Inside the NBA with Suzanne Spellacy, General Counsel of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Lynx and T-Wolves Gaming
The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: NBA Star Luka Doncic Goes Hard in the Paint and Seeks to Cancel Mom’s Trademark (Part 2)
The Pitch newsletter is a monthly update of legal issues and news affecting or related to the music, film and television, fine arts, media, professional athletics, eSports, and gaming industries. The Pitch features a diverse...more
Floyd Mayweather finds himself deep into a lawsuit, as fraud and theft claims have been put against his name. The American boxer and rapper Tyga are now part of a suit by Leonard Sulaymanov, who has alleged the non-payment of...more
In Rogers Media Inc et al v John Doe 1 et al, 2024 FC 1082, the Federal Court (Canada) (the Court) issued the first site-blocking judgment allowing the applicants to simultaneously protect live content in multiple sports...more
Women’s soccer. Pickleball. Indoor golf. Even bull riding is a target for private equity money flowing into the sports business. Deals now span far beyond investing in the four major US professional leagues. That’s...more
The breach of contract trial against a woman claiming to be Jerry Jones’ daughter is scheduled to start next Monday, and the Cowboys owner is expected to testify on the witness stand....more
One of the best examples I have recently seen on the power of data driven compliance is playing out in real time in the NBA. It is the Jontay Porter betting scandal. This event had driven home why transparency, coupled with...more
A third attorney team representing World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. stockholders has signaled a tag-in for a widening Delaware Court of Chancery rumble with founder Vincent McMahon and top company officials and directors...more
World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. has settled an antitrust lawsuit brought in CA federal court by rival MLW Media LLC that accused the entertainment giant of monopolizing pro wrestling broadcasts in the U.S., after WWE...more
With three games on Thanksgiving Day and another on Black Friday, the NFL was likely a predominant discussion point in many households this past holiday weekend. However, these discussions were probably focused on the actual...more
Whom does the union represent? The National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association, the players’ union, recently agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement. The negotiations and...more
Private equity firms, financial sponsors, and sovereign wealth funds continue to invest in global sports organizations. Financial sponsor–led investments were more prevalent at the beginning of the century in Europe and...more
That's a good thing. On April 1, the National Basketball Association and National Basketball Players Association announced that they had reached an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. The new deal, which...more
As cryptocurrency and blockchain technology continue their way into the mainstream, one key industry that stands out for its adoption of blockchain technology is professional sports. Professional leagues and teams have been...more
Welcome back to the...— Is there anything you want to say to me? ...Are you sure...? ...You forgot, didn’t you...? Well let me remind you... It’s the first anniversary of this often irreverent, at times poignant,...more
Welcome back to the Spotlight and oh-me, oh-my, do we have a full slate of developments in the National Football League (NFL) – and that’s to say nothing of what happened on the field, with the Cincinnati Bengals and Los...more
The recent termination of Portland Trail Blazers General Manager Neil Olshey has brought workplace culture and bullying to the forefront of professional sports’ front offices nationwide. As shown in the Olshey case, teams...more
Athletes and entertainers are people, too. Albeit, incredibly talented people, but deserving of the same treatment with dignity and respect as how we would want ourselves to be treated. For better or worse, sometimes their...more
Today, there are new opportunities to own a bit of sports history. It is now possible to even own a digital collectible of your favorite athlete making a play during a game. NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are being used to...more
As readers from last week will recall, we spent some time examining the notion of credibility. One week later, we’re witnessing what credibility (or lack thereof) hath wrought on our subjects. Bob Baffert? Banned from New...more
First and foremost (and not to detract from Sir Anthony Hopkins—lest I incur the wrath of Hannibal Lecter himself), the late Chadwick Boseman should have won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black...more
Happy Thursday and a big congratulations to the Stanford Cardinal and the Baylor Bears on their respective NCAA Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournament wins (the latter of which helped yours truly place second in our Firm’s...more
March is over, a new month begins. Congrats on the Final Four to the Zags, Cougars, Bears and Bruins. Opening Day is upon us, it’s time to play ball, And battle for the World Series title deep into the fall. Enough setting...more
If you haven’t heard about NBA Top Shot yet, you soon will. It is one of the fastest growing online marketplaces for buying and selling Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs. NFTs are a type of cryptocurrency built on blockchain...more
We’ve all been there—that incredible moment when our favorite team is driving down the field for the go-ahead touchdown, has runners in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth inning, or has a penalty kick in the 89th...more