Playing to Hollywood, Athletes Try to Expand the Brand.

PLAYING in Los Angeles brings top-tier athletes paychecks that are as fat as those offered anywhere else in the country, but L.A. has something no other market can offer -- Hollywood.

Not only is L.A. the entertainment capital of the world, but three of the region's pro teams are directly owned by media giants.

The Walt Disney Co., of course, owns the Anaheim Angels and Mighty Ducks. And the L.A. Dodgers, besides being a unit of News Corp.'s Fox Entertainment Group, is run by former Warner Bros. boss Bob Daly.

Nowhere else do the worlds of sports and entertainment merge so neatly, and plenty of local athletes and media execs have taken advantage of the convergence.

Star athletes are regularly offered Hollywood side gigs as an incentive bonus to lure them here.

"Bob Daly made those kinds of commitments to Shawn Green -- to assist in any way that he could," said Jeff Moorad, the Dodger right fielder's agent. "(Los Angeles) makes sense for the athlete that wants big-market perks. As part of the wining and dining that occurs, the Dodgers are at a decided advantage because of Bob Daly's connections. With him at the helm, the bridge (between sports and Hollywood) is a much more natural one."

Evidence of that bridge was on display in Daly's private box at last season's home opener -- Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn -- and Moorad -- were on hand to cheer on the boys in blue.

Green is among the numerous top local sports personalities who have made guest appearances on the HBO show "Arli$$," which stars actor Robert Wuhl as a sports agent.

"We look most closely at the rosters of L.A. teams," said Mike Tollin of Tollin-Robbins Production and Management Inc., which produces the show, now heading into its sixth season.

The show is produced at a studio five minutes from Dodger Stadium, and makes use of the marquee athletes based in Los Angeles or those passing through on road trips.

"Our focus is to find people who will be in L.A. as part of the sport they participate in," said Tollin. "We don't want to go back to that (local) well too often. A lot of non-sports fans watch 'Arli$$,' so the athletes who are recognizable to people who never pick up the sports page are more attractive to us."

On the tube

Among the local players who've appeared -- as themselves -- on the show are Dodgers Gary Sheffield and Eric Karros, Lakers Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Kings' Luc Robitaille and Lamar Odom of the Clippers.

Karros also appeared on the critically acclaimed (but now-cancelled) television show "Sports Night," while Paul Kariya of the Mighty Ducks appeared in the movie "Mighty Ducks III."

"People seem to enjoy watching athletes in what's kind of a foreign environment," Tollin said. "And athletes enjoy being a part of it because it's an adventure for them."

And that may be the key.

Fees for appearances on shows such as "Arli$$" are insignificant relative to the compensation for their day jobs, according to agents and producers.

But TV guest appearances are not about getting a paycheck for players and their agents. They're primarily about the exposure they provide -- which in turn can lead to lucrative endorsement deals.

"That's the kind of cycle of life in the sports business," said David Carter, founder of the Sports Business Group consulting firm. "Southern California offers the total package. It offers the ability to make a great living playing. They can leverage their sports careers with endorsements. And it gives them access to the entertainment industry. This is a fun community to be living in."

The recording industry, for those interested in making music, offers the opportunity for both exposure and cash.

Rap riches

Lakers O'Neal and Bryant, as well as former welterweight boxing champion Oscar de la Hoya (a Los Angeles native), have made their mark in the music business, raking in large amounts of money cutting rap and pop records.

Both O'Neal and de la Hoya received seven-figure advances in their record deals.

"I would put that under the heading of maximizing your potential," said. Leonard Armato, the agent for both O'Neal and de la Hoya. "The crossover appeal of sports icons allows them to extend their brands into logical territory. They go from sports entertainers to music artists."

(Bryant's agent Arn Tellem was unavailable for comment last week.)

Big-name stars can mean more money for their franchises -- fans generally tune in more frequently and in larger numbers when teams splurge for top-tier talent in the free agent market. And expensive talent often indicates a seriousness about winning -- and getting into the playoffs -- which means players are performing before the largest television audiences of the season.

In 1999 (the most recent data available), the Dodgers generated $120.3 million, in revenues, according to Forbes magazine, fifth in the Major League, behind the Yankees (who have a lucrative cable television deal) and the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles, all three of which are playing in relatively new ballparks.

The pitching-short Angels generated only $90.7 million, according to Forbes, despite then newly acquired free agent first baseman Mo Vaughn and the renovation of Edison Field.

The Dodgers, though, lost $21.1 million in 1999, according to the magazine, while the Angels lost $2.5 million.

Despite Disney's broadcast and film holdings -- ABC, ESPN and Walt Disney Studios -- and its extraordinary marketing capabilities, no Angel is currently gracing a screen, according to team spokeswoman Katherine Burrows, who cited scheduling conflicts.

"During the season, there's 162 games and during the off season, most of the players return home to other parts of the country," she said.

The lack of brand-name stars as well as proximity to Los Angeles may have something to do with that, however.

"The people in Hollywood would just as soon like the opportunity to see these athletes on a regular basis," said Sports Business Group's Carter.

Shaq appeal

Even O'Neal, who starred in the movies "Kazaam" and "Blue Chips" before leaving the Orlando Magic five years ago, has seen his value as an entertainment brand climb since landing in Los Angeles. He has continued to record rap albums, has acted in a third film, "Steel," and operates a television production company.

All three of his movies have been certifiable bombs, however.

"They didn't measure up to expectations, especially when you consider the star potential that Shaquille O'Neal has," said Robert Buxbaum at Reel Source Inc., a box-office tracking firm.

Nonetheless, O'Neal will likely continue to get as many Hollywood gigs as he wants.

"There may be some kind of a spike in terms of convenience, proximity and access, but it is not night and day (for O'Neal)," said Armato. "L.A. may be more of an attraction for somebody who doesn't have any current opportunities but might want to gain entry into the entertainment business through the access and exposure that might be generated by playing in this marketplace."

One Laker who makes no secret of his desire to continue playing in L.A. to facilitate his Hollywood ambitions is forward Rick Fox.

Fox, who majored in acting at the University of North Carolina, has appeared in the feature films "He Got Game," "The Collectors," "Resurrection" and "Eddy." He also has a recurring role on the popular HBO series "Oz."