Sports Biz

Frank Caliendo

Anyone who has been watching the baseball postseason on TBS has undoubtedly seen commercials for the upcoming season of Frank TV--the show starring impersonator Frank Caliendo.

Some fans and journalists, most notably Chris Mottram of SportingNews.com, have complained about the amount of times the Caliendo spots run. But the bottom line is that Caliendo’s run is quite amazing to watch.

He’s got a TV show, which will debut its second season on Oct. 21 (Yes, I know that by heart). He’s constantly doing stand-up routines around the country. He’s a no-brainer booking for Letterman and Leno and he’s a popular call-up by corporate America at parties.

He has an endorsement deal with the Dish Network and his voice can be heard on Midway Games’ new football video game, “Blitz, the League II,” which debuts on Monday.

The “Blitz” deal should be interesting particularly since the company is clearly using his services as a jab to Electronic Arts, whose big football game is of course endorsed by John Madden. Madden is arguably Caliendo’s best impression and Caliendo’s voice just happens to appear in the game as a color commentator and the voice of the offensive coordinator.

Caliendo might be protected by the First Amendment, but earlier this year Dish went to court as a pre-emptive strike against representation for both Madden and Charles Barkley after the company believed the two were going to sue for Caliendo’s impressions in its ads.

That’s despite the fact that Madden told Time Magazine in July he that he doesn’t mind Caliendo, who has been in even more demand as Madden since Brett Favre came out of his brief retirement.

“It’s always said that I don’t like him,” Madden told the publication. “I’ve never said that. The guy’s making a living. That’s his job and he’s a good little comedian.”

When Caliendo appears in advertisements or endorsements, he’s obviously indemnified by the organizations that pay him. Though, for what it’s worth, Barry Katz, Caliendo’s manager and executive producer of Frank TV, told me that when he was taping the voices for Blitz “he did not go out there and do Madden.” Rather, Katz calls it “a conglomeration of weird stuff.”

Still, you can imagine that hearing even a semblance of Madden probably riles up execs at Electronic Arts

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[ERTS  Loading...      ()   ], who thought that no other company was ever going to make a football game after they bought the exclusive NFL license in Dec. 2004.

It’s not like Blitz is expected to blow the doors out. Though I’m still impressed that they managed to sell 1.5 million copies over three years with no NFL team names, logos or players.

Aside from exploding helmets, broken bones, torn ligaments, flying teeth, blood, touchdown celebrations and everything the NFL doesn’t want you to have, Midway is now bringing Caliendo to try to move the needle a little more. As a guy who likes the underdog, I respect that. Can’t wait to hear what EA has to say.

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