J. B. Bernstein

Last updated
J.B. Bernstein
JB-1.jpg
J.B. Bernstein in 2010
Born (1968-02-05) February 5, 1968 (age 56)
Occupation(s)Sports agent, entrepreneur
Known forRepresenting Barry Bonds
and Barry Sanders
SpouseBrenda Paauwe-Navori
ChildrenDelphine (born January 2011)
Website AccessGroupOfMiami.com, SevenFiguresManagement.com

J.B. Bernstein (born February 5, 1968) is the CEO of Access Group, an athlete management firm and chief marketing officer of Seven Figures Management, a sports marketing and athlete representation firm.

Bernstein created The Million Dollar Arm contest in India, which yielded the first two Indian men (Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel) to ever sign pro sports contracts in the US (with the Pittsburgh Pirates).

Bernstein received his bachelor's degree in political economics in 1990 from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, obtaining his MBA at The London School of Economics. Bernstein started his career in brand management at Grey Advertising working exclusively with Procter & Gamble accounts.

Bernstein started working in the sports industry during the early years of The Upper Deck Company and as Director of Development for their memorabilia division Upper Deck Authenticated.

Bernstein's services were retained by Major League Soccer from 1995 to 1997, where he acted as their head of licensing and created the league's merchandise program. MLS secured over 50 national partners and reached $50 million in MLS-licensed sales in just its second season.

Bernstein became a partner in Pro Access Group in 1997 and created a platform of marketing campaigns to mark significant achievements in sports history. He went on to represent several, including Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, and Barry Bonds.

Bernstein's involvement with Singh and Patel is the basis for the film Million Dollar Arm . Bernstein is portrayed by Jon Hamm. [1]

Reality contest

Bernstein set up an Indian reality TV contest called The Million Dollar Arm [2] which was aired on Zee Sports (Now, TEN Action). [3] The winner received a prize of $100,000 [2] with an opportunity to win $1 million United States dollars [3] in a bonus round afterward. Additionally, the winner received formal training in the United States with the possibility of being selected as a pitcher for a Major League Baseball team. The two 2008 winners, Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel, were signed to the Pittsburgh Pirates. [2] While Patel returned to India, and hopes to play for the India national baseball team, Singh has remained in the United States. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Garber</span> Major League Soccer commissioner

Donald P. Garber is an American sports executive who has served as the Commissioner of Major League Soccer since 1999. Garber is also the CEO of Soccer United Marketing and a member of the United States Soccer Federation board of directors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom House</span> American baseball player and coach

Thomas Ross House is an American former left-handed relief pitcher in Major League Baseball, as well as an author and a pitching coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Complex League Pirates</span> Minor league baseball team

The Florida Complex League Pirates are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Pirates. The team plays its home games in Bradenton, Florida, at the Pirate City complex. The team is composed mainly of players who are in their first year of professional baseball either as draftees or non-drafted free agents from the United States, Canada, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and other countries.

The following is a history of the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 Pittsburgh Pirates season</span> Major League Baseball season

The 2008 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 127th season of the franchise; the 122nd in the National League. This was their eighth season at PNC Park. It was the first under new president Frank Coonelly, general manager Neal Huntington, and manager John Russell. Unable to improve on their 68–94, last place finish during the 2007 season, the Pirates had not had a winning record or made it to the playoffs since 1992, and finished 67–95 for their 16th straight losing season. The season was the final of play-by-play announcer Lanny Frattare, whose 33-year tenure as Pirates' broadcaster was the longest in franchise history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradenton Marauders</span> Minor league baseball team

The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as the Pirates' spring training facility.

India national baseball team is the national men's team of India in international-level baseball competitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season</span> Major League Baseball team season

The 2009 Pittsburgh Pirates season was the 128th season of the franchise and the 123rd in the National League. This was their ninth season at PNC Park. The season is the franchise's second season under the management of John Russell. With this season, the Pirates became the first franchise in professional sports to have a losing record in 17 consecutive seasons, passing the Philadelphia Phillies of 1933–1948 with 16. The Pirates finished sixth and last in the National League Central with a record of 62–99. The Pirates were attempting to improve on their 2008 record, and conquer a winning record and make it to the playoffs for the first time since 1992. However, after going 11–10 in April, the Pirates suffered losing streaks. After an 8-game losing streak on May 3–10, the Pirates never reached above the .500 mark again, and failed to reach their goal.

Rinku Singh Rajput is an Indian professional wrestler and former professional baseball player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Veer Mahaan, or simply Veer, as a member of Indus Sher, alongside Sanga and Jinder Mahal.

Dinesh Kumar Patel is an Indian right-handed baseball pitcher who played in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Along with Rinku Singh, he was the first Indian player ever to sign a contract with a major American baseball team. Neither Patel nor Singh had ever thrown a baseball before beating over 37,000 competitors in The Million Dollar Arm, an Indian reality television show designed to find new baseball talent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerrit Cole</span> American baseball player (born 1990)

Gerrit Alan Cole is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. Cole played for the baseball team at Orange Lutheran High School, and was selected by the Yankees in the first round of the 2008 MLB Draft. Cole opted not to sign, and instead attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he played college baseball for the UCLA Bruins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryan Morris</span> American baseball player (born 1987)

Avery Bryan Morris is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitobash Tripathy</span> Film actor

Pitobash Tripathy, also known simply as Pitobash, is an Indian actor who works in Bollywood films. He is known for his role in the movies I Am Kalam, Begum Jaan, Shor in the City, Mom, the Hollywood film Million Dollar Arm and the National Award-winning Odia film Kalira Atita.

Baseball is played in local clubs, schools and at the university level in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suraj Sharma</span> Indian actor

Suraj Sharma is an Indian actor who made his debut in the 2012 film Life of Pi. Directed by Ang Lee, the film was adapted from the novel of the same name, and earned Sharma critical acclaim as well as a BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination. In 2014, he portrayed Aayan Ibrahim in season 4 of the Showtime series Homeland. From 2018 to 2020, he starred as Rakesh Singh in the CBS comedy-drama series God Friended Me.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Borris</span>

Jeff Borris is a sports agent and attorney who has represented hundreds of Major League Baseball players over the past 30 years. He is considered one of the top baseball salary arbitration experts in the world and has reportedly delivered some of the most lucrative player contracts in baseball history. Clients claim Borris has a way of getting deals done and his 24/7 work ethic is renowned throughout the industry. With over $1 billion worth of contracts negotiated, including breaking the salary barrier multiple times, he is easily one of the most influential managers in baseball history.

<i>Million Dollar Arm</i> 2014 film by Craig Gillespie

Million Dollar Arm is a 2014 American biographical sports drama film directed by Craig Gillespie and produced by Walt Disney Pictures from a screenplay written by Tom McCarthy. The film is based on the true story of baseball pitchers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel who were discovered by sports agent J. B. Bernstein after winning a reality show competition.

<i>Million Dollar Arm</i> (soundtrack) 2014 soundtrack album by A. R. Rahman

Million Dollar Arm (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album of the American biographical sports film of the same name, directed by Craig Gillespie. A. R. Rahman composed all seven of the original songs as well as the score for the film. Artists Iggy Azalea, KT Tunstall, Wale, Sukhwinder Singh, Raghav Mathur have collaborated with the composer for the soundtrack. Kendrick Lamar also recorded a song that is featured only in the film. The soundtrack album was digitally released by Walt Disney Records on May 13, 2014, followed by a CD release on May 19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guru Gobind Singh Sports College, Lucknow</span> Sports college in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh

Guru Gobind Singh Sports College, Lucknow is a residential sports college in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. It offers sports training in football, hockey, wrestling, athletics, badminton, swimming and kabaddi in 6th to 12th standard and with the curriculum of U.P. Board. It is the first sports college established in Uttar Pradesh before Beer Bahadur Singh Sports College in Gorakhpur and Etawah's Saifai Sports College.

References

  1. Kit, Borys (9 May 2012). "Jon Hamm to Star in Sports Drama 'Million Dollar Arm'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "Indian pitchers to make pro debuts". ESPN.com . ESPN Inc. July 13, 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  3. 1 2 "Quest to find the most powerful arm". The Hindu . January 12, 2008. Archived from the original on January 16, 2008. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  4. Kumar, Divyar (June 29, 2011). "Shoot to fame in 30 seconds". The Hindu . Retrieved 5 May 2012.