Media & Entertainment Law

Brandon Knight to Kentucky Starting a Trend (And Not The One You Think)

Posted on April 20, 2010
Brandon Knight is the consensus nunber one high school basketball player of this year's senior class and was perhaps the most sought after recruit this season.  He announced the other day that he would attend Kentucky, following the path to Calipari trod by Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans and John Wall...

Yum! and KFC Name a New Bucket

Posted on April 19, 2010
Yum! and its wholly owned subsidiary KFC bought naming rights to the new Louisville Arena for a relatively modest ten year $13.5 million, in a deal announced today by the company and the University of Louisville who will be the prime tenant in the arena...

Kroenke Exercise Option to Buy Rams; Arsenal May Be in Play

Posted on April 18, 2010
Stan Kroenke, the billionaire by marriage owner of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche, not to mention a significant stake in Arsenal of the English Premier League, which we will get to later, has decided to exercise his option to purchase the equity interests in the St...

Philly Paper Offers Online Fantasy Gambling

Posted on April 14, 2010
The once unbreakable line against legal sports betting in this country continues to show significant cracks.  The latest breach appears in the online version of the Philadelphia Daily News.  The paper is offering an online fantasy gaming outlet called "Instant Fantasy Sports Games" in partnership with FanDuel...

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Liverpool FC for Sale

Posted on April 12, 2010
The disposition of Tom Hicks' sports empire rolls on, as the debt problems of the former privater equity king continues on unabated.  Following the sale of the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers, Hicks and 50% partner George Gillett are being forced into a sale of the Premier League club Liverpool as a condition imposed by Royal Bank of Scotland to extend the maturity debt of loans owed to it from the club and the two owners relating to the owners purchase of the club...

Say Goodbye to Cowboys Stadium

Posted on April 12, 2010
Yesterday, before a festive tailgating crowd who came to say goodbye to an old friend and following an honorary fireworks display Cowboys Stadium was imploded in a stunning display of engineering destruction.  In case you missed it and haven't yet seen the videos flying around the 'net, here is a chopper view of the implosion:Watch this video on VideoSurf or see more Videos or Chopper VideosYARTICLEURLYARTICLEURL

Monday Morning Links

Posted on April 12, 2010
These were the stories I was reading over the weekend while watching Phil cop a third green jacket (does he really get three jackets or do they just bring out his old one and slip it on him?):Ky's Attorney General and favorite for the US Senate appears to have a Derby starter, after his colt, named after deceased childhood best friend, wins the Bluegrass Stakes - at 40-1 (C-J) Manchester United lost 15 million Pounds by losing in the Champions League quarterfinals (SportsBusiness)NCAA's long nightmare is now over, UND retires the Fighting Sioux nickname, mostly (Grand Forks Herald, WSJ)Cubs new club seats a mere $24,300 per year, minimum two required (Medill Reports)Kansas jumps into the seat mortgaging scheme known as "equity seat rights" to renovate football stadium (Topeka Capital-Journal) It's just what the football world needs, another bowl game (Dallas News) Giants holding Tweetup at their April 30 game with the Rockies, featuring a pregame panel discussion with Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and others (Business of Sports)Not to be missed profile of women who raised the consciousness about brain trauma and the NFL (NYT)What were you reading?

Kentucky Sues to Recover Online Gaming Losses

Posted on April 07, 2010
The Great Commonwealth of Kentucky is at again.  Governor Steve Beshear, whose administration is so far best known for being unable to get a casino gaming bill through the General Assembly despite public opinion polls overwhelmingly in favor, has once again decided to take on the online gaming industry...

Sports Betting Hedge Fund launched

Posted on April 05, 2010
You may have thought that all hedge fund strategies had been tried and, well, found perhaps somewhat wanting during the Great Recession.  However, you would have been underestimating the ingenuity of those wizards of Wall Street and The City who are always dreaming up new ways to separate you and your money...

Is A Bigger March Madness A Better March Madness?

Posted on April 05, 2010
Springtime in Indianapolis usually turns Hoosier thoughts to crankcases  and drivetrains but this year, the Indy 500 will have to wait until May.  The hometown Butler Bulldogs have made the national championship game and Naptown is all abuzz...

CBS Dream Year Continues Through Final Four

Posted on April 05, 2010
Whatever CBS President Leslie Moonves is drinking or smoking, we should all have just a little, as CBS Sports dream year continues.  CBS starts the year with Super Bowl XLIV, which not only produced drama, excitement and a dream come true for a city that richly deserved it, but was the most viewed television program in history...

Arena Football is Back

Posted on April 03, 2010
The all new Arena Football League made its debut tonight in Des Moines Iowa as the Iowa Barnstormers played the good host to the Chicago Rush, losing 61-43.  This game was not only the debut of the new league but serves as a great example of the identity of the new league, which consists of 15 franchises located in a combination of cities that were participants in both the former Arena Football League and its subsidiary AF2...

Monday Musings

Posted on March 29, 2010
It's going to be Monday musings by other folks we're having a few links to start the week:Nice work if you can get it, Kansas athletic director making more than Bill Self (Sports Economist)Are personal seat licenses coming to Wrigley Field? (Crain's Business)MSG airs Rangers in first network 3D hockey game, but who was watching? (Darren Rovell)Believe it or not, we actually have one fewer bowl game, RIP International Bowl (Brian Bennett)CKX, Inc...

More Details and a Clearer Winner Emerge on MLS Labor Accord

Posted on March 25, 2010
The new MLS Collective Bargaining Agreement salvaged the on time opening of the season, and the debut of the new Philadelphia Union at year old, and league success, Seattle Sounders.  Unfortunately for MLS, the debut will take place Thursday night opposite perhaps the most attractive Sweet Sixteen Regional matchup between Cornell and Kentucky...

The Real Driver To a 96 Team March Semi-Madness

Posted on March 23, 2010
There has been a lot of watercooler, spilled ink and digital space taken up in the last month in discussions about the possibility of the NCAA expanding the basketball tournament to 96 teams.  The primary reason for any expansion seems to be the possibility of a greatly enhanced television contract from CBS (with a cable partner) or ESPN...

UCF Finally a Nike School

Posted on March 23, 2010
You may remember the stir caused last year when Marcus Jordan, son of you know who, a basketball player at the University of Central Florida, refused to wear the adidas shoes that all players were supposed to wear in accordance with the schools exclusive contract with adidas...

Carolina Again Most Valuable College BBall Program

Posted on March 20, 2010
Winning the national championship sure does have its advantages.  In UNC's case, it resulted in the single most profitable basketball season ever recorded by a NCAA program, knocking the Louisville Cardinals off their traditional perch.  The Heels recorded a profit of $17...

MLS and Players Reach New Agreement

Posted on March 20, 2010
Sanity has prevailed and armageddon has been averted.  With less than a week to go before the season opened and a threatened player walkout, MLS and the MLS players union announced today that an agreement in principle has been reached for a new five year collective bargaining agreement...

March Madness Cinderella Not Limited to Teams

Posted on March 19, 2010
It happens every year.  Schools from smaller conferences that never cross the radar of the TV networks or ESPN step and slay the big boys from the power conferences in a first round game, and, if we're fortunate, carry that through to at least the second weekend...

Will Congress Ever Authorize Online Gaming?

Posted on March 18, 2010
March Madness is now upon us.  Today marked the end of the first round of the NIT, the NCAA's warm-up act to the opening round of the NCAA.  Thursday afternoon, the Big Show kicks off and for the next three weeks, Americans young and old will have found an escape from the seemingly endless stories about the state of healthcare reform...

Rachel Alexandra Puts Zenyatta Match Race in Doubt

Posted on March 14, 2010
First, I haven't been posting regularly as I have been battling some sort of infection and just haven't felt up to it.  It responded quickly to antibiotics but left me drained and I haven't really spent any time on my computer before today.  So if you missed me, that's why...

See the Nets, Get Your Taxes Done

Posted on March 05, 2010
When you're historically bad, and not in an endearing New York Mets sort of way, what do you do to get people to actually show up for your games?  The New Jersey Nets came up with a unique promotion.  Come see the Nets lose to Orlando and get your taxes done for free...

Monday Musings

Posted on March 01, 2010
Random thoughts on a Monday suffering withdrawal from the rainfest in Vancouver (never thought I would suffer Winter Olympic withdrawal).ARTICLEURLI hope Gary Bettman was watching the hockey game yesterday.  If he was and still wants the NHL to end its participation in the Olympics, then his tenure as commissioner needs to end, now tomorrow morning...

Law School Buys Naming Rights to Minor League Stadium

Posted on February 23, 2010
We've discussed all kinds of naming rights deal on this blog, but I think this one is unique.  Sure, the University of Phoenix put its name on the Cardinals dome in Glendale, but UoP advertises so much, it would be impossible to spend more than ten minutes online and not be hit with a UoP popup ad...

Agreement Reached to Sell Rams to Local Businessman

Posted on February 15, 2010
Looks like the Rams won't be heading back to Los Angeles any time soon.  The Rosenbloom children have reached an agreement to sell their 60% of the team to a St. Louis area businessman, Shahid Khan.  He is a self-made multi-millionaire who emigrated to the US as a teenager to attend the University of Illinois to study engineering...

Sunday Links

Posted on February 14, 2010
With Louisville playing the 'Cuse in the early afternoon ESPN game and Northwestern in a must win game against the Golden Gophers in a late afternoon Big Ten Network game, and the Olympics - especially moguls - tonight, I'll have limited time to post...

Olympics Proving to Be Huge TV Draw

Posted on February 14, 2010
The Olympics is one of the most consistent TV properties in the world.  It has always been something that draws a large viewership in the US, which is why NBC paid a whopping $820 million for the Vancouver Games, part of a $2 billion package of US rights it won in 2003...

Labor Woes Plague Major Sports Leagues

Posted on February 13, 2010
In the midst of a somber and subdued opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, it is probably not the best time to take a look at the business side of the National Basketball Association, the National Football League or Major League Soccer.  However, they all happen to share one thing in common:  all three leagues are currently negotiating new collective bargaining agreements with their respective players associations and, at this point, negotiations are not going all that well...

Latest Tiger Wood Effect: Higher Insurance Premiums

Posted on February 01, 2010
I suppose it was inevitable.  After all, when companies are spending millions of dollars on athletes' endorsements and subjected multiple millions more to the risk of those same athletes doing something that would then tarnish the image of the companies, insurance would enter the picture...

Obama Administration Looking Into the BCS

Posted on January 30, 2010
You may recall that while onthe campaign trail President Barack Obama expressed a strong desire to see a college football playoff.  Most observers, including this one, dismissed it at the time as just another bit of campaign pandering.  Well, apparently there are more votes in Utah, Idaho and Ft...

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