Proper representation is one of the most important professional considerations in the entertainment world today. And with millions of dollars at stake, and long-term careers on the line, professional athletes have to assume the same stance as major entertainers when it comes to protecting those careers by hiring the correct professionals to shepherd them. Never is this more apparent than disputes between high-level athletes and the organizations which employ them. As the saying goes, every story has multiple sides, and rarely is the truth the one strongly being argued. Bellator MMA’s recent dispute with Eddie Alvarez illustrates just how important effective management has become within the mixed martial arts world.
The last few months have become very ugly as the behind-the-scenes developments between Bellator and Alvarez have started to become public. Alvarez, the former lightweight champion for the promotion, and perhaps their biggest star, had reached the end of his contract, and was looking to get a pay increase and an opportunity to fight for the UFC. Bellator, however, opted to exercise its rights under the contract’s matching clause, offering Alvarez a contract that, according to the organization, matched the offer from the UFC. Alvarez didn’t agree with this characterization, asserting that the contract terms differed in a variety of areas, and the firestorm blew up from that point. Now both sides are waiting to face off in court and are pointing fingers at each other in the media.
At this point it doesn’t matter who is telling the truth, as the damage has already been done. Alvarez, who is 29 years old, is now stuck in limbo as he approaches the prime of his career, with an opportunity to make more money than he ever has as a prizefighter. Not only is he a valuable commodity to the UFC and Bellator, but other organizations such as The World Series of Fighting would love to have him as a part of their rosters. He’s arguably more famous now than he was a few months ago, and it is time for him to capitalize on that popularity. Unfortunately, he’s stuck in a battle that will keep him out of competition for an extended period of time, and we’ve all seen the effects that time away from the cage can have on a professional fighter.
Alvarez has an effective management team behind him in Authentic Sports Management. Even though they have only been active since 2010, the company represents 20 big names within the sport, including Alvarez, Anthony Johnson, and Rashad Evans. Without them in his corner, this situation would have gone from bad to worse very quickly. And though the future of Eddie’s career remains in limbo, he still has a proper group of managers, which is a lot more than the majority of the athletes who participate in mixed martial arts.
As for Bellator, the organization will suffer from the bad press, as these situations keep popping up. Tyson Nam, Jonathan Brookins, and others have had to deal with this type of problem, and Alvarez being the biggest name so far just makes the spotlight shine brighter and hotter on the promotion. It will be interesting to see how established stars deal with the promotion going forward. Young fighters can perhaps benefit from the exposure without having to worry about the contract implications, but prominent names may want to stay away from long-term deals to have more control over their futures. Either way, Bellator will have to deal with increased scrutiny as a result of this negative bad press.
Stories about lack of pay, questionable releases, and mysterious contract stipulations are common in mixed martial arts. Part of the reason for this is that the athletes who are dying to compete in MMA are not represented by truly trained and experienced sports professionals. Instead, we often see former fighters, friends, or family members stepping in to act as managers. When questions about contract law, sponsorship, and other important areas of sports business come up, one wonders how any of these individuals could have the knowledge or experience base to handle these situations.
Unlike in other sports, mixed martial arts managers do not have to complete the kind of certification requirement that you find for other managers, such as those that work within Major League Baseball or the National Football League. Imagine going to see a lawyer without any experience practicing law. Or a mechanic that didn’t have any training in repairing cars. Would you trust those individuals with being able to do their jobs correctly? Then why should the fighters who risk their health and well being in the cage depend on individuals without such training to do theirs?
Mixed martial arts is slowly procuring the television and sponsorship deals needed to be considered a mainstream sport. However, the athletes themselves need to step up and do their part, which means finding the right type of representation. Yes, this will make media contact and contract negotiations more difficult, but given the risks they take when they step into the cage or ring, someone needs to take care of business on the outside, while they take care of it on the inside.
