Athlete Lawsuits - Best Use of Sports Media?
We recently blogged about pro athletes suing reporters. Now comes word that the Major League Baseball Player’s Association is closely monitoring baseball team media comments for signs of a collusive-type effort to artificially limit baseball salaries.
Michael Weiner, MLBPA’s new leader, says the union is worried about the “predictions” that a glut of players who are not tendered contracts by their teams will result in lower salaries for free agents:
"I don't think it's an accident that in recent weeks, management officials, without attribution, have been making predictions about what's going to happen in this year's free-agent market," Weiner said. "There have been predictions about the [money] players will get, what players will be offered [salary] arbitration and what players will be non-tendered [contracts].
As an agent, I think this behavior, if true, is deplorable. However, as a sports agency that counsels its clients on how athletes should utilize the media to deliver the right message, a subject which we have blogged about on several occasions here, this is a situation to monitor. It shows that even when you hear something as seemingly innocuous as sweeping predictions about the market, there is a method to the communication.
