Andre Agassi, one of the world's most recognizable athletes, with 45 career titles in tennis, including 5 grand slams, has signed an exclusive worldwide marketing agreement with SFX Entertainment.
Agassi, who is the only male player in the modern era to have won all four grand slam titles, is also the co-owner the bustling All-Star Cafe on Seventh and 45th Street in Times Square.
In recent, unrelated reports, SFX was said to be interested in consolidating its headquarters in the Times Square area, specifically at 220 West 42nd Street. No official updates are available on that development, but Playbill On-Line has learned that negotiations are continuing.
In the mid-'80s, 17-year-old Andre Agassi helped revolutionize the sports marketing of tennis with his breakthrough success.
An SFX paper statement quotes Agassi as saying, ``I'm thrilled to be associated with such a multi-faceted and growing company as SFX. I have chosen to align myself with SFX as they are one of the fastest growing sports marketing companies in the world. Additionally, I believe SFX is in the exclusive position to allow me to continue to focus on my tennis while maximizing not only my marketing potential through conventional sports marketing avenues, but also through their unprecedented leverage in the broader world of entertainment.'' On the company side, SFX Talent Representation President Ivan Blumberg said the group was ``We look forward to putting the full breadth of SFX capabilities behind Andre, one of the world's most marketable and highly recognized sports personalities.''
After a prolonged acquisition program, SFX has announced several key sponsorship programs in sports and entertainment. SFX also develops and manages touring Broadway shows, and sells Broadway subscription series and individual productions in 55 markets. An integrated franchise that promotes and produces a broad variety of live entertainment events locally, regionally and nationally, SFX has 120 venues overall, and owns or operates venues in 31 of the top 50 domestic markets.
-- By Murdoch McBride
