A keynote speech or
other personal appearance by a star athlete might guarantee numbers
at your show, but is he or she the best fit for your event? That’s
the first question a planner should ask if contemplating a speaker
from the world of sports. There are other factors, notes Robert
Tuchman, president of New York City-based TSE Sports &
Entertainment. “A mistake some planners make is to be talked into
using a celebrity by someone in the company, rather than evaluating
what is in the best interests of the company or of that particular
event. This is where planners can use the knowledge of a speakers
bureau they trust.”
Matt Sherwood, director of sales of the
Denver-based Brooks International Speakers Bureau’s sports
division, puts its even more simply: “Be careful who you chose.
After all, my hero might not be your hero.”
The following is a list of the sports
stars recommended by bureau heads specializing in placing the right
athlete at the right event, plus some tips as to what planners
should keep in mind before signing on the dotted line.
JAY BILAS
Bazel Group’s Sports Speakers
(800) 413-1105
www.corporateartists.com/speakers-sports.html
Now a college basketball analyst for
ESPN, Jay Bilas became a star playing college basketball for Duke
University, which won the NCAA national title during his senior
year, in 1986. He also is a celebrated writer on basketball.
“Bilas is an excellent communicator
with an inspiring message about leading a happy life and working
hard to achieve success,” says Edward A. Bazel, CEO of
Nashville-based Bazel Group. “And he now is a practicing lawyer, so
he brings a different perspective than your typical sports
speaker.”
BILLIE JEAN KING
Women’s Sports Foundation Speaker Service
(800) 227-3988
www.womenssportsfoundation.org
Although the Women’s Sports Foundation
represents many women athletes as speakers, its principal jewel
remains foundation founder Billie Jean King. Generally credited
with having brought a new athleticism to women’s tennis, King won
71 singles titles, including all four Grand Slam tournaments. She
also won a record 20 Wimbledon titles.
“She is extraordinary,” says Donna A.
Lopiano, Ph.D., CEO of the East Meadow, N.Y.-based WSF, “even to
the extent of never having missed a single foundation board
meeting. Her energy and passion just come out, and she is very down
to earth.” Lopiano notes that King also is well prepared to speak
about her other passions, such as social justice and the fight
against AIDS.
The WSF’s Speaker Service itself is
different from other bureaus, notes Lopiano, in that its speakers
donate part of their fees to the foundation, whose mission is to
“advance the lives of girls and women through sports and physical
activity.”
GAME PLANNERS
POINTERS FROM EXPERTS ON HIRING SPORTS CELEBS
Several speaker-bureau experts spoke to M&C about the nuances of booking sports celebrities. Following are some suggestions for planners.
Edward A. Bazel, Bazel Group’s Sports Speakers: “For motivation, bring in, say, New York Yankees’ manager Joe Torre to deliver a keynote speech, but if you are looking to build relationships with important customers, have a celebrity mingle with attendees. The ‘wow’ power creates a real memory.”
Esther Eagles, Eagles Talent Connection: “Athletes can be used as a ‘thank you’ to employees and clients, who love having their photos taken with personal heroes. Also, these stars can be used to increase traffic to booths.”
Ward Headley, Direct Sportslink: “Planners often go straight to the celebrity’s agent, thinking it is a direct line, but that agent is working for the star, so there will be no negotiating ability on the fee. If planning a Q&A session, solicit questions in advance of the event and pick the top 10; don’t just hand someone a mike.”
Mike Klemm, Capitol City Speakers Bureau: “Get testimonials. Also, many athletes do not want to be taped, so first get their permission.”
Matt Sherwood, Brooks International Speakers Bureau: “Be careful not to have too high of an expectation of these people. After all, we did not make them heroes because of their speaking ability.”
Robert Tuchman, TSE Sports & Entertainment: “It is far better to go ahead and book a second-tier name than a huge star with nothing to say. Speaking is how many former athletes make their living, so they understand the game.”
Jonathan Wexler, Playing Field Promotions: “Six to eight months out is the best window in which to book athletes. Many will not allow themselves to be booked further afield. They’ll say, ‘I don’t know what I’ll be doing in two years’ time,’ unlike traditional speakers who will be more than happy to book a convention in, say, 2010.” -- T.B.
HOWIE LONG
Playing Field Promotions
(800) 966-1380
www.playing
fieldpromotions.
com
Howie Long is one of football’s
all-time greats, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and a
Superbowl winner in 1983. Spending his playing career with the
Raiders -- both when the city names of Oakland and Los Angeles came
before it -- Long also played in the postseason Pro Bowl eight
times. Today, he is best known as a presenter on Fox’s NFL
Sunday broadcast.
Jonathan Wexler, vice president of
sales and marketing at Denver-based Playing Field Promotions, says
Long is very good at drawing comparisons between success on the
field and success in business. “Many speakers theme their talks on
this analogy,” he adds, “but few are as thorough as Long.”
JIM MORRIS
Capitol City Speakers Bureau
(800) 397-3183
www.speakingofsports.com
For an audience craving inspiration,
Jim Morris is an ideal speaker. A one-time minor league pitcher who
went on to become a high school science teacher and baseball coach,
Morris was at the relatively ripe age of 35 when, after his team
won a district title, he responded to a dare and decided to try out
for the majors. With equal parts luck, pluck and a blazing
fastball, he was signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1999 and
struck out the first batter he faced. Morris remains to this day
the oldest player ever to become a rookie.
His major league career lasted for only
two seasons and 21 appearances before a sore shoulder forced him
into retirement, but Morris had achieved the improbable. His story
was the basis for the feel-good film The Rookie (2002), in
which Dennis Quaid portrayed the unlikely hero. Notes Mike Klemm,
owner of the Springfield, Ill.-based Capital City Speakers Bureau,
“He certainly was not the best player baseball has ever seen, but
that is where his appeal lies. He followed a dream and, for a short
while, lived it.”
VINCE PAPALE
Eagles Talent Connection
(800) 345-5607
www.eaglestalent.com
Another sports star immortalized on the
silver screen is Vince Papale, the oldest rookie in football
history. At age 30, after a few years in the defunct World Football
League, Papale made the roster of the Philadelphia Eagles, for
which he played for four seasons. Mark Wahlberg portrayed the
scrappy player in last year’s Invincible.
Papale also has two postcareer feathers
in his cap, first as a sports commentator, and second as marketing
executive and special projects director for the financial aid
company Sallie Mae.
“Attendees love to be in the presence
of someone who has done something extraordinary,” says Esther
Eagles, president of South Orange, N.J.-based Eagles Talent
Connection. “After all, these are not people who came in last.”
DANICA PATRICK
Brooks International Speakers Bureau
(800) 678-9858
www.hiresportsspeakers.comNASCAR darling Danica Patrick is a
high-octane choice as a speaker, says Matt Sherwood of Brooks
International. Just 24, Patrick is gaining new fans in droves
following her pioneering fourth-place finish in last year’s
Indianapolis 500, the best-ever finish by a woman in the race. It
was during that contest that Patrick also became the first woman to
lead a lap; in fact, she was the leader on 19 laps in what is
considered the world’s biggest motor-sports spectacle.
CAL RIPKEN JR.
Direct Sportslink
(877) 677-6787
www.directsportslink.com
Baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. is most
famous for having played 2,632 consecutive games over 16 seasons,
all for the Baltimore Orioles, a major league record that many
consider unbreakable. He retired at the end of the 2001 season, and
at press time he had just been elected to the Baseball Hall of
Fame. Today, Ripken stays involved in the game as an owner of two
minor league teams.
“He’s well spoken and a super guy,”
says Ward Headley, founder and president of Direct Sportslink,
based in Lexington, Ky. “He goes the extra distance, rather than
just showing up, chatting for 45 minutes and then
disappearing.”
BILL WALTON
TSE Sports & Entertainment
(877) 621-5243
www.tseworld.com
Regarded as one of basketball’s greats,
Walton has won two NCAA championships as a UCLA Bruin and two NBA
championships as a player for the Boston Celtics and Portland Trail
Blazers. Walton also honed his speaking acumen by working in
television.
Walton “goes far above and beyond what
he is asked to do,” says Robert Tuchman of TSE Sports. Tuchman
adds, “Sport mirrors our society so much that whatever message our
client is trying to get across, there is an athlete ideally suited
to the task at hand.”