Media & Entertainment Law

Kentucky Gets Good Return on Highest Recruiting Budget

Posted on March 27, 2011
Well, at least you can say Calipari gets a decent return on his money.  Kentucky coach John Calipari has brought a team from a third school to the Final Four, joining former Kentucky and current Louisville coach Rick Pitino as the only men to coach three different schools to the Final Four...

New March Madness Scores Big Hit

Posted on March 22, 2011
The NCAA basketball tournament has been a cultural and financial success for years, funding up to 96% of the NCAA's budget for the last few years and generating huge television ratings.  However, there has always been several elements of controversy that have followed the tournament...

March Money Madness

Posted on March 17, 2011
There are as many ways to fill out March Madness brackets as there are people filling them out.  In fact, according to the Houston Chronicle, there are 147.5 quintillion ways to fill one out. And that's just the office pool variety.ARTICLEURLThe NCAA bracket lends itself to all sorts of quick analysis or examples of different ways of looking at college athletics or colleges in general...

Iran Sees Jews Under London Olympics Logo

Posted on March 01, 2011
The logo for the London 2012 Olympics has been criticized repeatedly since its release in June, 2007, but always because of its design.  It has been called everything from "bloody crap" to worse and most reaction seemed to lean charitably towards saying that it was a reminder of the 80s, not that this was necessarily a good thing mind you...

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Real Madrid: World's Highest Grossing Professional Sports Franchise

Posted on February 25, 2011
Most Americans, if asked, would tell you that either the New York Yankees or the Dallas Cowboys were the most profitable teams in professional sports and either of those would be a good guess for an American centric audience.  However, those guesses don't take into account the worldwide phenomenon that is global soccer...

NCAA, UConn, Calhoun and Justice: Where's the Beef

Posted on February 23, 2011
Today was decision day in Storrs as the NCAA Committee on Infractions handed down its alleged punishment of the UConn men's basketball program and head coach Jim Calhoun for violations of NCAA rules in the recruitment of Nate Miles and for failing to create an atmosphere of compliance...

NBA and Marvel TEam Up with Clothing LIne

Posted on February 09, 2011
Marvel comics inspired NBA team covers appeared on ESPN The Magazine's NBA preview edition in the first of the NBA-Marvel partnering efforts.  I'm guessing those covers were a success because the NBA and Marvel have just announced that they are launching a new line of clothing pairing  famous Marvel superheroes with famous NBA teams...

Ohio Valley Conference Exchanging Info with North Alabama

Posted on February 08, 2011
Conference realignment is far from over just because the Big Ten announced that it was satisfied stopping at 12 members.  In fact,  the so-called low major Division I conferences may be the next group to undergo reshuffling, as the moratorium on moving up to Division I is drawing to an end and a number of Division II programs are examining the possibility of moving up, including the University of North Alabama...

It Was a Dog's Night for Super Bowl Ads: Doritos and Bud Light Score Big

Posted on February 07, 2011
The Packers may have won the game on the field, but the game on the screen - the battle for the hearts and minds of the TV ad viewers ended in a tie.  The consumer created Doritos ad featuring a guy who pays big for teasing a hungry pug with Dorito chips finished in a tie atop the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter...

Top 10 Super Bowl Ads for Tonight

Posted on February 06, 2011
To help get you ready for tonight, here are the top 10 ads, as determined by Mae Anderson, business reporter for the AP:BEST BUY: Odd couple Justin Bieber and Ozzy Osbourne will star in the electronics seller's Super Bowl debut in the third quarter that promotes a new program where Best Buy will buy back electronics when customers decide to upgrade...

Football Signing Day: When High School Seniors Sign Away Their Futures in Return for Nothing

Posted on February 02, 2011
The first Wednesday of February is the first day of the annual signing period for NCAA Division I football players during which prospective student athletes sign copies of the National Letter of Intent indicating their commitment to attend the school of their choice and fax the letter into the football coach of the chosen school...

AEG Secures $700 Million Naming Rights Deal for LA NFL Stadium

Posted on February 01, 2011
AEG, the sports and entertainment megafirm, which owns the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Staples Center, among other things, is set to announce a $700 million dollar naming rights deal with Farmers Insurance for a NFL stadium to be built in downtown Los Angeles...

Former Player Sues Anaheim Ducks for Anti-Semitism

Posted on January 27, 2011
Jason Bailey, formerly a forward for the Bakersfield Condors, the then ECHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks. has filed suit against the Ducks alleging that he was the victim of anti-Semitic treatment while he was a member of the Condors.  The complaint, filed in Orange County, California, names the Ducks, the Condors, Martin Raymond and Mark Pederson, the then head coach and assistant coach of the Condors as defendants and seeks unspecified damages...

Wall Street Bulls Hope for Jets Loss

Posted on January 23, 2011
You would think that the Jets would have a lot of fans on Wall Street.  After all, they're a brash, trash talking, media hogging perpetual underdog team that should remind traders of themselves, and well they might.  However, no matter how many Wall Street denizens are actually fans of the Jets, there will be a part of them that will be secretly rooting for the Steelers; and if you have money in the market, you should become a gold and black fan for the day too...

New Jersey is West of What Exactly?

Posted on January 19, 2011
The great conference realignment that college athletics has been undergoing over the last five or six years, triggered first by the ACC raid on the Big East and most recently by the Big Ten's decision to expand to twelve, has led to some interesting geographic permutations...

Lieberman, a True Original and First Woman Coach in the D League

Posted on January 13, 2011
When the farm team of the Dallas Mavericks was in a start-up this past year, co-owner Donnie Nelson was looking for ways to stand out in the Dallas/Frisco Texas market.  The Texas Legends began play in the NBDL this season in Frisco, a suburb of Dallas, about 30 miles north and previously known primarily as the home of the MLS Cup runner-up FC Dallas...

Rose Parade as Economic Indicator

Posted on January 02, 2011
This year's Rose Bowl was memorable for a variety reasons, not the least of which was the win by TCU, at least for this year a representative of non-automatic BCS qualifying schools.  Of course, TCU is joining the Big East, so its representation of the non AQ will be short-lived...

Merry Christmas and Shabbat Shalom Weekend Reading Edition

Posted on December 25, 2010
Just in case you have a little time on your hands and want to escape the crush of relatives this weekend, or live in the Midwest or Europe and need a respite from the snow storms, here are a few stories that caught my eye this week that I think you will find interesting:ARTICLEURLToronto Maple Leaf fans turn to Eggos to express their frustration with management (Globe & MailVanity Fair sits down with Sid the Kid in advance of the Winter Classic (Ovetchkin interview in print edition (VF)Money may buy the Yankees pennants, but it won't buy NFL titles (NYTimes)Don't hit anybody with your ball or club on a golf course in New York or you'll pay (NYTimes via Sports Law Blog)Starting January 2, Florida Panthers are offering a money-back guarantee that you'll have a good time at their games, not that they will win, mind you, just that you'll have a good time (Sun-Sentinel Business of Sports)ESPN says Bud Selig wants a salary cap (ESPN via The Big Lead)

Hawai'i Makes it Official; Boise State Rejoins the WAC

Posted on December 11, 2010
Okay, the headline is a bit misleading - Boise State didn't officially rejoin the WAC, but with Hawai'i now joining the Mountain West for football only that makes four schools that have left the WAC for the Mountain West.  With Utah, BYU and TCU leaving the MWC, the reputation of the conference in the eyes of the football world now rests on Boise State and Nevada, just like the WAC did before the four schools decamped...

Reid Trying to Stick Online Poker Legalization into Tax Bill

Posted on December 08, 2010
Say what you will about the tax cut deal cut capitulation by the President, and I tend towards calling it abject surrender by the President to Senator Howdy Doody from KY (for those of you under the age of 50, Mitch McConnell closely resembles a certain marionette who was a breakout children's TV star of the early '50s), the implementation bill may be the vehicle for legalization of online poker, or so hopes the casino industry's favorite Senator...

Possible Sale of Three NHL Clubs Highlights Difference Between Rich and Poor

Posted on December 07, 2010
As the NHL Board of Governors gathers for its winter meetings, the sale of three clubs tops the agenda.  The sale by the league of the Phoenix Coyotes is the most urgent since should a sale not close by the end of this month, the Commissioner Gary Bettman has said that the club is free to leave Arizona...

Hornets Sold to NBA as No One Found to Buy Team

Posted on December 06, 2010
The NBA is buying the New Orleans Hornets from George Shinn and Gary Chouest, as Shinn was unable to complete a deal with minority owner Chouest.  It's likely that the combination of financing difficulties and the uncertainties surrounding the Hornets lease at the New Orleans Arena made the deal untenable for Chouest...

TCU and the Big East - A Shotgun Marriage that Just Might Work

Posted on November 30, 2010
I know it's been quite a while since I posted anything but a combination of family matters and personal health issues has kept me away from the keyboard.  Hopefully, that's behind me now and posting will resume on a more regular basis, if not quite as frequent as in the past...

NCAA Sued Ov er One Year Scholarships

Posted on October 26, 2010
The NCAA just has a knack for finding itself in court.  I think it may because it is an academic organization composed of college presidents who, for the most part, have never been outside of academia and as a result don't always think through the practical ramifications of the policies that they decide to put into place...

The NBA, ESPN, Marvel and You

Posted on October 21, 2010
You didn't think the NBA was going to let the NHL have the entire comics stand to itself did you?  Of course not.  The NBA, in conjunction with broadcast and digital partner ESPN and its corporate parent Disney, which now owns Marvel, has brought to the basketball and comics fans in all of us the Marvel inspired variant covers for each NBA team for its NBA preview edition of ESPN The Magazine...

It IS the Shoes; NBA Bans New Shoe

Posted on October 20, 2010
The NBA has long banned performance enhancing drugs and now it has, for the first time in league history, banned a performance enhancing shoe.  The new Concept 1 shoe by Athletic Propulsion Labs, a $300 basketball shoe containing a spring-based system said to enhance a wearer's vertical leap by as much as 31/2 inches...

NHL to Roll Out Superheroes In Conjunction with Stan Lee

Posted on October 11, 2010
ARTICLEURLYou have to hand it to Gary Bettman when he comes up with a good marketing idea and this one should be an excellent entree to young boys who may now not be tuned into hockey.  The NHL in conjunction with Stan Lee are going to be rolling out a series of 30 superheroes called the Guardians, one in each NHL city, as part of the Guardian Project...

As Keeneland Opens, the Lack of Casino Gambling's Effect on Kentucky Racing is More Evident Than Ever

Posted on October 08, 2010
ARTICLEURLKeeneland opens its Fall Meet today in a weekend whirlwind of nine graded stakes featuring five Grade I stakes, with eight of the nine races being "Win and You're In" Breeder's Cup specials.  The strong weekend of stakes masks a continuation of the downturn in Kentucky racing and breeding that has been evident since the Churchill Downs spring meet, continuing through the just concluded Turfway meet and Keeneland's September yearling sale...

Liverpool to Be Sold to the Red Sox; the HIcks Nightmare is Over

Posted on October 06, 2010
The calendar has not been turned back several months and today is not April 1.  The owner of the Boston Red Sox, New England Sports Ventures, has apparently won a bid to purchase Liverpool FC despite opposition from the current owners Tom Hicks and George  Gillett...

Tuesday Tidbits One Day Early

Posted on October 04, 2010
Okay, I can read a calendar but it's a little hectic around here right now (political campaigns we're working on are heading to the wire) so you get some reading links early:ARTICLEURLIs Tampa Bay a bad sports town or are all those empty seats just due to the economy (TBO Online)US Supreme Court let stand ruling granting the interlocking letters "SC" trademark to Southern Cal and not to South Carolina ending a 13 year legal battle (LA Times)Athletes use of 3D technology (NYTimes)Grunting and tennis: it's all good (Paul Kedrosky)Casinos reconsidering opposition to online gambling, at least online poker (NYTimes)Florida State faces a new problem post-Bowden: shrinking attendance (Chopping Block)Sales of NBA jerseys by region: Kobe leading seller in China, Europe and US (Sports Business Digest)

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