Wasserman (company)

The Team
FormerlyWasserman Media Group[1]
Company typePrivate
Founded2002 (2002)[2]
FounderCasey Wasserman
Headquarters
Los Angeles, California
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Casey Wasserman (CEO)
Shelley Pisarra (EVP, Global Insights)
Tom Windish (EVP, Business Development)
Divisions
  • Wasserman Global Football
  • Wasserman Music
Subsidiaries
Websitethe.team

The Team (stylized as The·Team; formerly known as Wasserman Media Group and Wasserman) is a marketing and talent management company based in Los Angeles. It was founded in 2002 by sports and entertainment agent Casey Wasserman.

History

Wasserman Media Group (WMG) was founded in 2002.[3]

In 2002, Wasserman acquired sports marketing and naming-rights company Envision then, in 2005, action sports representation firm The Familie.[4]

In 2004, Wasserman purchased 411 Productions and a few months later relaunched it as Studio 411, a sports entertainment film studio. The business was designed to provide financing, obtain sponsorships and arrange distribution in support of original productions.[5] The company also made an unsuccessful bid to sign up enough athletes in BMX, skateboarding and freestyle motocross to form PGA-like sanctioning bodies in those sports.[6]

In January 2006 Wasserman acquired the NBA and MLB sports agent business of Arn Tellem, a well-known sports agent who joined Wasserman as well. Several of Tellem's sports agent colleagues also joined the company as part of the deal.[7] Until he retired in June 2015, Tellem was a principal at the company and ran one of its management groups.[8]

In November 2006, the company acquired soccer agency SFX in the UK.[9] Through that acquisition, Wasserman came to represent players including Steven Gerrard, Robbie Keane, Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen, Tim Cahill, Jonathan Woodgate, Alex Morgan, Tobin Heath, Heather O'Reilly, Wes Brown, Scott Parker, Jack Wilshere, Park Ji-Sung, Shay Given, Tim Howard and Emile Heskey.

In June 2007, WMG acquired Raleigh, North Carolina–based OnSport.[10] From 2007-11, Sarah Hirshland (who would later become CEO of the United States Olympic Committee) was a senior vice president for strategic business development, managing the insurance firm Nationwide account, and negotiating deals with NASCAR, the USTA, and the PGA Tour.

In early 2011, WMG bought London-based media rights manager and advisory firm Reel Enterprises.[11] That April, Wasserman expanded its golf talent roster by acquiring SFX Golf.[12]

In 2015, WMG acquired Laundry Service, which included Cycle, a network of social media influencers. The advertising agency was named one of the Ad Age agencies to watch in January 2015.[13] In 2016, as the company expanded its services, WMG rebranded its agency name to Wasserman.[14]

In March 2021, Wasserman acquired German based boxing promotional company Team Sauerland. With the announcement, they revealed the company would be relocating to the United Kingdom and subsequently renamed to "Wasserman Boxing".[15] Wasserman also acquired the North American Music division of the Los Angeles–based Paradigm Talent Agency.[16]

In April 2021, Wasserman acquired the Boston-based marketing agency Riddle & Bloom.

In November 2025, Wasserman confirmed it was in talks to sell its boxing promotion division, Wasserman Boxing. As part of the sale, Wasserman's 25% stake in Misfits Boxing would also be included.[17][18]

In February 2026, Casey Wasserman announced that he was selling the company.[19] In March 2026, the company announced that it would be renamed The·Team or The Team.[20][21] On March 18, Wasserman Boxing was confirmed to be sold and rebranded into MF Sports.[22]

Controversies

John Schnatter lawsuit

In December 2019, Papa John's founder John Schnatter filed a lawsuit against advertising agency, Laundry Service, and its parent company, Wasserman Media Group.[23] The legal action stemmed from a May 2018 recorded conference call organized by Laundry Service for media training during which Schnatter used a racial slur against Black people.[24] Following publication of the call's contents by Forbes, Schnatter resigned as chairman of the company,[25] subsequently sueing Laundry Service and Wasserman, alleging that the call was intentionally leaked following a dispute over a $6 million payment.[26]

Francisco Rodriguez lawsuit (2011–2012)

In 2011, Major League Baseball relief pitcher Francisco Rodríguez filed a lawsuit against WMG and two of its prominent baseball agents, Arn Tellem and Paul Kinzer, alleging agent malpractice and fraud. The lawsuit claimed that his agents failed to submit his contractually-stipulated no-trade list to the New York Mets prior to his July 2011 trade to the Milwaukee Brewers and that WMG agents had repeatedly and falsely assured Rodriguez that the list had been filed with the team.[27]The lawsuit was settled out of court in November 2012.[28][29]

Casey Wasserman and Ghislaine Maxwell affiliation and fallout

Following the release of Epstein files in January 2026 which revealed that Casey Wasserman had exchanged emails with Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003, several artists represented by Wasserman denounced Casey Wasserman and called for his resignation.[30][31] Artists including Bbno$, Bully, Chappell Roan, Chelsea Cutler, Dropkick Murphys, Gigi Perez, Hippo Campus, Lane 8, Laufey, Local Natives, Odesza, Orville Peck, Sylvan Esso, Water from Your Eyes, Wednesday, and Weyes Blood severed ties with the company.[32][33][34][21]

References

  1. ^ Petten, Dominic; Hayes, Dade (2026-03-09). "Wasserman Rebrand Full Steam Ahead As Formal Bidding For Embattled LA28 Chief's Empire Begins". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-03-10.
  2. ^ Barnes, Brooks (2023-09-18). "Wasserman Merges Sports and Entertainment by Buying Brillstein". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-15.
  3. ^ Kiefer, Peter (2025-08-21). "Lord of the Rings: Casey Wasserman's Olympic Odyssey". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-03-10.
  4. ^ Markazi, Arash (2011-01-25). "The grooming of Casey Wasserman". ESPN. Retrieved 2026-03-10.
  5. ^ Wasserman Launches Studio411 2004 article
  6. ^ Extreme Dream Casey Wasserman, grandson of a legendary movie mogul, has become a force in action sports Sports Illustrated April 5, 2004
  7. ^ "Wasserman Acquires Tellem Business', Sports Business Daily, January 27, 2006
  8. ^ Arn Tellem, "Why I'm Making The Jump From Sports Agent To Front Office" Sports Illustrated. June 5, 2015
  9. ^ "Wasserman Media Group Acquires SFX Sports Group".
  10. ^ "Wasserman Media Group Acquiring Gary Stevenson's OnSport - SportsBusiness Daily | SportsBusiness Journal | SportsBusiness Daily Global". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  11. ^ "US based Wasserman Media Group acquires the UK's rights manager and advisory firm Reel Enterprises « investmentinuk". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  12. ^ "Wasserman growth continues with SFX Golf purchase - SportsPro Media". www.sportspromedia.com.
  13. ^ Bruell, Alexandra (April 20, 2015). "Sports Powerhouse Wasserman Media Acquires Laundry Service". AdAge. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  14. ^ "Wasserman undergoes rebrand to reflect its evolution from just sports". The Drum. Retrieved 2026-03-10.
  15. ^ "Wasserman Acquires Boxing Giants Team Sauerland — Boxing News". Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  16. ^ Aswad, Jem (2021-03-17). "Casey Wasserman to Acquire Paradigm Agency's North American Music Assets". Variety. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  17. ^ Dixon, Ed (2025-11-20). "EXCLUSIVE: Wasserman in talks to sell boxing business". SportsPro. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
  18. ^ Lindert, Hattie (2026-02-15). "Casey Wasserman to Sell Agency Amid Epstein Files Backlash". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2026-03-15.
  19. ^ Lindert, Hattie (2026-02-15). "Casey Wasserman to Sell Agency Amid Epstein Files Backlash". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
  20. ^ Aswad, Jem (2026-03-09). "Wasserman Agency Rebrands as 'The·Team'". Variety. Retrieved 2026-03-10.
  21. ^ a b Mickles, Kiana (2026-03-09). "Wasserman Agency Rebrands to The·Team". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2026-03-10.
  22. ^ Sauerland Bros [@SauerlandBros] (18 March 2026). "We are delighted to announce the launch of MF Sports. Together with a strategic European investor, we have taken control of the Wasserman Boxing stable and re-branded as MF Sports [...]" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 March 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  23. ^ "John Schnatter sues agency over his ouster from Papa John's". Restaurant Business Online. December 5, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  24. ^ Hsu, Tiffany (2018-07-17). "Papa John's Founder Will Not 'Go Quietly' as Company Tries to Push Him Away". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  25. ^ "Papa John's Founder John Schnatter Allegedly Used N-Word On Conference Call". Forbes. July 11, 2018. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  26. ^ Neuman, Scott (2018-07-12). "Papa John's Founder Quits As Chairman After Using The N-Word During Conference Call". NPR. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  27. ^ "Francisco Rodriguez sues Wasserman Media Group for fraud, malpractice". CBS Sports. October 26, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  28. ^ Heitner, Darren (November 5, 2012). "Reliever Francisco Rodriguez Settles Case With Wasserman Media Group". Sports Agent Blog. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  29. ^ "Francisco Rodriguez, Wasserman Media Group Settle Malpractice Lawsuit". Sports Business Journal. November 1, 2012. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  30. ^ Eggertsen, Chris (2026-02-10). "Wasserman Fallout Continues: Dropkick Murphys & More Clients Slam Founder Over 'Abhorrent & Disturbing' Epstein Ties". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
  31. ^ LaPierre, Megan (Feb 10, 2026). "Orville Peck Joins Wasserman Exodus". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
  32. ^ Gonzalez, Alex (2026-02-10). "Orville Peck Leaves Wasserman Agency Following Epstein Revelations". Complex. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
  33. ^ Eggertsen, Chris (2026-02-13). "Wasserman Fallout: Every Artist Who Has Spoken Out Over Founder's Epstein Ties (UPDATING)". Billboard. Retrieved 2026-02-16.
  34. ^ Greene, Andy (2026-02-17). "Laufey, Chappell Roan: Artists Flee Wasserman Agency". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved 2026-02-19.
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