Jeff Fannell

May 16

by Jeff Fannell in Baseball, Basketball, Career, Hockey, Labor, Labor Issues, Marketing, Media, MLB, NBA, NCAA, Sports, Sports Issues, Uncategorized 0 comments

LEAGUES LOOKING TO CA$H IN ON NEW GAMBLING LAWS

Now that the United States Supreme Court has struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection ACT (PASPA), a federal law that (with a few exceptions) prohibited state-authorized sports gambling, several states are lining up to enact legislation that allows sports wagering within their borders. And why not? There is huge money in sports betting. Last year, Nevada raked in nearly $5 billion in sports wagering. States like New Jersey, New York and others all want a piece of the action. States are not alone in this regard. Sports leagues, many of which opposed efforts to get rid of PASPA, also have their hands out looking for a quick buck. Having sensed that they were losing the PASPA battle, the NBA, NFL, MLB and others came up with the ingenious idea that if the Court were to strike PASPA leagues could cash in on the new legal landscape by imposing “integrity fees” on those states that enact new gambling laws. What are integrity fees? Some say it’s a nice way of saying “extortion.” The leagues and governing bodies say integrity fees are necessary to maintain the integrity and public confidence in their respective sports. The rationale goes like this: once […]

Oct 11

by Jeff Fannell & Associates in Baseball, Client Announcements, MLB 0 comments tags: Joey Devine, New Client

JFA SIGNS FORMER MLB PITCHER JOEY DEVINE

October 11, 2017 – Jeff Fannell & Associates has signed former Major League Baseball pitcher Joey Devine for representation for off-the-field work. JFA will seek opportunities for Devine in several areas, including youth development and training, collegiate coaching, and television and radio broadcasting. From 2003-2005, Devine was a standout relief pitcher for Division I powerhouse North Carolina State University, where he remains the Wolfpack’s all-time career saves leader with 30. In 2005, the former All-American was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the first round of the MLB draft. Devine went on to play seven years in the Major Leagues, pitching for both the Braves and Oakland Athletics. In 2016, he returned to NC State to complete his studies and to serve as the Undergraduate Assistant Baseball Coach. “It is a privilege to represent Joey,” said JFA President Jeff Fannell. “Not only is he talented, he’s also a first-class individual. We look forward to helping him achieve his career and personal goals.” JFA represents professional athletes, sports agents and coaches, providing contract negotiation, market analysis, grievance handling, sports marketing and other related services. In addition, JFA currently serves as labor relations consultant to the Major League Baseball Players Association. […]

May 03

by Jeff Fannell in Baseball, MLB, Sports Issues, What's Up With That? 0 comments tags: Adam Jones, Boston Fans, Boston Redsox, Jackie Robinson, Race

Standing with Adam Jones

On April 27, 2017, I had the privilege of attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the Jackie Robinson Museum in lower Manhattan. The museum, which will open in 2019, has been in the works for decades. In addition to housing baseball memorabilia, the museum will focus on Jackie’s life on and off the field, including his contributions to the civil rights movement. Among my personal highlights at the groundbreaking ceremony was the opportunity to meet Jackie’s widow, Rachel Robinson, who is known to some as the First Lady of Baseball. In addition, I had the opportunity to chat with noted civil rights attorney Norman Siegel, who shared how the Dodgers moving out of Brooklyn played a role in stoking his passion for justice and equality. According to Siegel, the Dodgers helped forged friendships between blacks and whites who shared a common interest in cheering their team on. When the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, many of those bonds were broken, which ultimately led Siegel on a life-long crusade against any barriers that would tend to create racial divides. Thoughts of Jackie, Rachel and Norman returned to the fore as baseball ushered in its second month of the season with the story […]

Feb 17

by Jeff Fannell in Agents, Baseball, MLB, Sports Business 1 comments tags: Agent, Baseball, contract, MLB, Negotiation, Salary Arbitration

A Baseball Agent’s Dilemma

The first three weeks of February is salary arbitration season in Major League Baseball. A time when eligible players and their clubs try to hammer out contracts for the coming year. If those efforts fail, the matter is presented to a panel of labor arbitrators who will decide the issue after hearing arguments from the player, club, the union and the Commissioner’s Office. Clubs hold the historical edge in salary arbitration hearings. According to the MLBPA website, through 2012, arbitrators have ruled for clubs in 286 cases and for players in 214. This is generally reflective of labor arbitration, where employers win more than they lose. More than one cynic has suggested that such is way arbitrators ensure they continue to get cases. For the record, I’ll only say that I find this observation curiously fascinating. After I retire or move on from handling arbitration cases, chances are I may have other thoughts, but for now I simply remain fascinated. Another facet of baseball’s salary arbitration process that has captured my attention is the particular dilemma that agents face that affects the outcome of many negotiations. First, consider that the process is designed to foster settlements by creating risk – […]

KAP MISIR TO TEACH AT ST. JOHN’S LAW

JAMAICA, NEW YORK – August 17th, Kap Misir, Senior Associate at Jeff Fannell & Associates, joins the adjunct faculty at St. John’s University School of Law. Kap will be teaching a first-of-its-kind course at St. John’s Law in Salary Negotiation & Arbitration in Sports. The course takes an in-depth, comparative look at the salary arbitration rules and procedures in Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League. Kap, and his co-professor, Ryan Lake, of the Denver-based Lake Law Group, will guide students in developing contract negotiation skills, and in the preparation and presentation of salary arbitration cases. Kap has extensive experience in MLB salary arbitration and contract negotiation, while Ryan has similar expertise in professional hockey. Kap received his undergraduate degree in Legal Studies from St. John’s University, his J.D. from Western Michigan University, Cooley Law School and his LL.M in U.S. and International Sports Law from St. John’s University School of Law. He returns to St. John’s to teach the one-credit intensive course, which will run from August 17 through August 27.

Aug 16

JFA SIGNS UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND SOCCER COACH

August 16, 2016 – Jeff Fannell & Associates is pleased to announce that it has signed University of Maryland Assistant Soccer Coach, Scott Buete as a client. JFA will represent Scott in all areas of contract negotiation, marketing, and endorsements. “We are excited for the opportunity to represent Scott,” said JFA senior associate Kap Misir. “Among the nation’s collegiate soccer coaches, we believe Scott is a rising star.” Scott is in his third year as the assistant coach for the Maryland Terrapins, which is widely regarded as one of the top Division-1 soccer programs in the country. In 2014, the Terps advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament; last year, they advanced to the Elite Eight. They enter this year ranked No. 4 in the pre-season coaches’ poll and are expected to be in the running to capture the NCAA national title. A graduate of the University, Scott played five years for the Terps (1999-2003), the last three serving as team captain. In 2002, Scott led Maryland to the ACC Tournament title. In his senior year, he was named NSCAA First Team All-American, and was selected to the All-ACC First Team and the ACC All-Tournament Team. Scott finished […]

May 24

by Jeff Fannell in Baseball, MLB, Sports Issues 1 comments tags: Blue Jays, Bryce Harper, Josh Donaldson, Toronto

Josh Donaldson: MLB’s Beanball Culture ‘Doesn’t Make Sense’

A few months ago, Bryce Harper, the reigning NL MVP, caused a stir when he declared that baseball was a “tired sport.” Harper was not calling out the game for being boring, he was challenging baseball’s “unwritten rules.” For Harper, such rules put a damper on excitement by frowning upon players freely expressing their personalities. Harper’s comments ignited a spirited debate, with many of baseball’s old guard roundly criticizing the 23-year-old All-Star. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred joined the debate and wisely noted that each generation of players take it upon themselves to police the game, to enforce baseball’s unwritten code of conduct. Manfred expressed confidence that today’s current players – with bright young stars like Harper, Mike Trout, Manny Machado, Andrew McCutchen, Kris Bryant and Carlos Correa – will find a way to do just that in keeping with the current times. Recently, Josh Donaldson, the Toronto Blue Jays third baseman and the reigning AL MVP, challenged one of baseball’s most sacred of unwritten rules: the beanball. On Sunday, Donaldson smashed a homerun in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins and stared into the Twins dugout as he crossed home plate. That stare-down was directed at the […]

May 20

by Jeff Fannell in Baseball, MLB, Sports Issues 11 comments tags: Astros, Carlos Gomez, ESPN, Houston Chronicle, J.A. Adande, The Undefeated

Swing-and-a-Miss: J.A. Adande Whiffs on the Carlos Gomez Fiasco

After nearly three years in the making, ESPN has finally launched “The Undefeated,” a sports and culture website geared toward African-Americans (www.theundefeated.com). It’s been only a few days, but the early returns, for me at least, are extremely positive. I thoroughly enjoy the site – everything from the look, the content and especially, the voices. I encourage you to check it out, if you haven’t done so already. That said, I have a beef with a piece written by J.A. Adande on the issue of quote-fixing – whether journalists should be in the business of cleaning up quotes from athletes. The basis of the story is the flap between Houston Astros centerfielder Carlos Gomez and Houston Chronicle columnist Brian T. Smith. In a recent article, in which Smith was critical of Gomez’s poor play, Gomez was quoted as saying: “For the last year and this year, I not really do much for this team. The fans be angry. They be disappointed.” Gomez and others criticized Smith, with Gomez stating that he believes the columnist intentionally tried to ridicule him. The paper has since issued an apology to Gomez. Adande believes no apology was necessary. Said Adande: “Since when should journalists […]

May 13

by Jeff Fannell in Advertisement, Basketball, Marketing, MLB, NBA 0 comments tags: Baby Dame Dolla, Chris Paul, Kevin Love, NBA Playoffs, Rob Manfred, State Farm

Droppin’ Dimes

The NBA playoffs have been compelling as usual, with intriguing team matchups and outstanding individual performances. In addition, “Inside the NBA” continues to be the best studio show on sports television, hands down. To top it all off, the playoffs allow viewers to continue to enjoy one of the best commercials in recent memory – State Farm’s “Droppin’ Dimes.” The commercial features Portland Trailblazers star point guard Damian Lillard (aka “Baby Dame Dolla”) and Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love as brothers rapping about how much money they’re able to drop – thanks to the family’s State Farm agent who saved them big cash by combining the family’s car and homeowner insurance. The commercial is, in a word, hilarious. I’ve seen it dozens of times during the NBA season and it still cracks me up. If you have yet to see it, take a quick look here. The spot is part of a campaign featuring “the Hoopers” (who, in addition to Lillard and Love, include fellow NBA stars Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan and Kevin Garnett). It is the brainchild of Steve Stoute’s award-winning ad agency, Translation. But as much as Stoute and his crew deserve credit for their creativity and humor in […]

May 10

by Jeff Fannell in Golf, MLB, News, Olympics, People, Sports Issues 0 comments tags: Drug Testing, PEDs, PGA

IN PURSUIT OF ‘CLEAN’ SPORT

Athlete drug testing continues to make headlines. In recent weeks several Major League players were suspended by MLB for testing positive for PEDs. More recently, PGA golfers who have qualified for the 2016 Olympic golf field became subject to the more rigorous Olympic drug testing program. Included in the Olympic testing regime is a “whereabouts requirement,” under which golfers must provide a one-hour time slot between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. when they will be available for testing on days when they’re not in competition. This is a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) requirement faced by all elite athletes who are in the registered testing pool of their respective international sports federations. For many non-athletes the idea of having to provide your whereabouts on a daily basis, with a specified hour to take a drug test (or to do most anything, for that matter) is an imposition on personal freedom beyond debate. Yet the supposed desire for genuine competition among fans and citizens, who themselves are nipping-and-tucking and crafting artificial personas on social media, justifies the intrusion. After all, we’re talking about athletes, many of whom get paid big money, so anything goes, right? It’s such blasé thinking that no doubt […]