Joe Pompliano Profile picture
Sep 18, 2020 β€’ 13 tweets β€’ 5 min read β€’ Read on X
Professional athletes are always asking for weird, unconventional stipulations in their contracts.

Here is a list of my 10 favorites.

Time for a thread πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡πŸ‘‡
1) In 2017, Manny Ramirez played in Japan for the Kochi Island Fighting Dogs.

His demands:
- Optional practices
- Personal car & driver
- "Manny" on his jersey

The best one?

Despite earning $200M in the MLB, Ramirez requested "unlimited free sushi for the entire season.”
2) Coming off a world championship in 2008, the Boston Celtics offered Glen "Big Baby" Davis a contract extension.

With one caveat of course...

To keep his weight under control, Davis would be paid an extra $500k for each year of the deal he kept his weight under 310 pounds.
3) Michael Jordan signed his first professional basketball contract in 1984.

In that contract, Jordan demanded a "Love of The Game" clause be included.

Unheard of at the time, the clause allowed Jordan to play in any competitive pickup basketball game - regardless of liability.
4) Mark McGwire signed with the Cardinals in 1998, but included a clause to leverage his popularity.

McGwire would get $1 for each fan above 2.8M in season attendance.

After 3.2M fans came to see McGwire battle Sammy Sosa for the HR title, he walked away with an extra $400k.
5) Rick Mirer was the 2nd overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft, yet he's most remembered for his original Seattle Seahawks contract.

Don Yee, now Tom Brady's agent, included a clause that would pay Mirer under all circumstances "up to and including the end of the world.”
6) In 1984, the KC Royals signed George Brett to an extension which included 2 weird clauses.

Brett would be returned the bat he used in the infamous 1983 "Pine Tar Game".

Brett also received part ownership in a nearby apartment complex, calling it a "nice little kicker”.
7) Dennis Bergkamp arrived at Arsenal in 1995, eventually becoming one of the best players in club history.

His one flaw?

He was scared to fly.

Given the UK is an island, Bergkamp's contract stated he would not have to travel with the club when flying was the only option.
8) In 2000, the Mets famously bought out the final year of Bobby Bonilla's contract.

Bonilla deferred $5.9M into 25 payments of $1.19M, due each July 1st from 2011-2035 - commonly referred to as "Bobby Bonilla Day".

With an 8% interest rate, Bonilla turned his $5.9M into $29.8M
9) Everyone knows Bonilla's story, but how about Darryl Strawberry's deal?

The Mets deferred $700k of his $1.8M contract, offering an annuity with 5.1% interest.

The craziest part?

Strawberry didn't pay his taxes, so the IRS auctioned off the $2M in payments for $1.3M in 2015.
10) Hakeem Olajuwon won the 1993-94 NBA MVP award after averaging 27 Points & 12 Rebounds.

The most interesting part?

Michael Jordan made over 25% more than Olajuwon without playing in an NBA game.

The Bulls continued to pay MJ's $4M salary as he played minor league baseball.
If you learned something today and want to receive more updates about the business and money behind sports, subscribe here to receive my free daily newsletter.

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More from @JoePompliano

Sep 3
Frances Tiafoe has a crazy story:

β€’ Parents immigrated to America
β€’ Dad worked in construction
β€’ Helped build a tennis facility
β€’ Got Frances free lessons

And now Frances is a top 20 player trying to become the first American male to win a Grand Slam in 20 years.

THREAD πŸ‘‡ Image
1) First off, tennis is an expensive sport.

Between training, travel, and tournaments, a youth career could cost $400,000.

And even if you turn professional, only the world's top ~150 players end up turning a profit after expenses.

That's what makes Frances' story so special.
2) Frances Tiafoe's parents were born in the Western African country of Sierra Leone.

They immigrated to the United States after a civil war broke out back home and settled in a suburb outside Washington, D.C.

That's where Frances was born. Image
Read 11 tweets
Aug 19
ALLCITY Network is changing sports media.

They just raised a $12 million Series B and are already doing eight figures in annual revenue.

Full disclosure: I own equity in ALLCITY (because I think it will be massive).

Here's why πŸ‘‡ Image
1) Everyone knows sports media is struggling.

The democratization of content (podcasts, social media, etc.) has hurt RSNs, newspapers, and radio stations, leading to smaller audiences and mass layoffs.

However, this is where ALLCITY sees an opportunity.
2) The easiest way to explain ALLCITY is that it's a digitally-focused network of local sports content.

The business model is simple:

1. Go to a big sports town (Chicago, etc.)
2. Hire the best talent (radio/reporters)
3. Have them start podcasts/write
4. Sell ads as a network
Read 11 tweets
Mar 1
The 2024 Formula 1 calendar is insane:

β€’ 24 races
β€’ 21 countries
β€’ 5 continents
β€’ 180+ hours of flights

Teams will travel 75,000 miles & transport 1,500 tons of equipment.

This makes it a logistical nightmare, so here's a breakdown of how Formula 1 pulls it off.

THREAD πŸ‘‡
1) The simplest way to explain Formula 1 logistics is by breaking the calendar into two parts:

β€’ European Races
β€’ Flyaway Races

Let's start with European Races.
2) European races are self-explanatory β€” these are races that take place in Europe.

Examples:
β€’ Monaco
β€’ Monza
β€’ Zandvoort
β€’ Silverstone
β€’ Spa

These races are easier and cheaper logistically because everything is transported by trucks rather than planes and boats. Image
Read 16 tweets
Feb 7
Apple Music pays the NFL $50 million annually to sponsor the Super Bowl halftime show.

But Usher won't get any of that money.

Instead, he'll perform for free, leveraging the exposure to gain followers, sell tickets, and increase streaming numbers.

Here's how it works πŸ‘‡ Image
1) Some of the world's most famous artists have performed at the Super Bowl:

β€’ Prince
β€’Β Michael Jackson
β€’ Bruce Springsteen
β€’ Beyonce
β€’ Justin Timberlake
β€’ The Rolling Stones
β€’Β Rihanna

But NONE of these artists were paid. Image
2) Here's how the financials work:

β€’ NFL signs a $50M sponsorship deal
β€’ Artists get a ~$15 million production budget

This budget covers 2,000 to 3,000 part-time workers, including set design, security, dancers, and marketing.

But artists don't get any of the money.
Read 11 tweets
Jan 27
My favorite sports business story involves two brothers turning $1 million into $800 million as basketball team owners without ever owning an NBA team.

It's a masterclass in leverage, long-term thinking, and the power of equity and ownership.

Here's the crazy story πŸ‘‡ Image
1) The story starts with Ozzie & Daniel Silna.

The two brothers were born in New Jersey after their parents immigrated from Latvia in the 1930s.

They worked at their dad's small textile business, but when he sold the company, they started manufacturing polyester in the 1960s.
2) As polyester sales skyrocketed throughout the 1960s, Ozzie & Daniel Silna's business grew.

So they used $1 million in profit to buy the ABA’s failing Carolina Cougars in 1974.

They then moved the team to Saint Louis and rebranded as the Saint Louis Spirits. Image
Read 12 tweets
Jun 13, 2023
I asked my audience: "What is the best sports book you've ever read?" β€” and received more than 1,000 responses.

Here are the Top 10 πŸ‘‡

1) Open, an autobiography by Andre Agassi.

Everyone needs to read this, seriously. Image
2) Moneyball by Michael Lewis

This book follows the Oakland A's historic 2002 season β€”Β 103 wins with one of the lowest budgets in MLB β€”and details how the Athletics pioneered the use of analytics and advanced statistics.

This is a must-read, plain & simple. Image
3) The Score Takes Care Of Itself

This book breaks down the leadership lessons Bill Walsh installed as head coach of the 49ers, taking the team from a 2-14 record to Super Bowl Champions in just 2 years.

It's full of great stories.

And it's so good that I've read it 3-4 times. Image
Read 12 tweets

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