Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Playing Field Grows for Sports Law Practices

By Patrick Smith
August 01, 2024

More law firms are betting on growing their sports practices amid recent changes in amateur and professional sports, finding it hard to ignore the multi-practice work that teams and leagues can bring to lawyers. Employment and antitrust issues in name, image and likeness (NIL) licensing for NCAA athletes. Private equity investment in teams and leagues. The skyrocketing investment in elite women's sports. Changing media rights deals that will be in the tens of billions.

"The issues have become far more complex, the stakes far more significant, and the players far more global and institutional," Brad Karp, chairman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and a veteran of many sports-related litigations, said. "Corporate interests are playing an increasingly important and visible role, with private equity and sports investment funds becoming intensely engaged participants."

Meanwhile, "courts are also reshaping the sports landscape, with a particular impact on college athletics. Women's sports are ascending and becoming extraordinarily popular and profitable," he noted.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult Coin Image

With each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.

Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws Image

This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.

'Huguenot LLC v. Megalith Capital Group Fund I, L.P.': A Tutorial On Contract Liability for Real Estate Purchasers Image

In June 2024, the First Department decided Huguenot LLC v. Megalith Capital Group Fund I, L.P., which resolved a question of liability for a group of condominium apartment buyers and in so doing, touched on a wide range of issues about how contracts can obligate purchasers of real property.

Fresh Filings Image

Notable recent court filings in entertainment law.

The Article 8 Opt In Image

The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.