with US Olympian soccer player Alex Morgan.

Audience Question: “What is she [Beadle] getting at NBC that she could not get at ESPN?”

Answer: Before, at ESPN she was on a cable network doing one show—there was no room for her to grow or develop her talent. Not only that, but she was also stuck on ESPN2, which has even less room to grow than ESPN. It was also her personal interests that could not be met; she wanted to do more entertainment and NBC gave her that opportunity.

Client Case Study: Nomar Garciaparra

Former MLB star Nomar Garciaparra, a six-time all-star shortstop over the course of a 13-year career, is best known for his tenure on the Boston Red Sox. Sendrow first came in contact with Garciaparra via cold call, an unlikely scenario. At the time, he already had an agent, but after almost a year of hard work, Sendrow was able to convince him that CAA could provide him with the best representation team out there. To convince Garciaparra to make the switch to CAA, Sendrow set up meetings with every division in the company, allowing him to to learn about everything from memorabilia to television opportunities.

Once he signed on, Sendrow immediately began creating opportunities, helping him secure work commentating baseball games. She helped him start his own charity as well, which focuses on solar energy.  Sendrow and her team are currently working on getting Garciaparra involved in a television documentary about solar panels. He is also currently a baseball analyst for ESPN. Sendrow explained that landing a former marquee player like Garciaparra was a huge moment in her career, and was a tribute to her hard work and determination.

Sendrow went on to explain the importance of getting close to players, and teaching them how they can extend their career via different avenues upon retirement, such as broadcasting. Creating relationships with players nearing retirement increases the likelihood of their signing with your agency. CAA’s Athlete Representation department does just that. By providing current athletes with assistance regarding endorsement deals, guest appearances on television shows, and so on, they build on that athlete’s brand. Once these players retire, CAA can help them transition into life after sports, which can entail broadcasting, coaching, or writing books, among countless other opportunities.

Audience Question: How do you use the entire company [CAA] to make clients happy?

Answer: They use all facets of the company to bring their clients in and prove to them that they have access to each and every part of the business, should their interests lie in those areas. CAA has a wide variety of departments spanning from music to theatre to video games, and more. Clients realize that whatever interests they may have, they are likely to fall under one of these categories. CAA has been involved in the creation of all of Netflix’s original series, for example, which could give clients the opportunity to make cameos. A pillar of CAA is that you are represented by the entire Agency, not just one single agent. Sendrow says that she always has an entire team around her, and clients feel a sense of security due to that fact.

Client Case Study: Ephraim Salaam

Ephraim Salaam is a retired 10-year veteran of the National Football League. Sendrow described how she helped Salaam, one of her favorite clients, develop his career after football. She noted that soon after retirement, Salaam was having trouble finding career opportunities, but she was not willing to give up on him because of his extraordinary personality and his backstory—Salaam had helped recruit a future NFL teammate from a grocery store during college, and had played football and basketball at San Diego State University. Eventually he got his big break with Fox Sports Live where he is now an analyst.

In an interview with Dallas Mavericks owner and self-made billionaire Mark Cuban on Fox Sports Live, the two spoke about Salaam potentially trying out for the Mavericks D-League team. After following up, Salaam did get the tryout, and he made the team. Salaam also participated in the hit television show The Amazing Race, which was a dream of his. Sendrow used his story as an example of the variety of clients that CAA represents. The agency takes all different types of people, coming from all different backgrounds, and helps them succeed—whether they have already grown to become household names, and have established careers, or are relatively low-profile retired athletes who have yet to make their mark on a new industry.

Sendrow gave a few examples of what her day-to-day life looks like, and how the company functions. Whether it is working on a deal with her client and a major network, helping current athletes land endorsement deals, or advising clients in their everyday lives, there is never a dull moment in sports representation.

Question and Answer Portion

Audience Question: How cutthroat do you have to be in this environment?

Answer: Everyone has his or her own style in the business, but it is important to have a backbone. Sendrow explained how she is naturally a very amicable person, but sometimes you have to be stern to get things done.

Audience Question: How do you react to a client like Shaun White taking a year off to go on tour with his band?

Answer: Shaun White is one of the biggest athletes in the world. He can afford to take time off during his offseason, or when he is injured, because he is the best at what he does. At the end of the day it is his decision, and even if she advised against such a move, he is very bright guy and knows what he wants.

Audience Question: What do you think the landscape of the sports agency business will look like in five years?

Answer: There are a lot of small agencies that are continuing to operate as “up-and-comers.” Larger agencies acquire smaller ones from year to year. Some others experience serious growth or dissolve altogether. Sendrow predicts that in the future, super agencies such as WME and CAA will become less and less common.

Audience Question: At what point in your career must you be in for CAA to represent you?

Answer: CAA takes on all different types of clients, sometimes building careers from the bottom up, and other times managing already well-established individuals.

Advice to those in Attendance:

Sendrow concluded the evening with some great advice to members of the club. She suggested always looking to utilize connections. She pointed out that while someone may not have something to offer you at the moment, that doesn’t mean they won’t have something in the future. She explained that coming out of school, no one expects you to know everything. However, take small experiences that you may have had and “make them seem big”. Leverage those experiences, as that can go a long way.

The agency world is hard to break into, so try to make yourself stand out from other applicants in any way that you can. As an agent, your main job is to find other people jobs, so you have to be able to find yourself one first. Once you get your start as an agent, one of the best ways to show clients that you are the right representative for them is to show them how you can provide value beyond that which they are currently receiving, and what you would have done better in their past.

As always, the Cornell Sports Business Society would like to thank alumna Becky Sendrow again for taking the time to travel up to Ithaca and speak with us. Her enthusiasm to share her knowledge and experience with the group was invaluable, and her lightheartedness created a great environment for discussion. We hope we can continue to benefit from the guidance of Ms. Sendrow in the future.

Dan Cappetta and Connor Riser contributed to this post.

NHL Stanley Cup Finals Prediction

Who will Hoist the Cup this Year?

The 2014 NHL Playoffs have begun and 16 teams are hoping to win the Stanley Cup (technically 11 because St. Louis, Detroit, Columbus, Dallas, and Tampa Bay have been eliminated). My prediction is that the Boston Bruins will play the Chicago Blackhawks in Stanley Cup Finals. Both of these teams have great leadership and have hoisted the cup within the past couple of years.


The Bruins are led by 6' 9" Slovakian defender Zdeno Chara, who is the tallest player in the NHL. He not only has the fastest slap shot in the league, but he is an enforcer who rarely, if ever, loses a fight. Having Chara on the ice gives the Bruins a major advantage. But Chara is not the last line of defense for this Bruins roster. Goalie Tuukka Rask, from Finland, has been one of the best goaltenders in the NHL all year. His save percentage on the year is a staggering .930, meaning that when opposing players can get past the likes of Chara, only 7% of their shots on target actually reach the back of the net. The defensive nature of this Bruins team will make them very tough to beat in the playoffs.

The Chicago Blackhawks are very different than the Boston Bruins. They are led by center Johnathan Toews, from Canada, and right wing Patrick Kane, from the United States. The two combined for 137 points in the regular season, with Kane registering 69 points in 69 games and Toews recording 68 points in 76 games. These two forwards are some of the game's best, making plays that most others cannot. It will be very interesting watching these two, along with teammate Patrick Sharp, go against the likes of Zdeno Chara and company.

The motto, defense wins championships, will hold true in 2014. The Boston Bruins will prevail over the Chicago Blackhawks in 6 games to win the 2014 Stanley Cup!

What Went Wrong With Draft Day?

Kevin Costner was not Draft Day's Problem

Draft Day has been out over two weeks now and is just getting close to finally making up its budget. The general rule in Hollywood is that a film must make double its reported budget to be successful. It seems unlikely that Draft Day will ever make it there. How does a film that was seemingly a propaganda film for a 9 billion dollar industry fail?

Well it was not the reviews by critics or the fans of the movie that tanked it with critics being 62% positive and the fans at 72%. The downfall of the movie was the unrealistic script that left most football fans uninterested in the movie. Below are the top 3 mistakes I believe the movie made (Warning there are SPOILERS of the movie):


1) Sonny Weaver Jr. (Kevin Costner) would never trade for the first pick without consulting anyone first. He woke up on the day of the draft, wrote down that he was talking Vontae Mack over anyone and then traded up to number 1 immediately without consulting a single member of his staff even though Vontae Mack would have been there at #7 pick. He even walked into the office after trading up to the #1 pick and had to ask whether or not the Browns had the cap space to make the trade.

This is beyond absurd.

No NFL GM would trade 3 first round picks without consulting a single member of the organization. Even after Sonny made the trade, he called no one in the organization to tell them. He walked into the office and everyone only knew about the trade because Seattle the team he traded with had leaked it.  I know the movie was trying to create Weaver’s character as a maverick, but a simple conversation between Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garners’ characters would have sufficed about whether the Browns should make the trade or if they had the cap space.

2) Weaver had never scouted the consensus #1 pick in the draft, Bo Callahan. This year Jadeveon Clowney, the likely #1 pick, has visited nearly every team in the top 10. Even the teams that have not had him visit have at least spent time to scout him. The Browns’ front office seems to know almost nothing about Bo Callahan, the consensus #1 pick in the movie, when the trade is made. The team has never done a background check on Bo Callahan, brought him in for a visit, or even looked at his medicals.

This is the stuff I would expect from a team that had made the playoffs, but not the team at #7 who has even the thought to go to #1. This problem in the movie is only made worse when Bo Callahan begins to slip in the draft and no one else has scouted him to say their is a mistake with him or understand why it is happening. Even when Reggie Bush was considered a consensus #1 pick in 2006 and the Texans took Mario Williams above him, Bush fell to #2 and did not free fall in the draft.

3) The Browns traded the #6 pick for #7 for more than it took them to go from #1 to #7. In the 2004, NFL Draft the Browns actually traded up from #7 from #6 to draft Kellen Winslow Jr. and it cost them a second rounder. The movie had the Seattle Seahawks give up 3 first round picks and return specialist. Seattle was completely prepared to not draft Bo Callahan at the beginning movie when they traded the number #1 pick to Cleveland, yet at the end of the movie was prepared to trade away more than they got in the morning for the same quarterback just to save some money. 

 Seattle originally traded away the pick because they had more needs than just a QB and wanted extra picks, yet just 12 hours later they have completely changed their mind. No matter how much Seattle valued Bo Callahan, why would they have ever trade away more to move up 1 spot than it took them to go down 6 spots that same morning.

The plot of Draft Day doomed the movie. I left the theater not discussing how entertained I was for the movie, but rather whether or not it was possible for any of them to have actually occurred. After a long discussion about how it was not, I realized that was what frustrated me most about the movie. It was unrealistic.  The movie seemed better made as a documentary about the behind the scenes of the draft rather than a major motion picture with fictionalized players amongst other things. Draft Day was entertaining movie, but it definitely did not feel like an accurate portrayal of what life is like in the NFL Draft day for any team.

Weekly Blog Recap (4/27)

Here's a rundown on all of the content on the blog from this past week:

(4/20) Teams on the Rise Trilogy- Part 2: Boston Celtics (NBA)
Rick Saxe continues his three-part examination of teams he feels are on the path to success. While 2013-14 did  not go so well, the Celtics future is bright according to Saxe

(4/22) Batting Leadoff: Paying for an Opponent:
Our partners at Batting Leadoff deliver premium baseball content, and this piece is no exception. Read about the MLB's strange phenomenon of teams paying their opponent's players.

(4/23) ILRSBS Home Run Derby to Benefit the SEED Projectt:
Freshman Zoe Forster pens an event preview for the ILRSBS Home Run Derby to Benefit the SEED Project which is occurring on April 28th in the Cornell Arts' Quad.

(4/24) Reviewing My NBA Regular Season Preview:
Featured Blogger Thomas Kroner breaks down his original NBA predictions back before the season started. Which did he get right? Which did he miss? Read and find out.

(4/25) Nomadic Fandom: Why Playing the Field Comes Highly Recommended:
ILRSBS blog contributor Brian Gordon talks about life rooting for professional teams when your hometown has none. Brian talks about the NBA, NFL, and MLB in his piece.

(4/26) Blogger Roundtable: Most Appealing Regular Season NFL Game:
Assistant Editor Adam Malz rounds up the bloggers for the weekly roundtable. This week's question? Which regular season NFL game is most appealing? Will it be a divisional rivalry or the Super Bowl rematch? Read to see how each person picked.

Also, check out our Contributors Page to get to know our staff. Contact information, career plans, and their sporting interests are all there.

Blogger Roundtable: Most Appealing Regular Season NFL Game

The passion for football in this country is unrivaled. It is because of this passion that the NFL manages to remain relevant in the news even during its offseason. The most recent news was the release of the 2014 regular season schedule and it did not disappoint. You want rivalry games? How does Brady v. Manning round 15, or Steelers v. Ravens, or Seahawks v. 49ers sound? You want a Super Bowl rematch? "Touchception" rematch? Division opponents battling it out for a playoff spot the last week of the season?The NFL schedule-makers listened to your requests and have ensured that all your wants will be met in 2014. Now as the hype for the season builds as the draft grows nearer, the question is which game is going to be the best.

We asked our bloggers which regular season NFL matchup is most intriguing. Here is what they had to say:

Thomas Kroner, Featured Blogger- Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers

Disclaimer, I was born and raised in San Francisco. That being said, it should come as no surprise that my most anticipated matchup is Niners-Hawks on Thanksgiving night at Levi's Stadium. This is the first time the NFL's best rivalry meets during the season. Plus it's a home game for San Francisco, so they're more likely to come out with a W. I look for the first offensive play the Niners run to be some sort of screen or sweep action where Joe Staley comes around and gets to pancake Richard Sherman. Nothing would make me happier.

Stephen Dreznick, Featured Blogger- Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers

The most appealing game of the regular season is the Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers matchup. Both teams have high profile defenses coupled with exceptional young quarterbacks. It will be interesting to see how Cam Newton plays against Seattle's secondary, which is in my opinion, the best defensive unit in the NFL. Also, Russell Wilson will have to face the likes of Luke Kuechly, one of the best young linebackers in the game who has the potential to be a future Hall of Fame player.

Rick Saxe, Featured Blogger- Redskins at Eagles

Definitely Week 3's matchup when Desean and the 'Skins get a shot at the Eagles. Desean Jackson has his chance to prove that Philly made a mistake letting him go. He has already stated that he looks forward to these games and wants them to regret their move. Can't wait to see him do it.

Matthew Hakimian, Featured Blogger- Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers

The most attractive game for the 2014 season has to be the Seattle Seahawks at the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13. Easily the best rivalry in football at the moment, the Niners and Seahawks flat out hate the opposition. San Francisco has been on the cusp of a Super Bowl each of the last three years while Seattle is coming off a dominating championship performance. There is no doubt that San Fran will be seeking to avenge their loss in the thrilling NFC Title Game back in January. The stage will certainly be set for this Turkey Day clash in the new Levi's Stadium.

John Martin, Blog Contributor- Redskins at Eagles

The obvious answer to the question would be the NFC Championship Game rematch when the Seahawks travel to new Levi's Stadium to take on the 49ers on Thanksgiving Day. But the game I am more excited to watch due to how deeply rooted the bad blood is, is in Week 3 when the Redskins travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles. This will be DeSean Jackson's first time back in Philadelphia, facing the team that cut him over "personal issues" after his best season in 2013. Jackson could have a big game against a pass defense that gave up the most yards during the 2013 regular season, as he seeks revenge against Chip Kelly and the Eagles' front office.

Be sure to comment below to let us know your opinion.

Nomadic Fandom: Why Playing the Field Comes Highly Recommended

   

I’ve been an NBA nomad since my Rochester Royals left town. I will develop affinities for certain teams without ever tying the knot with them. If you don’t naturally grow up with a strong connection to a certain team in a certain sport, I highly recommend this drifting fandom lifestyle. In many ways its like taking a class pass/fail. Less stress over the outcome often brings about more pleasure in the product.

Speed dating fandom allows one to appreciate the league as a whole, without getting bogged down caring about the PER of the same eight players and the coaching decisions of the same coach over the 82-game grind. As a nomad, I can come to appreciate different teams and different moments without feeling like I’m committing adultery.
I’ve been crushing on the plucky Bobcats and Suns this spring. Teams with former Syracuse players in their starting 5’s (New York, Cleveland, Philadelphia) have my approval, though even Wes Johnson’s 9.1 PPG can’t bring me to root for the Lakers. I’ll cheer 11% more for whichever team nabs Tyler Ennis in the draft. Playing the Heat in the Finals is a good way into my heart. I mailed a thank you card out to the Mavericks in 2011 and was 5.2 seconds away from mailing one to the attn: of Gregg Popovich last June.

I understand the euphoric highs I’m sacrificing, the ones rewarded to the true fans that endure the grind and see their team succeed, but after another 6-win Buffalo Bills season, I’m content with just sitting back and avoiding the infuriatingly crushing lows that comes when the team you put your soul, voice and concerns into disappoints.

The unattached sports experience also keeps one from being affixed to a loathsome team. Like family, you don’t choose who you root for. It’s something you’re born into more often than not. My grandfather was a Red Wings fan; my father was a Red Wings fan, ergo… Octopus! While this “fandom as birthright” notion strengthens familial bonds and makes for solid B plot tropes, it can lead to a repugnant product being foisted upon you. Think of the young wizard who is sorted into Slytherin because Slytherin was his father’s house or the innocent child in Nassau County who grows up a fan of the Dolan Knicks through no fault of his own.

You don’t jump ship when your team becomes less likable. I tend to be wary of those who arbitrate “true” fandom, but sticking with your squad no matter what might be the closest thing to a hard-and-fast rule we have.

You stick with your team no matter the depths of their loathsomeness. I’ve been a Yankees fan since I could pronounce “El Duque”. I soaked in their ’98-’00 Godzilla romp through the rest of the league. I cried for a day when Luis Gonzalez blooped that single. It was the first moment I realized the Yankees were mortal.

In the early and mid-aughts, I watched as the Yankees morphed into their truest iterations of the “Evil Empire”, a period where Steinbrenner tolled up a payroll the size of most Eastern European GDPs. The overpriced toys acquired in this era were sometimes good (Gary Sheffield), sometimes bad (Kevin Brown), but consistently unlikeable.

While human nature would lead any impartial viewer with a modicum of morality to root for the spirited underdog with a payroll of $50 million, Yankees fans had to close off human nature from their cerebrums and instead root for their Bronx Bombers to crush the dreams of the otherwise lovable Wild Card team (quite often the Twins). During those years, the pinstripes represented less tradition and class, and more gluttonous privilege. Rooting for them was like rooting for the 1% to rake in fall bonuses.

While light-years from being spendthrifts, the Yanks have at least somewhat (again, somewhat) tempered their image as drunken carnivorous spenders in the post-Steinbrenner years. Still, being a Yankees fan today means pulling for Goliath to triumph. Being a Yankees fan still means hoping Suzyn Waldman’s happy (she tends to talk more when she is). Being a Yankees fan still means rooting for A-Rod. Don't get me wrong. I’m grateful to ride with the Yanks no matter how much pine tar is found dotted on our starting pitchers' necks. But don’t think this fandom is all smile emojis and lilacs in Monument Park.

So as we go further into the NBA playoffs, my conscious can rest easy. I can adopt teams that demonstrate likable qualities and shrug when they exit. I can marvel at players and plays without guilt nor jealousy. I don’t have to worry about anything, a rare but alluring existence for a sports fan.

Reviewing My NBA Regular Season Preview

This is a response from the NBA preview posts I wrote at the beginning of the regular season. Let's see what I got right, and what I got not so right.

I'd say I was pretty spot on with my prediction about this year's abomination of a rookie class. I predicted that almost none of them would have productive seasons, and none of them did. I guess it could be argued that MCW did well, but how good of season can someone have on a team that almost set the record for most consecutive loses. I also implied that Ben McLemore and Cody Zeller had shots at a successful rookie campaign, if they did, they didn't take advantage of them.
My two potential new rivalries in the eastern conference were Brooklyn-Miami and Chicago-Indiana. The hopes of a potential central division rivalry all but evaporated when D-Rose went down for the season. The Heat and Nets had some moments during the season. They competed in a few close games (all of which the Nets won), culminating in Plumlee's questionable block of LeBron's dunk attempt. Although these rivalries didn't ignite in the regular season, these teams would face each other in the second round of the playoffs if they all advance. This would certainly have potential to spark a potential rivalry.

When speaking of expected outcomes for second year players I insinuated that both Damian Lillard and Harrison Barnes would have down years. For Lillard, just watch this. For HB-angout on the other hand, my prediction was considerably more accurate. His numbers went down and was even discussed in trade talks. All three of the sophomores I predicted to do well, Bradley Beal, Andre Drummond and Dion Waiters, all did so.

When I predicted who would make the playoffs in each league I was right on the money in the west, sans my omission of the Suns as a potential playoff contending team. Both the Blazers and Mavericks made it back to the playoffs from the lottery just as I predicted. My eastern conference predictions on the other hand, could not have been more off.

For starters I had the New York Knicks in the playoffs, so much for that. One of my sleeper playoff teams was the Pistons, the other, was the Bucks. Yes you read that correctly, I predicted the 15 win Bucks would be in heavy contention for a playoff spot. Although in my defense how far off is 15 wins from the 8 seed in the east? I had neither the Bobcats or Raptors anywhere close to the playoff picture. Although I did have the Wizards on my radar, so there's that.

So what does this all mean? Pretty much nothing. It means, I know about as much as the analyst on ESPN. I'm no Nate Silver but I did have my fair share of accurate predictions. This year's playoffs are already too crazy. Too crazy for me to even potentially make an attempt at a finals prediction. All I know is they're just getting started and I can't wait to see what happens next.

ILRSBS Home Run Derby to Benefit the SEED Project

The ILR Sports Business Society will be hosting a Charity Wiffle Ball Tournament that will take place on Monday, April 28st from 3:30-6:00pm in the Arts Quad. Proceeds from the event will benefit SEEDS (Sports for Economic and Educational Development in Senegal). Please contact Alex Smith at aws77@cornell.edu to register. More information is also available on Facebook.

The event will run from 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Winners in both the male and female division will receive $20 gift certificates to Collegetown Bagels. Groups can reserve time slots if desired to ensure members can bat consecutively.

The ILR Sports Business Society has chosen the SEED Project to be the organization to benefit from the club's Charity Wiffle Ball Tournament because it is an extremely worthwhile and deserving beneficiary of ILRSBS's social impact activities. This is the second consecutive year SBS has worked to raise money on behalf of SEEDS.  Since its founding in 1998, the SEED Project has worked to provide educational opportunities through the use of sports. The SEED Project is the vision of founder Amadou Gallo Fall, who used basketball to gain access to a college education. Today, the foundation describes its mission as:

The SEED Project develops responsible, thoughtful, and educated leaders capable of contributing to the positive transformation of their communities, country and continent.

With this, the organization works to accomplish these goals largely through the operation of SEEDS Academy, a college-preparatory boarding school in Thies, Senegal. The academy provides free tuition, room, board, and meal plans to some 30 student-athletes. SEEDS Academy further provides Senegalese boys with a year-round, rigorous academic, athletic and leadership development curriculum. More than 20 alumni have gone on to academic and athletic pursuits beyond the academy. Because of the foundation's success and visibility SEEDS was featured in ESPN Films' "Elevate" (trailer below).

More information is available on the SEEDS website and on their Facebook page. The organization can be contacted at info@seedproject.com. 

Batting Leadoff: Paying for an Opponent

This post originally appeared on Batting Leadoff. Batting Leadoff is a website dedicated to providing readers with premium baseball content. Posts from the site will appear regularly on the Sports Business Society Blog (view the information in the sidebar for updated information).

Yesterday, the Cubs and the Yankees squared off for what seemed to be (and what actually was) a normal, regular season doubleheader. It was an exciting couple of pitching duels, but something more interesting went on. The Cubs were facing their former left fielder Alfonso Soriano, the star player that they traded at the All-Star break last year for Corey Black and massive cash considerations. Soriano was owed $24.5 million, and the Cubs agreed to pay $17.7 million of that tab. The Yankees paid $1.8 million in 2013 and will pay $5 million in 2014 for a not-too-bad veteran. Why I find this whole deal and deals like this so interesting is that the Cubs were willing to have Soriano represent nearly 15% of their 2014 payroll to play for another team.

Is this ever a smart thing to do?



In the Cubs’ case, it’s not that clear. The Cubs in this trade will be $17.7 million poorer and will have a prospect in Corey Black, a prospect that has had some success in the low minors, but has only thrown 32 innings in the past year and a half. He’s a hard thrower, but many only project his ceiling as a competent reliever. So for the organization, the present value of ~3.3 projected wins for Soriano is outweighed by the salary “dump” and the possible future value of Black. Black could provide >3.3 wins, but I wouldn’t put my money on that.

The other consideration is that the wins Soriano will be worth would have been nearly a full, marginal gain for the Cubs, as their current left fielder Junior Lake is projected to be slightly better than replacement level. It’s a curious case, but it does signal a culture change. When you signal to your fan base that as an organization you are not going to cling to the past and move in a younger direction, that does speak volumes. And considering where the Cubs stand on the win curve, the loss of a win or win and a half won’t mean much this season. There have been other cases, though, that have been more successful.

There is of course the case of the Red Sox/Dodgers trade, which will probably go down in history as one of the most successful salary dumps in the history of the sport. Granted, the Dodgers have been pretty successful and are able to eat the salaries of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford in the latter years, but the Red Sox look much better: with the contracts mostly off the books, one can secure financial independence and the freedom to use the slightly increased payroll room to compensate for the lost value.

What makes this a successful move is that the Red Sox have replacements like Mike Napoli, Grady Sizemore, and Jackie Bradley Jr. that are cost-controlled, and may even be worse than what they gave away, but the short-term sacrifice in current wins will give you future wins. There also has to be a reasonable confidence that what you get in return will net you those future returns, and Allen Webster (and possibly Rubby De La Rosa) projects to do that. Webster’s success would just be the icing on the cake.

Paying for another team to own your players is a curious phenomenon in baseball roster construction and payroll planning. It seems completely counter intuitive for a team to pay millions of dollars for someone to play against you, and sometimes it can be. TV commentators and pundits may say that it seems silly for Soriano to be getting paid $17 million from the Cubs this year and will play against them; but, as I said, it signals a culture change. The Cubs have had a troublesome past, and the age of paying for expensive veterans is over, even if they need to bleed a little bit to end that era.

Matthew Provenzano is a sophomore at Cornell University. Matthew is a featured blogger at Batting Leadoff, a contributor for PinstripeAlley.com, and covers Cornell Baseball for Cornell At Bat. Contact Matt at mjp294@cornell.edu or follow him on twitter at @mpro6294. 


This post originally appeared on Batting Leadoff. Batting Leadoff is a website dedicated to providing readers with premium baseball content. Posts from the site will appear regularly on the Sports Business Society Blog (view the information in the sidebar for updated information).

Teams on the Rise Trilogy - Part 2: Boston Celtics (NBA)

Congratulations to Miami Heat fans on a second straight NBA Championship. Wow, that was painful to type. But how can we ignore their magnificence? The Heat enticed other cities’ stars with the excitement of South Beach and the idea of an all-star team within an actual franchise--and it worked. If you’re like me, though, those means aren’t what you want to see organizations pursue to achieve their ultimate goals. Throwing random stars together may have proven successful for Miami, but there is a purer, more respectable, and longer lasting method of becoming an NBA powerhouse. To see what that will look like, please direct your attention towards the recently great, currently atrocious Boston Celtics.

For basketball fans, this is an ironic team to set in contrast of the Heat. Just as the Heat had Wade before they emptied their pockets, the Celtics had Paul Pierce as the face of their franchise in the early 2000s. Before the 2007-2008 season came along, however, they went out and signed All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. They became a force for the next five seasons, winning an NBA Championship in 2008. Sound familiar? Building on a star and creating a “Big Three” is exactly what the Heat would do four years later.

Interestingly enough, the Celtics’ success was short-lived. Ray Allen left in 2012, and they were left with two veteran players with their careers on the decline in Garnett and Pierce. It was then that Boston made the greatest basketball transaction of the young millennium.

Knowing that they were far from being elite, and with players that were only getting worse, the Celtics were able to trade Garnett and Pierce (along with also-aging Jason Terry and irrelevant D.J. White) to the Brooklyn Nets for Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, Marshon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans--and wait, I’m not done--THREE first round draft picks (2014, 2016, 2018). Also, they have the right to swap first round picks in 2017, which is brilliant for the Celtics because they realize that by that time they will be the better team and have a pick later in the draft, while the Nets will probably have an earlier slot.

Let’s analyze this deal. The Nets got 37-year-old Garnett, who just missed his fifth straight game with a back injury (he’s already missed twelve this season). He’s averaging a career-low 6.7 points per game (his only single digit point average of his career), while averaging the fewest amount of rebounds (6.7) per game since his rookie year. Keep in mind, he was listed as a Small Forward his rookie year, and now he’s a Center. Only .4 more rebounds as a Center is not good, and Pierce’s numbers aren’t much prettier.

36-year-old Pierce (shoulder) is also dealing with an injury as this article is being written. He is averaging a career-low 13.2 points per game, with his worst shooting percentage (43.1%) since the 2003-2004 season. Jason Terry, the third and final big name the Nets received, enjoyed his worst statistical career in almost every major category, before being traded to the Kings, where he is now sitting out the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Now, to the Celtics. With all of what was just said, the fact that Boston got three first round picks out of the Nets for what was given should already be enough to convince you that the Celtics robbed the Nets. If you walk away remembering anything from this article, remember this: the Celtics will have TWELVE first round picks in the next five drafts. That’s absurd. They have three each in the next two drafts, making their ceiling in the next decade miles above what we could even imagine.

Admittedly, the players the Celtics got weren’t all-stars, but that wasn’t their intention or expectation with this deal. Kris Humphries is actually averaging 8.1 points per game, which is above his career average. In fact, he’s besting his career average in every major statistical category. Marshon Brooks was traded around but is now playing really good ball with the Lakers (averaging 10 PPG), Gerald Wallace is still with Boston but is struggling to keep up with career averages, and the other two athletes aren’t really relevant in any sense of the word.

Saying that, before we move to look forward at the Celtics’ future, let’s look at the present. Boston knew that they were giving up this season, and probably the next, by doing this trade. Still, the Celtics are playing above expectations, and are still in the playoff hunt with five games separating them from the eighth-seeded Hawks. The Nets are currently sitting at .500, and don’t seem to be competing with the superpowers of the East--the Pacers and Heat--anytime soon. Unfortunately for Brooklyn, with an old squad and few draft picks, “soon” is the only option they have. And finally, to wrap up the hindsight bias I am spewing at you to prove Boston’s superiority in their deal with Brooklyn, the Celtics just beat the Nets on March 7th.

Now, an overview. The Celtics are playing pretty solid basketball given the lack of talent of their squad with the exception of PG Rajon Rondo. They have twelve first round picks in the next five drafts, with three in each of the next two. As long as they don’t assign a chimp to make the draft selections for them, they are going to be able to field an entire team with talented first round-draft picks that mature in their own system. The Celtics made the greatest NBA transaction that I’ve ever witnessed, and because of it, will soon become an NBA force that is not going to lose that status for a LONG time.

Blogger Roundtable: NBA Draft Prospects

There is always hype going into a draft concerning a special few players who will go as lottery picks. Making the correct choice, or winning the lottery in a sense, requires an in-depth analysis of the top college prospects. The best player in the draft may not be the most pro-ready as of now, but that is the beauty of these athletes entering the league so young. They can be coached and molded into the ideal player.

We asked our bloggers which college prospect who has declared for the 2014 NBA Draft is going to have the best professional career. Here is what they had to say:

Stephen Dreznick, Featured Blogger- Andrew Wiggins

Andrew Wiggins will have the best professional career. He has the perfect build for a defender, since he is 6' 8" with an even bigger wingspan. There is minimal bust potential with Wiggins, because he will be able to shut down the opposing team's best player. Moreover, he has significantly developed his offensive game since arriving at Kansas, and the sky is the limit on this side of the ball. I could see Andrew Wiggins becoming a player of Kevin Durant's caliber, if not better.

Thomas Kroner, Featured Blogger- Aaron Gordon

This may be my Bay Area bias coming through, but I'd have to say Aaron Gordon. He's 6'8" with out of this world athleticism. He's also much more developed skill-wise, than his NBA comparison Blake Griffin was at the same point in their careers. If he gets drafted by a team that puts him in a good situation look for Gordon to blossom in the NBA.
 

Matthew Hakimian, Featured Blogger- Andrew Wiggins

This question is really contingent on whether or not Jabari Parker comes out or stays another year at Duke to play with Jahlil Okafor. The guy can score in any way he wants - he reminds me of a more physical Carmelo Anthony. If Parker doesn't come out though, Wiggins has the best chance to become a superstar from this year's class. Wiggins was the consensus top pick prior to this season, but he underperformed as a freshman at Kansas. He has a ton of potential, but he will definitely need to bulk up a bit if he wants to thrive in the NBA.

Max Fogle, Editor-in-Chief- Joel Embiid

It's really easy to dream on a guy like Embiid.  He's got the measurables (7'0'', 250 lbs.) and the production (11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game while averaging just 23.1 minutes). He's the best center prospect in a long time, and it's not hard to imagine him becoming a perennial All-Star.   The BIG thing working against the Cameroonian is his injury history, along with the recent track record of centers selected with top picks.  But if you are a team that is picking early, the best bet for an impact player is probably Embiid.

Be sure to comment below to let us know your opinion.

MLB Players' Salaries as a Share of Revenues: Laying Out the Issues

http://www.hardballtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/TWO.jpg

The chart above clearly explains what the issue is.  Major League Baseball players' salaries have decreased relative to the league's revenues. The players' shares of the revenues used to hover above 50%, but have since fell to around 40%. As a point of reference, all of the other North American major professional sports leagues have collective bargaining agreements that guarantee players approximately 50% of revenue.

In terms of real dollars, the difference is more striking. MLB revenues were over $8 BB last year.  That means every  percentage point in 2013 represents about $80 MM in salaries. That's close to $100,000 per player.  And that's just for one percentage point of revenues.  If players were receiving the industry standard of 50% (a gain of ten percentage points), that would mean closer to a billion more dollars going towards salaries.

Some people may not think that this is a problem. Players salaries have still been increasing rapidly, even relative to inflation, when most peoples' wages have remained stagnant. Most of the world's workers are not losing much sleep over how athletes may be missing out on a few hundred thousand dollars.

Team shareholders and MLB officials also probably don't see what the problem is.  After all, this is extra cash going into their pockets.  It's a transfer of wealth from millionaires to billionaires, and most fans probably don't care.

But for players and their agents, this is a real problem.  In fact, this might be the biggest challenge the MLB Players Association has faced in a generation.  And while a significant number of players do earn generational wealth playing the game, many fringe major leaguer's never make that kind of money. For them, even a small change in salaries could make a real difference.

But the big question is "Why has the players' share of revenue decreased?" This is too big a question to answer in one post, but I think it is important to lay out the major issues that need to be addressed.  I have organized my thoughts into four major points, that will each be the subject of its own post.  Two are listed as "Player-side issues" meaning that they are most affected by the actions of players (or perhaps agents and the MLBPA as well).  The other two are listed as "Management-side Issues", since they revolve more around the behavior of teams and the league.

Remember, we are trying to explain hundreds of millions of dollars in lower salaries, so it's probably not just one thing. And if it is just one thing, it would have to be a pretty big thing. Before I get into the issues that I will be addressing, I'll mention a few other alternatives.

Some could claim that revenues and salaries are not being measured accurately, or consistently over time. If that were true, this may not be as big of an issue, but there's just no way that the we are off by such a wide margin to explain the relative decrease in salaries.

One other interesting possibility that I didn't list below is if the supply of baseball labor had changed in some significant way. More precisely, if there was less variation in talent, in say, the top 5000 baseball players in the world, then MLB players would have less leverage in negotiating salaries.  Since the quantity of players demanded has been static since the late 1990's, this could be answerable by looking at the data.  Until I see empirical evidence, I'm not giving this scenario serious consideration.

Matt Swartz's latest works on The Hardball Times were not the first pieces to call attention to the players' share of revenue, but they were the most helpful in getting started.  Cot's Baseball Contracts and Biz of Baseball are valuable resources for anyone looking to do research on the topics. Also, Tom Tango's (and his esteemed readers') comments were really what got me thinking about the issue.

So I've already used a bunch of words, and I haven't gotten to the main issues, so here they are. They'll be a post on each one, but for now I've just written enough to clarify what I mean.

Player-side Issues

1. Players are not optimizing their compensation. 

Basically, players and agents are losing many more contract negotiations than they are winning.  The main theory is that early career extensions have been lopsided in favor of teams.  More players are willing to bypass arbitration and prime years of free agency in favor of relatively less rich extensions. Some would argue that this phenomenon can even affect players who haven't received extensions. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports thinks this issue is very important, and wonders if less players are looking out for the "next guy". These extensions are certainly a far cry from players' fights against the reserve clause and collusion.

2. Salary is a relatively less important piece of player's compensation packages.

Another possibility is that players as a whole are placing less of a value on salary when signing contracts.  In this scenario, a relative decrease in salary isn't necessarily a problem for the MLBPA.  Players, like workers as a whole, may be increasingly factoring in location, career development, or "fit", when considering offers. In baseball terms, this could involve working with particular coaches,  being a part of a certain team chemistry, or even "playing for a winner". While this likely wouldn't explain a huge change in salaries, it could be a part of the trend.  We may also be missing out on the value of small items such as health care and the players' pension plan.


Management-side Issues

3. Teams have become more efficient in the way they compensate players.

A generation ago, teams were only effectively able to limit pay via collusion.  Today, there is a common framework that executives can use to put a value on every player.  Every team is at least aware of the market $/WAR.  Additionally, newly available statistics and more modern thinking may have led to cheaper, younger players occupying more roster spots relative to older, more expensive players. Regardless, the increase of business-minded management teams have led to more sophisticated roster construction.

4. The revenues of teams are now less dependent on team performance (and how much they spend on players).

Of all the issues, this has the most potential to impact salaries.  It would also be the most difficult problem for the players to address.  As gate revenue, and other revenue related to team success (merchandise, concessions, parking, etc.) have decreased as a share of total revenue, teams have less incentives to spend big on winning teams.  With most teams locked in on long-term local TV deals, short-term winning is also somewhat less important. National TV money, and other centrally distributed revenue (revenue sharing funds, MLBAM earnings), is earned regardless of team performance. Finally, the competitive balance tax acts as a disincentive for teams with the highest marginal revenue products from spending freely on players.

Additionally, across all sports, the business operations of teams have become more professionalized. Every team business official I've talked to has described the importance of separating financial success from on-field success.  With revenue targets that must be met regardless of winning or losing, perhaps a larger share of MLB's revenues should be going to the front office folks who are finding better ways to capture every last dollar (at least in the short term).

So those are what I consider to be the main factors.  I think that my individual posts will be more content-filled and incisive, but I needed this post to lay out the issues.  Hopefully it helped line things up for you as well, and let me know if I missed anything.

2014 NBA Award Predictions

As the NBA regular season winds down and NBA teams battle for playoff seeding (as well as lottery tanking positions), awards will soon be handed out. The battle for the top seeds in both the Western and Eastern Conferences have been highly competitive faces with young stars looking to make some noise and older veterans trying to stay at the top of the totem pole. With that said here are my predictions for the 2014 NBA regular season individual awards:

Most Valuable Player - Kevin Durant

It looks like King James, winner of four of the last five MVP awards, will finally be dethroned. When Westbrook went down late last season, Durant failed to will his team past the second round of the playoffs. This season though, Durant has played lights out with Westbrook in and out of the lineup, leading his squad to a 26-10 record. Closing in on his fourth scoring title, Durant has averaged a career her in points per game while becoming a facilitator and averaging a career high in assists per game.


Most Improved Player - Anthony Davis

Last year, Paul George claimed this honor after a break out season. The 'Brow' has been an absolute beast for the Pelicans this season, putting up video game like numbers and displaying his incredible talent in his sophomore campaign. The 21-year old Kentucky product has already become one of the elite players in the game as he has the fourth highest player efficiency in the game. The sky really is the limit for the young big man.

Rookie of the Year - Michael Carter-Williams

Despite the fact that Philly has endured a historically awful season, MCW has certainly been one of the few bright spots. While other rookies such as Trey Burke of the Utah Jazz and Victor Oladipo of the Orland Magic have enjoyed first solid years in the league, Carter-Williams's play this season has been head and shoulders above all other rookies with the highest points, rebounds, steals, and assists per game.

Coach of the Year - Jeff Honrnacek

The Suns are flat out not supposed to be this good. First year Head Coach Jeff Hornacek has done an outstanding job this season, coaching up a team that finished dead last in the Western Conference. Even with their top player Eric Bledsoe missing a large chunk of the season with a torn meniscus, Hornacek's team has a great shot to make the playoffs in the highly competitive West.

Defensive Player of the Year - Joakim Noah 

Likely to be the closest vote, Roy Hibbert seemed like a unanimous choice at the All-Star break, serving as the anchor for a Pacers team that got off to a red hot 33-7 record. Meanwhile, DeAndre Jordan looks like a completely new player under Doc Rivers in Los Angeles, leading the league in rebounds. However, Joakim Noah has been the undisputed defensive leader of a Chicago Bulls teams that has looked relentless on the defensive end of the floor despite the loss of star Derrick Rose to injury again and the Luol Deng trade to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Hurting Hibbert's chances is his squad's recent struggles as Indy has given up over 101 points per 100 possessions since the break as opposed to just over 93 before.

Sixth Man of the Year - Jamal Crawford

The guy has been one of the best pure scorers in the league for years now. Crawford has been a vital part of an upstart Clipper team marred by injuries in the starting backcourt to Chris Paul and J.J. Reddick. Some may argue that Crawford has started 23 games this season, but even so he has averaged over 17.5 points per game coming off the bench for one of the top teams in the league.

Turning the Big Dance into a National Holiday

Dear Mr. Obama,

I know you have a lot on your plate and all, but I have a modest proposal for you. After watching the amazing Kentucky-Michigan Elite Eight matchup, I was somewhat relieved, not because of the outcome of the game, but because I knew I could finally get back to my homework. There were only two games on this particular day of the tournament, I can't begin to describe how little I got done during the first round of the tournament.

So I must humbly suggest to you that you make the first Thursday and Friday of the NCAA March Madness Tournament national holidays. I'm aware there is currently a movement for similar action to be taken on baseball's opening day. I fully support this as well, but regard this as a completely separate request.

I'll admit that I haven't made it to all of my classes during the first two days of the tournament since I was 14. I, however, know i'm not the only one whose lost productivity during March Madness. According to Sebastian Posey of CBS, over 8 million hours are spent watching the tournament by people at their places of work. This equates to roughly $175 million lost during the tournament each year.

Not only do basketball enthusiasts and gambling addicts cost their companies money by watching March Madness at their offices, they also hurt their coworkers who actually strive to get work done. According to Posey, over one in three office computer systems completely shut down at some point during the first two days of the tournament, due to the strain places on them by the amount of streaming done for the games.

So I ask, does anyone get work done during the tournament? It appears that the answer is no. So what would two days off do except allow people to watch the games from their homes instead of their place of work. Plus, think of all the money the national and state governments could save by not having to pay the salaries of their employees for these two days.

People living in the eastern time-zone may not understand this work-basketball predicament, but put yourself in the shoes of someone on the west coast. Games out there start at 9am. About 2/3 games start before the average west coast 9-5er leaves the office, this doesn't account for any commute they may have. So of this year's games left coasters would have had to miss our include: OSU vs. Dayton, NC State vs. St. Louis, NDSU vs. Oklahoma, Mercer vs. Duke, SFA vs. VCU, and UNC vs. Providence.

At the end of the day, I really don't see a scenario in which my passion for basketball ever subsides enough for me to do anything productive during March Madness. Declaring the first Thursday and Friday national holidays would allow me and the millions of similarly unproductive people to better justify our viewing habits. I hope you consider my proposal.

NFL Mock Draft (1-16)

With the NFL Draft being held in May for the first time, NFL teams will have even more time to evaluate the top college football players from across the nation. As Pro Days come to an end, these young athletes now must anxiously wait until their names are called in Radio City Music Hall from May 8-10. Where will polarizing stars such as Johnny Manziel and Jadeveon Clowney be playing on Sundays next year? Here's a first round mock draft (picks 1-16) featuring a big projected trade at the top:
1. Houston Texans - Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida - Bortles has the prototypical size to play quarterback in this league, and with a new head coach in Bill O'Brien management may the conservative pick over the hometown kid Manziel.

2. Atlanta Falcons (trade with St. Louis) - Jadeveon Clowney - DE, South Carolina - Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff is not afraid to make aggressive moves to get the player he wants. Despite an unspectacular season, Clowney is still the top prospect available -- Atlanta will be hoping to see many hits like this one at the next level.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars - Khalil Mack, DE, Buffalo - with so many glaring needs the Jaguars will likely look to take the best player available here. Some experts actually prefer Mack over Clowney and nobody will be complaining with this selection.

4. Cleveland Browns - Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn - likely has the most potential of any offensive lineman in the draft. Newly acquired running Ben Tate would have huge holes to run through behind Robinson, Joe Thomas, and Alex Mack.

5. Oakland Raiders - Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson - the Raiders haven't had a 1000 yard receiver since Randy Moss in 2005. By providing Matt Schaub with the undisputed top receiver in the Draft, Oakland might actually be respectable this year.

6. St. Louis Rams (from Washington Redskins Robert Griffin III deal - trade with Atlanta) - Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M - definitely one of the most steady players in the Draft. St. Louis will be looking to get younger and healthier on the offensive line after Jake Long has been placed on the IR two straight seasons. Sam Bradford will have no more excuses this season.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA - the raw but very talented UCLA star would be a nice fit for Lovie Smith's new defense, instantly bolstering a struggling pass rush.

8. Minnesota Vikings - Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M - Johnny Football put on a show at his Pro Day silencing many of his critics. Minnesota's mess at QB needs to be addressed and I'm sure fans would love to see Manziel handing it off to AP.

9. Buffalo Bills - Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M - EJ Manuel needs some weapons after Stevie Johnson struggled immensely last year. After selecting Robert Woods last year, the Bills would do well to take the 6-5 Evans.

10. Detroit Lions - Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State - Nobody on the Lion's lackluster secondary had more than 3 interceptions last season as creating turnovers was a big issue for them. After a down Junior year, Gilbert was an absolute beast last with 7 picks.

11. Tennessee Titans - Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville - widely considered to be the top prospect heading into the season, Bridgewater's slender frame and weak Pro Day performance may scare some teams away, but the Titans would do well to snatch him here to replace the bust Jake Locker.

12. New York Giants - Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh - with Linval Joseph and Justin Tuck leaving this offseason, the defensive line needs to be rebuilt and Donald is considered by many to be the top interior lineman in the Draft.

13. St. Louis Rams - Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama - with TJ McDonald already at strong safety Clinton-Dix would fit in very nicely at free safety for Jeff Fisher's defense.

14. Chicago Bears - Louis Nix III, DT, Notre Dame- the Bears D was awful last year giving up over 160 rushing yards per game, most in NFL. Jernigan would clog up the middle for years to come.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers - Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State - the former Michigan State corner would provide some youth to an aging Pittsburgh defense. His physical, aggressive style fits the bill of the Steelers brand of football.

16. Dallas Cowboys - Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State - even after signing Henry Melton, Dallas needs to continue to improve its disastrous defensive line. Bringing in Jernigan would definitely help improve their front four.

NFL Mock Draft (17-32)

While many of the teams featured in the top half of the first round of the Draft feature rosters with many gaping holes, some of the teams in the bottom half of the first round were in contention to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season. Picks 17-32 of the mock draft continue here:
17. Baltimore Ravens - Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan - an absolute steal here, Lewan may see his stock fall a bit as he faces assault and battery charges. A veteran locker room like the one in Baltimore would be great for him.

18. New York Jets - Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina - the Jets offense was an absolute joke last season. Jeff Cumberland is simply not a starting TE in this league, and adding Ebron along with the newly-acquired Eric Decker would provide solid targets for Geno Smith or Michael Vick.

19. Miami Dolphins - Zack Martin, OT, Stanford - the Dolphins gave up by far the most sacks in the league with 58 last year. If they consider Tannehill to be the QB of the future they need to be able to protect him and Martin's versatility would fit well.

20. Arizona Cardinals - Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville - after selecting the Honey Badger Tyrann Mathieu last year, Pryor would be a great value pick here. Along with Patrick Peterson, Arizona's secondary would be very tough to throw on.

21. Green Bay Packers - C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama - the Packer D needs all the help it can get after giving up nearly 6000 total yards last season. Mosley is far and away the top inside line backer available in this year's class.

22. Philadelphia Eagles - Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State - Cooks displayed his electrifying quickness at the Combine. After cutting Desean Jackson, Chip Kelly may be looking to add even more speed to his offense and Cooks is the perfect guy to do just that.

23. Kansas City Chiefs - Marquise Lee, WR, USC - saw his stock fall after a disappointing Junior year but the talent is still there. Alex Smith's receiving corps is pretty weak aside from Dwayne Bowe so Lee makes a ton of sense here.

24. Cincinnati Bengals - Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State - the Bengals need to get younger in their secondary after starting aging veterans including Terrance Newman and Pacman Jones. Roby offers tremendous talent and upside.

25. San Diego Chargers - Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech - the Chargers passing defense ranked fourth worst in the league last year. Fuller is a consistent, pro-ready prospect capable of coming in and starting right away.

26. Cleveland Browns (from Indianapolis Colts Trent Richardson deal) - Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State - Brian Hoyer is not the answer Browns fans. After cutting ties with Brandon Weeden following two long seasons, the Browns get their signal caller of the future here in Carr.

27. New Orleans Saints - Dee Ford, DE, Auburn - Considering that the Saints go up against Matt Ryan and Cam Newton four times a year, a pass rusher would be a great idea. Adding the explosive Senior Bowl MVP would definitely help to do just that.

28. Carolina Panthers - Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU - can you name me a single receiver on the Panthers right now? No, Greg Olsen is a tight end. Cam needs receivers to throw to and Beckham has the chance to become a great vertical threat.

29. New England Patriots - Ryan Shazier, OLB, Ohio State - a freakish athlete, the injury-prone Shazier would have the opportunity to blossom under Bill Belichick.

30. San Francisco 49ers - Jason Verrett, CB, TCU - after undergoing shoulder surgery, Verrett may not be ready until the middle of training camp. However, once he is healthy he would certainly be able to contribute to the already stacked Niners D.

31. Denver Broncos - Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri - as they learned in the Super Bowl, a disruptive pass rush could do wonders. Ealy would have the change to thrive on a Broncos team that is in win-now mode.

32. Seattle Seahawks - Ra'Shede Hageman, DT - Minnesota - after letting Red Bryant leave via free agency this offseason, the defending Super Bowl champs could fill the void with Hageman.

The Magic Touch: Contract Controversy in Chinese Soccer

Three sides of this story (Guangzhou Evergrande club, Liu Jian and Qingdao Jonoon club)

During the past several months, a soccer player’s transfer case has been in the spotlight of Chinese soccer circles. This case involves three contracts, which unveil some loopholes of the Chinese soccer league.

The story began on January 3rd, 2014. On the morning of that day, Guangzhou Evergrande soccer club announced on its website that Liu Jian from Qingdao Jonoon soccer club had signed with Guangzhou Evergrande.

However, that night, Qingdao Jonoon stated that Liu Jian’s contract with the club wouldn’t end until 2017, thus, the club did not approve his transfer to Guangzhou Evergrande. As a result, the duration of the contract became an important issue.

All of a sudden, three contracts between Qingdao Jonoon and Liu Jian surfaced, and Liu Jian released details of two of them on his Weibo (the most popular social network similar to Twitter in China).



Guangzhou Evergrande announced the success of Liu Jian’s transfer

The first contract ended on Dec 31st, 2013. The second one expired on Jan 1st, 2014, which meant that Liu Jian would become a free player on that date if no clubs immediately signed him, which made it legal for him to join Guangzhou Evergrande.

Nevertheless, the third contract posted by Qingdao Jonoon shows that Liu Jian will still belong to Qingdao Jonoon until 2017. Therefore, Liu Jian couldn’t be transferred to another other club without permission from Qingdao Jonoon. Another astonishing aspect of the three contracts is that, the annual salaries increase so rapidly, with 800,000 RMB, 2,600,000 RMB and 3,500,000 RMB, respectively.

There is no doubt that one employee just has one official contract with his or her company during a period, so why did Liu Jian sign so many contracts with his club? While this case might seem unbelievable to people who are not familiar with Chinese soccer, this is in fact a common phenomenon in China.

According to a Chinese soccer commentator, there have been 46 similar cases of these multiple contract situations such as Liu Jian’s. Ten years ago, it was found that the salary of the so-called official contract of Shen Si, a former Chinese national soccer team member, was 2,000,000 lower than what his club actually offered. In 2009, several players of Tianjin soccer club collectively terminated training and left the club because of fabricated contracts.

In fact, in order to avoid paying a tax, many soccer clubs around the world sign more than one contract with players. However, Chinese clubs have a different reason for signing two or more contracts with players. The reasoning has to do with several policies that have been enacted by the Chinese soccer association that limits players’ salary and transfer fee. The latest policy even set an upper bound of one million RMB on a player’s annual wage.

All of these policies serve as responses to the strong public outcry that occured approximately a decade ago. Many people argued that soccer players were overpaid, claiming that the overall Chinese soccer players’ level and ability were not worthy of the salaries that they obtained. This group of people pressured the soccer association to limit the salaries of soccer players. As it turned out, the policies that resulted from this debacle went against market rules. The association not only failed to solve the problems, but also triggered a sequence of more complex issues.

Liu Jian’s transfer case is currently processing; we still do not know which one of these contracts is real. Meanwhile, Guangzhou Evergrande has already removed him from its squad list for next season. A panel composed of officials from the Chinese soccer association is still investigating this issue, as people are waiting for a reasonable judgment. If the panel fails to come up with a fair judgment, Liu Jian may not sign with either of these two clubs, and his career may become gloomy.

Although each country has a breadth of unique problems in its sports management system, all sports managers need to bear in mind that all sports policies should be in accordance with disciplines of the market, and perhaps more importantly, should adhere to the principles of the policies to protect players’ benefits.