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 – […]
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Apr 15
by Jeff Fannell in Baseball, MLB, People 0 comments tags: African Americans, Baseball, Diversity, Hispanic, Jackie Robinson, Minorities, MLB

Stepping up to the plate on Diversity

April 15 is officially Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball. A day in which the game honors the man who broke baseball’s color line in 1947. A day in which every player, manager, coach and umpire wearing a uniform, dons Jackie’s number 42 in celebration and remembrance of the tremendous contributions Jackie made to the game of baseball and to American society. It is also a time when many will reflect on the lack of African-Americans playing the game at various levels. You have probably read the statistics: roughly 20 percent of Major Leaguers in 1981 were African-American; as of last year, there were fewer than 8 percent. The reasons for the decline have been discussed and analyzed from various angles. Whether it’s the lack of full scholarships to play at the college level, the relatively high financial cost it takes to play the game, or the fact that many minority youngsters view the game as boring (especially compared to basketball and football), we’ve been there, done that. Now what? Well, the good news is there are fresh faces in baseball’s leadership ranks – MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, and MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark both recently ascended to their […]
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Mar 07
by Lori Lord in Baseball, Career, MLB, Sports Business, Sports Law 0 comments tags: Baseball, Business, Leaders, MLB, MLB Diversity Business Summit, MLBPA

Jeff Fannell to Join All-Star Speaker Line Up at MLB Diversity Business Summit

  PHOENIX, AZ- Tuesday March 8th, Jeff Fannell, President of Jeff Fannell & Associates, will be speaking at the MLB Diversity Business Summit, featuring some of the best talent the business has to offer. Jeff will speak on panel “The Laws of Baseball: The Complexity of the Legal Issues of the Game” in two separate sessions. The complexity of the game of baseball on the field of play is matched only by the complex legal issues surrounding the business of the game.  Panelists will speak about a broad spectrum of topics ranging from labor issues (including collective bargaining and player arbitrations) to intellectual property issues (including the licensing and protection of trademarks and copyrights) to a whole host of topics that teams are faced with on a day-to-day basis (including complex contract negotiations and issues relating to facility management, marketing, security and customer satisfaction). The MLB Diversity Business Summit is the premier sports employment conference and supplier diversity trade fair. This two-day event allows job seekers and entrepreneurs the unique opportunity of meeting with MLB’s Clubs at both the Major League and Minor League levels as well as sponsorship partners. For more info on attendance and speakers visit:  http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/mlb_official_info_diverse.jsp?content=summit   […]
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Apr 29
by Jeff Fannell in Agents, Baseball, MLB, People, Sports, Sports Business 6 comments tags: Agent, Baseball, MLB, Sports Agent, Tom O'Connell

Q&A with Tom O’Connell, MLB Certified Agent

  Tom O’Connell is Founder and President of O’Connell Sports Management, located in Tampa, FL. Tom has represented professional baseball players since 1997. Recently, we caught up with Tom to get his insights on his career in the agent business. Q. Tom, you’ve been a certified baseball agent for over 15 years, what have been the biggest changes you’ve seen in the agent business over the last decade? A. I would say the two biggest changes in the industry are the increased role sabermetrics play in assisting agents in negotiating and valuing players, and the evolution of social media, which has dramatically changed the interaction with reporters. Agents now tend to be more guarded with reporters, especially in regards to ongoing and future negotiations. Q. Over the course of your career you have operated primarily as a solo agent. Given how the player representation business has become increasingly dominated by larger agencies like CAA, Relativity, Octagon and others, how have you been able to compete in the player market? A. I learned early on that honesty and integrity go a long way into building a solid brand. I have always prided myself on being direct and frank in dealing with […]
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Mar 08
by Jeff Fannell in Baseball, Labor Issues, MLB, Sports Business 12 comments tags: Baseball, Major League Baseball, Salary Arbitration, Sports business

Salary Arbitration 101: Part Three

  It now comes down to this. For the player, it’s been years of competing and succeeding at the highest level and accumulating enough service time to become (or stay) eligible for salary arbitration. For the majority of clubs, it’s been years of developing the player and seeing him grow and contribute to the organization. For the advocates on both sides of the table, it’s been months of research and analysis of statistics and the challenging task of reducing it all to a 100-page presentation. Salary arbitration is a unique process. It is not “arbitration” in the traditional sense of the word. There are no court reporters to take testimony, there is no swearing-in of witnesses, there are no post-hearing briefs or oral arguments and, perhaps most notable of all, there are no written decisions from the arbitrators. Salary arbitration cases are presented before a panel of three arbitrators, all of whom are among the top labor arbitrators in the country. Why labor? Because the relationship between the Players Association and the Clubs is grounded in labor law and governed by a collective bargaining agreement. When not hearing salary arbitration cases over the first three weeks of February, the panel […]
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Feb 12
by Jeff Fannell in Baseball, Labor Issues, MLB, Sports Business 9 comments tags: Baseball, MLB, Money, Negotiation, Salary Arbitration

Salary Arbitration 101: Part One

It’s February, so for me and scores of others in the baseball industry, it’s time for the annual ritual known as salary arbitration.  A time when players and clubs make their case before a panel of arbitrators to determine the player’s salary for the coming season. I’ve been at this for over 15 years and it still remains among the most difficult and challenging things I take on in my practice.  As I sit here now in Tampa between cases, my thoughts turned to the number of people I have met over the years who possessed a deep-seated curiosity about the salary arbitration process and what is it, exactly, what goes on inside the hearing room.  While the hearings holds the fascination of many, there are many steps along the way that are important to understanding this unique process. First, only certain players are eligible for salary arbitration.  Generally, players with three or more years of service, but less than six, are eligible for arbitration. There is a subset of players between two and three years of service who are also eligible.  A player will fall into this second group if he has between two and three years of service, […]
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