Latest news with #AthletesFirst
Business Wire
07-08-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Athletes First and Sinclair/AMP Sports Join Forces
NEW YORK & BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Athletes First, a premier sports representation and marketing agency, and Sinclair, a diversified media company and leader in local news and sports, today announced a landmark events and media partnership. This new collaboration will unite Athletes First's best-in-class events and world-renowned talent with the top-tier sports properties and vast national audience of Sinclair and AMP Sports, Sinclair's growing portfolio of digital content and original podcasts. As part of the agreement, Sinclair will serve as the exclusive sports media partner for two of Athletes First's signature live events, including: Athletes First presents The Block – An exclusive hospitality and brand activation destination that drew widespread attention and acclaim in New Orleans ahead of the Big Game this past February, redefining the standard for pre-game experiences. Athletes First Tailgate Tour – The agency's traveling college football experience, now entering its third season, which brings hospitality, client interaction, and brand integration to major rivalry games across the country. Sinclair will produce original content and brand activations at the next iteration of The Block —scheduled for San Francisco in February—and host live, original video podcasts from multiple stops on the Tailgate Tour. In addition, event content will be distributed across Sinclair's sports platforms, maximizing exposure and engagement. The media partnership also includes the development of original video podcasts for both national and regional audiences, spotlighting Athletes First's elite roster of athletes. Playbook REPS played a key role in facilitating the agreement between Athletes First and Sinclair. 'This partnership with Sinclair is a major step forward in how we amplify the impact of our events and our athlete clients,' said Matt Shulman, Head of Properties at Athletes First. 'By combining our curated live events and world-class roster with Sinclair's powerful media reach, we're creating new ways to engage fans, elevating and enhancing storytelling opportunities, and delivering unparalleled value for our brand partners.' 'Athletes First is a premier sports agency and has set the bar for athlete-driven activation experiences within college and professional football,' said Eric Welles, SVP, Chief Digital Monetization Officer, Sinclair. 'With A1's elite roster of talent coupled with AMP Sports' own collection of talent and original shows, as well as our massive media footprint, this partnership is a perfect fit. We are excited to further enhance our strategy to create high-impact, fan-first, 360-degree content with Athletes First across broadcast, digital, social, audio, and live environments, while giving brands new ways to engage with passionate fans and the biggest tentpole moments in sports.' Earlier this year, The Block debuted in New Orleans with a 100,000-square-foot footprint just steps from the Caesars Superdome. Spanning four interconnected mansions and a grand courtyard, the event featured luxury hospitality, brand activations, private content studios, exclusive partner programming, an athlete performance center, and appearances by athletes, celebrities, and influencers. In Fall 2024, the Athletes First Tailgate Tour visited 10 of college football's most iconic games. Guests experienced premium hospitality and met stars and Athletes First clients such as Jamaal Charles (Texas), Sony Michel (Georgia), Pat Freiermuth (Penn State), and Kyle Rudolph (Notre Dame). About Athletes First: Athletes First is the premier sports representation and marketing agency, guiding the careers of elite athletes, coaches, executives, and broadcasters. Since 2001, Athletes First has built a reputation for integrity, innovation, and impact across contract negotiations, marketing strategy, endorsement sales, and brand partnerships. The agency also produces dynamic live events and multiplatform content through its Emmy-nominated production division, GOAT Farm Media. For more information, visit or follow us on Instagram, X, and LinkedIn. About Sinclair: Sinclair, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI) is a diversified media company and a leading provider of local news and sports. The Company owns, operates and/or provides services to 178 television stations in 81 markets affiliated with all major broadcast networks; owns Tennis Channel, the premium destination for tennis enthusiasts; multicast networks CHARGE, Comet, ROAR and The Nest; and the nation's largest streaming aggregator of local news content, NewsON. Sinclair's AMP Media produces a growing portfolio of digital content and original podcasts. Additional information about Sinclair can be found at Category: General
NBC Sports
12-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
As Chargers rookie report for camp, second-round WR Tre Harris remains unsigned
The 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement created a rookie wage scale that leaves few issues on which to haggle. This year, one of those issues has prevented 30 of 32 second-round picks from signing. The problem is simple to explain, far from simple to solve. Before 2025, no second-round picks had received fully-guaranteed rookie contracts. With the Texans giving receiver Jayden Higgins, the second pick in round two, a fully-guaranteed deal, the issue was framed. The Browns quickly gave linebacker Carson Schwesinger, the first pick in round two, a fully-guaranteed deal. They had little choice, once the player taken immediately after him got a fully-guaranteed contract. For the next 30 picks in round two, no deal has been done. While all of them participated in the offseason program under participation agreements, they won't be practicing (or even present) without signed contracts. It gets real on Saturday, when the Chargers report — and when (as noted by Adam Schefter of second-round receiver Tre Harris does not. Harris was the 23rd pick in round two. And this isn't about whether he'll get a fully-guaranteed deal. He won't. Beyond determining how deep into round two the 100-percent guarantee will go, the challenge becomes setting the right percentage of full guarantee for the rest of the round. At the risk of making this blurb too damn long, here's the percentage of full guarantee for each of the 2024 second-round picks: No. 1: 95.69 percent. No. 2: 91.9 percent. No. 3: 88.09 percent. No. 4: 86.41 percent. No. 5: 84.73 percent. No. 6: 82.98 percent. No. 7: 81.23 percent. No. 8: 80.46 percent. No. 9: 79.52 percent. No. 10: 78.65 percent. No. 11: 77.98 percent. No. 12: 77.3 percent. No. 13: 76.38 percent. No. 14: 74.14 percent. No. 15: 72.6 percent. No. 16: 71.13 percent. No. 17: 69.72 percent. No. 18: 68.28 percent. No. 19: 66.8 percent. No. 20: 65.22 percent. No. 21: 63.61 percent. No. 22: 61.95 percent. No. 23: 60.24 percent. No. 24: 58.71 percent. No. 25: 57.26 percent. No. 26: 55.7 percent. No. 27: 54.01 percent. No. 28: 52.99 percent. No. 29: 52.75 percent. No. 30: 52.57 percent. No. 31: 52.51 percent. No. 32: 53.39 percent. The Tre Harris slot had 60.24 percent. It will be higher this year. But how much? If Harris does his deal now, he'll ideally set the floor for all taken ahead of him and the ceiling for all taken behind him. There's also a chance that his percentage will be too low — which could result in players taken after him getting a higher percentage. That will become ammunition for other agents to criticize his representation at Athletes First when competing for the same incoming players. Athletes First is relevant at the other end of the spectrum. They represent the third pick (and first unsigned pick) in round two: Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori. Thus, as to the threshold question of how deep into the round the fully-guaranteed deals go, Emmanwori and A1 are in the batter's box. However it plays out, the urgency reaches full boil as players aren't showing up for camp. And while the agents and players are permitted to coordinate/collude on a strategy for maximizing the guarantee for the players, the teams cannot coordinate/collude. Now that everyone (finally) knows about the union's partial win in the collusion case over fully-guaranteed deals, the process from the perspective of the teams becomes a little riskier. Or a lot. It's already a mess. It could soon become a full-blown fiasco, with most teams missing a key young player during training camp, and with some (Bears, Browns, Seahawks) missing two.
USA Today
26-06-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Dave Peloquin, who's been with Notre Dame since the Bob Davie era, moves to Athletes First
Dave Peloquin, who has had a role in Notre Dame football since head coach Bob Davies tenure, is leaving the program to take a role with Athletes First as reported by John Brice of FootballScoop. While his work recently hasn't been specifically with the on-field portion of the football team, he was still part of the university's Name, Image, and Likeness department as the assistant athletic director for football strategic initiatives reported Eric Hanson in April of 2023. Athletes First already has a big influence on the NFL, as former Notre Dame star safety Kyle Hamilton is on their roster. They also employ former head coach Brian Kelly, as they will now look to make a bigger impact within college football. You can most likely expect more than a few current and future Irish stars to join that team, as their relationships with Peloquin should give them a bit of an advantage with his new company. We wish Dave the best in his new role, especially considering he was a lifer inside Notre Dame football.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
LSU football loses key support staffer to top management firm
LSU football's support staff took a hit this week with Jordan Arcement moving on. According to On3's Pete Nakos, Arcement accepted a position with agency firm Athletes First. Arcement's exact position with the firm is unclear, but Arcement brings a wealth of knowledge about the recruiting and NIL world as the college sports landscape continues to adapt. Advertisement "Athletes First is a full-service management firm that has been representing elite players, coaches, personnel and broadcasters since its inception in 2001. Based in Southern California, with satellite offices in New York City, NY, Gainesville, FL, Austin, TX and Atlanta, GA, Athletes First is a staple in the sports representation business," AF states on its website. Arcement joined LSU as a recruiting specialist in 2022. He went on to serve as the director of recruiting communication and external relations before taking on the director of player development role. Before his work at LSU, Arcement was a staffer at Virginia. He played college football at Nicholls. Brian Kelly has worked to reshape LSU's support staff over the last year. The remodel continues as Kelly now has another hole to fill. This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: LSU football loses key support staffer to top management firm
Reuters
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Vikings TE Josh Oliver signs 3-year extension
June 10 - Minnesota Vikings tight end Josh Oliver signed a three-year contract extension that spans through the 2028 season. Financial terms were not disclosed by the team, however ESPN reported -- citing Athletes First -- that the deal is worth $23.25 million with a maximum value of $27.5 million. It also includes $11.9 million in new guarantees and $19.9 million in total guarantees. Oliver, who is second on the team's tight end pecking order behind Pro Bowler T.J. Hockenson, is heading into the final season of a three-year, $21 million contract. Oliver, 28, recorded 22 catches for the second straight year in 2024 and finished with a career-best three touchdowns. He has 70 receptions for 701 yards and seven touchdowns in 67 career games (37 starts) with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens and Vikings. --Field Level Media
