Media & Entertainment Law

NCAA Smacks Penn State but No Death Penalty

Posted on July 23, 2012
ARTICLEURL In a fairly dramatic press conference, NCAA president Mark Emmert and Ed Reed, chairman of the Executive Committee and president of Oregon State announced sanctions which Penn State has agreed that the NCAA is imposing in response to the criminal acts of Jerry Sandusky and his four immediate superiors...

TelevisionAl Jazeera intends to

Posted on May 31, 2012
TelevisionAl Jazeera intends to build a global sports brand, even bidding for UK rights to Premier League games (Reuters)NBC laid out its Olympics coverage including live streaming of every event on NBCOlympics.com and 242 hours of 3D coverage on one delay (Engadget) BaseballNo wonder the Marlins and Rays have had attendance problems;  Florida baseball fans' favorite team is not located in Florida (NESN)Call it the Dodgers effect, Padres owner want $800 million for the team that only averages 24,000 fans a game (Forbes)Frank McCourt just won't go away; currently being investigated by federal grand jury for financial irregularities with the Dodgers (BleacherReport)FootballOne of the unfortunate consequences of conference realignment is the ending of decades old rivalries...

Can Indy Cars Ever Be Relevant Again?

Posted on May 27, 2012
How to make Indy Cars relevant again (RealClearSports)ARTICLEURL Jeremy Lin wins trademark to Linsanity (Bloomberg)Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey aims to pick a fight with the Feds over sports gambling, and its an election year in case you might have forgotten, (Dan Wetzel)Ten richest sporting events in the world, according to Forbes, and number is not what you think (Forbes)Why was the SEC in such a hurry to get Texas A&M and Missouri to join last year? To enable the league to reopen TV talks and focus on the launch of a SEC network (FS South via Football Rumor Mill)Streaking is apparently back, at least in St...

NFL and Players Back in Court

Posted on May 24, 2012
ARTICLEURL NFLPA sues NFL claiming collusion in imposing secret salary cap during the 2010 uncapped year, claiming recent punishment of Redskins and Cowboys as evidence; will face procedural issue (Yahoo)In other courtroom news, former UCLA basketball player Reeves Nelson has filed a $10 million defamation suit against Sports Illustrated for an article that ran a couple of months ago (LA Times)Sports celebs are founding investors in stealth startup 12Society, as founders not spokesmen (Fortune)Istanbul, Tokyo and Madrid shortlisted for 2020 Olympics following cuts of Doha, Qatar and Baku, Azerbaijan (Bloomberg)Are the Yankees up for sale and is the asking price in excess of $3 Billion?  (NY Daily News)...

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Reprecussions of Conference Realignment Still Flowing

Posted on May 23, 2012
SEC examining forming its own network again (CBSSports)ARTICLEURL The WPS calls it quits, drawing down the curtain on premier level women's professional soccer in the US (footiebusiness)Manchester United may have lost the Premier League but it's still tops the Brand Finance 50 most valuable soccer clubs worldwide (Brand Directory)BMO Harris Bank acquires naming rights to Milwaukee's Bradley Center for more than  $1 million per year for six years (Journal Sentinel via Sports Business News)In the wake of last season's epic brawl, Cincinnati and Xavier agree to move the Crosstown Shootout to a neutral site for the next two years (ESPN)Dicier Drogba wins Champions League but says he will leave Chelsea when his contract ends this summer (FoxSoccer)...

The NBA Actually Made Money on the Hornets

Posted on May 21, 2012
NBA made money on Sale of the Hornets (Forbes)ARTICLEURL  I'll Have Another runs down Bodemeister at the finish line again.  See the race replay (Daily Racing Form)No Affirmed -Alydar replay as Bodemeister is wisely skipping the Belmont (Herald-Leader)The Warriors are heading back to San Francisco (warriorrsworld)Old Dominion becomes third school to depart the Colonial Athletic Conference, this time for C-USA: CAA to departing schools: You don't want to play with us, then we don't want to play with you (ESPN)Babe Ruth 1920 Yankees road jersey sells for $4...

Conference Roulette Rolls On

Posted on May 19, 2012
ARTICLEURL Conference roulette rolls on with VCU leaving the CAA for the A-10 and Big West open to Boise State joining along with SDSU (ESPN)FAMUBoard of Trustees suspends marching band for at least the upcoming school year in the wake of band hazing death (Orlando Sentinel)Key to the Northwestern soccer dynasty may be summer camps in the Northeast (NYT) Bodemeister is 8-5 in post 7; I'll Have Another at 5-2 in post 9 ...

ARTICLEURL Minnesota Senate gave

Posted on May 15, 2012
ARTICLEURL Minnesota Senate gave final approval to Vikings new $975 million stadium (Star Tribune via Sports Business News)Is Florida State heading to the Big 12 as conference roulette rolls on? (Yahoo, Orlando Sentinel)Is Boise reconsidering its move to the Big East? (CBS Sports)Fresh on the heel of the Lingerie Football League, we have the Bikini Hockey League (Bob's Blitz)The USFL returns, but as a minor league on par with the NBA D-League (Sports Business Digest)New York Times sells remaining interest in Fenway Sports Group, owner of the Red Sox and Liverpool FC (Yahoo)ESPN is bringing back 30 for 30 for a new season of 15 documentaries starting this fall (NYT)USA Today is out with its annual database of collegiate athletic finances (USA Today)Why sports TV rights fees keep growing (Eric Crawford)The Rick's blog is back as he humorously discusses what the Cards need to do in offseason (Rick Pitino)ACC-Big Ten Challenge matchups announced featuring Maryland at Northwestern (ESPN)Is Madison Square Garden ($MSG) a buy right now (Insider Monkey)

Links for the Weekend

Posted on May 12, 2012
Here's a collection of links for your weekend pleasure.  If I have missed something that you've been reading, please pass it along.ARTICLEURL Houston Dynamo finally get a home game and unveil their brand new BBVA Compass Stadium (SI),Check out a gallery of photos of the new stadium, along with an interesting look at the Dynamo's ownership (Houston Chronicle)Do wins in college football translate into better fundraising for the school? (Birmingham News)ESPN and ACC agree to new media rights deal through 2026 ( ACC Sports Journal)Has MLS peaked as a sports entity already? (footiebusiness...

Post Derby Edition

Posted on May 09, 2012
ARTICLEURL The post Derby honeymoon didn't last too long in either Derby City or at Churchill Downs. By Monday morning, the bloom was already off the roses, except for shareholders of Churchill Downs.Derby sets attendance, on track and all source wagering records, remarkable for a race with less than normal pre-race buzz (DRF)TV ratings were also up; third most watched since 1989 (Business First)$CHDN reports record revenue and net earnings for first quarter (DRF)Full Preakness field with plenty of newcomers awaits Derby winner who arrived at Pimlico yesterday (WaPo)Groom found dead in stall at Churchill Downs on morning after Derby in apparent homicide (C-J)Winning trainer has a somewhat less than illustrious past on the racetrack; winning owner's fortune arose from sub-prime lending and legal loansharking (Eric Crawford)In news unrelated to the Kentucky Derby:Stop me if you've heard this before, NHL announces tentative deal to sell Coyotes (ESPN) Why college football should be banned, and he's not totally wrong (WSJ)Big East Commissioner John Marinatto is forced to resign (ESPN)Big XII presidents agree to 13 year, $200 million TV deal with ESPN/Fox (CBSSports)With TV contract settled, new commissioner and long-term stability, will the Big XII now look at expansion and do we get to play more of the who goes where game? First bet still Louisville; most intriguing new rumor: Clemson and Florida State  (KC Star)

Links for Today

Posted on May 04, 2012
ARTICLEURL Rise of American Football in the Holy Land (Post Game) Reality TV comes to Liverpool (NYT) Conference rouletter rolls on; this time around it's the conferences other than the Big Six.(CBSSports) Perhaps baseball's best closer ever career may be coming to an end due to freakish accident (NYT)Sacramento's continuing arena problems put Kings closer and closer to moving to Seattle (Seattle Times)via (SBN) X Games expanding to six cities on three continents for 2013 (Sports Business) Tanking, Incentives and the NBA (Sports Law Blog) Allegations against Billy Hunter of the NBPA and what it tells us about US labor law and player unions (Concurring Opinions) Minnesota governoralleges secret deal between Vikings and Republican legislators over new stadium for Vikings, paranoia? (Forbes )Historic Calumet Farm, breeder of nine Kentucky Derby winners is sold for $35 million (C-J)Another rivalry bites the dust; this time Kentucky-Indiana basketball game won't be played in dispute over location...

Links for Your Enjoyment

Posted on May 01, 2012
I realize it's been quite a while since I posted (perhaps the understatement of the year, at least by me)but there have been a variety of factors that went it that which I won't bore you with now. Suffice it to say, that I hope to resume a more regular posting schedule, with one significant change...

Baseball Realignment: A Lot of Motion for One Game

Posted on November 18, 2011
This quarter's baseball meetings will be memorable for Bud Selig upsetting the natural order of things as he caught the realignment bug from the NCAA.  In order to create more inventory for baseball's television partners, Selig forced the Houston Astros to move to the American League West,  more on that in a moment, added a new wild card team and fundamentally altered inter-league play...

NBA Should Change Its Calendar

Posted on October 31, 2011
As I was running errands this afternoon, I was listening to Bob Valvano's talk show.  He has an afternoon talk show on the local ESPN affiliate and does an overnight show for ESPN radio on the weekends.  If you don't know Bob, he also does color commentary for ESPN during basketball season, and the occassional football game, as well as the local (Big East Network, for now) broadcast of Louisville games...

NCAA Takes Steps In Athlete's Favor

Posted on October 27, 2011
The NCAA Board of Directors approved a proposal to allow schools to distribute up to $2,000 a year or the full cost of attendance, whichever is less, to student-athletes in "head count" sports, i.e. men's and women's basketball, football, and those in " equivalency sports" who reach the full value of a scholarship...

Conference Roulette May Jeopardize College's Tax Exemption

Posted on October 24, 2011
Before I dive into the topic of the post, let me first say a word or two about the absence of recent posting.  I realize it's been a while and I want to apologize for that.  A combination of health issues, all now since resolved, thank you, and family matters have consumed my time for the last couple of months and I just haven't been able to devote any time to the blog...

Tressel Just a Symbol of the Cesspool of College Athletics

Posted on June 03, 2011
I feel compelled to say something about "The Vest's" departure from tOSU since it has dominated the discussion in American sports this week.  It has even overshadowed to a significant degree the opening of both the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals (the opener proving just how exciting a 0-0 game can be  the only goal was scored with 16 seconds left in regulation), So, where to begin?I was not terribly surprised at what was his likely forced resignation, something which I believe should have happened months ago...

The Mets' Sale: Should Mets Fans Be Happy?

Posted on May 29, 2011
The Wilpon brothers, who are majority owners of the New York Mets are in final negotiations with billionaire hedge fund manager David Einhorn to sell a 30-33% interest in the team to him for a reported $200 million.  The deal supposedly includes a provision allowing Einhorn to purchase an additional 27-30% in three years, so that he would then own 60% at the same valuation...

ARTICLEURL Vancouver Canucks fans

Posted on May 26, 2011
ARTICLEURL Vancouver Canucks fans celebrated long into the nit when the Canucks reached the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 17 years. Fans in Canada also got their first Canadian finalist since 2007, although there are many Maple Leafs and Canadiens fans who just can't bring themselves to root for the west coast upstart...

Derby 137 One for the Ages

Posted on May 09, 2011
The Kentucky Derby is often referred to as the Greatest Two Minutes in Sports and it lived up to its nickname again on Saturday in a race that featured 21-1 shot Animal Kingdom come roaring down the homestretch from out of nowhere to take the garland of roses by almost three lengths...

Real Madrid Wins Copa del Rey

Posted on April 21, 2011
Real Madrid defeated archrival and likely La Liga champion Barcelona 1-0 in the Copa del Rey final, winning the trophy for the first time in 18 years.  So, what do champions do?  They have a parade of course and show off the trophy to their fans...

NHL lands $1.9 Billion TV Deal with NBC and Versus

Posted on April 21, 2011
It's TV day here at SportsBiz.  The latest TV news is word of the NHL's new TV agreement.  The current agreement with NBC and Versus expiring this year paid about $70 million a year from Versus and no rights fee from NBC.  The NBC deal was a time share arrangement...

NBA Playoffs Off to Record TV Ratings

Posted on April 21, 2011
The early games in the first round of the NBA playoffs have had a little something for everyone.  You've had underdogs winning on the road, close games all around and the return of the Knicks to the playoffs.  The result has been record television ratings for TNT and ESPN/ABC...

King James Comes to Liverpool

Posted on April 07, 2011
LeBron james is going global by going to Boston.  LRMR Marketing, his and Maverick Carter's marketing company is forming a partnership with Fenway Sports Management, a subsidiary of Fenway Sports Group, the holding company formed by John Henry and Tom Werner that owns the Boston Red Sox, the regional cable television channel NESN, 50% of Fenway Roush Racing, a NASCAR racing team and the iconic English Premier League club Liverpool FC...

Tuesday Tidbits, Wednesday Edition

Posted on April 06, 2011
I know I haven't done this in a while but I will try to be a little better about it going forward.  In any event, here is this week's installment, which started on Tuesday but didn't get published until Wednesday:ARTICLEURLNCAA tournament thrives with four networks, ratings best since 2005, although championship game was down from last year's big ratings win (NYT)Analysis of the decisions in the two suits brought by the different(indicted or not) groups of Duke lacrosse players (Sports Law)Welcome to the international growth of sports talk radio: Israel Sports Radio (Sports Marketing & PR)Is contraction back on baseball's agenda and are the Tampa Bay Rays the target? (Forbes)New York area team chapters of Professional Hockey Writers Association refusing to vote on end of season awards in support of Islander blogger-member whose credentials were pulled (Columbus Dispatch)Real Salt Lake becomes first MLS team to make finals of CONCACAF Champions League; winner of tourney gets spot in Club World Cup (SI...

NCAA: Bring Back the Death Penalty

Posted on April 05, 2011
Tonight, we have a national championship game that in some sense presents the dilemma facing the NCAA in microcosm.  On the one hand, you have UConn, a relative power in the game representing the Big East, a BCS member conference, the best conference in basketball and one that is deep in bed with both ESPN and CBS...

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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