Media & Entertainment Law

The NFL's Unfair Labor Practice Claim & Article LVIII(3)(A) of the CBA

Posted on February 17, 2011
By now, most football fans know that the NFL has filed an unfair labor practice claim against the NFLPA, alleging that the NFLPA has consistently failed to negotiate with the league in good faith. Most media reports, however, fail to offer a meaningful explanation about what the NFL stands to gain by filing this grievance...

New Sports Illustrated Column: Could Michael Jordan become Player/Coach?

Posted on February 16, 2011
Recently, Henry Abbott of True Hoop had a terrific piece looking at the on-court challenges a soon-to-be 48-year old Michael Jordan -- who is now practicing with the Charlotte Bobcats, which he owns -- would have if he sought to return to the NBA, as has some have speculated he might want to do...

What's Next in American Needle v. National Football League?

Posted on February 14, 2011
For those following the American Needle case, I just posted on SSRN a draft of my newest law review article, discussing the challenges that American Needle will likely face on remand. A draft of the article is available here.

National Baseball Arbitration Competition Results

Posted on February 14, 2011
Congratulations to the all of the students who competed in the 4th Annual National Baseball Arbitration Competition at Tulane Law School. We had an incredible competition this year, featuring teams from law schools across the country, including Harvard, Duke, UVA, Fordham, William & Mary, Cardozo, Notre Dame, and Georgia...

To access this complete feed in the blog feed reader login or register for free.

Sunday Sports Law Links

Posted on February 13, 2011
* Washington Redskins owner Daniel Synder is suing the Washington City Paper for libel, claiming that the paper used "anti-Semitic imagery, half-truths, and innuendo to smear or defame him." Andrew Beaujon and Erik Wemple of TBD have a good analysis of the lawsuit...

Clotfelter on Big Time College Sports

Posted on February 13, 2011
Here is a nice synopsis of Big-Time Sports in American Universities, by Charles Clotfelter of Duke University, newly published by Cambridge University Press. The book takes a serious, empirical examination of the value, benefits, and defects in big-time American college sports.

Update on White Sox Kickback Scandal

Posted on February 12, 2011
As I first discussed here back in November and Mike followed-up with in December, the White Sox organization suffered a PR blow when a Federal grand jury indicted a former Chicago White Sox executive and two team scouts on charges that they took kickbacks totaling approximately $400,000 from signing bonuses and contract buyouts paid to secure 23 prospective players between December 2004 and February 2008...

Gaming the Super Bowl Litigation

Posted on February 12, 2011
Slate has a nice piece (including an interview with SCOTUSBlog's Tom Goldstein) gaming out the options for fans seeking some sort of compensation over Super Bowl seating. It now appears that there are three groups of disgruntled fans: 1) Those denied seats altogether; 2) Those moved into nose-bleed seats; and 3) a group of about 1100 fans who were delayed coming in because several gates were not available because of weather problems...

SRLA Annual Conference - March 3-5, 2011

Posted on February 11, 2011
As a follow-up to Mark's post last month, the Sport and & Recreation Law Association ("SRLA") conference program has now been posted. There are a number of interesting topics on the SRLA schedule. As a first-time attendee, I am looking forward to it...

New Sports Illustrated video on Super Bowl ticket lawsuit agianst the NFL and Cowboys

Posted on February 11, 2011
Here's my Sports Illustrated take on the Super Bowl ticket lawsuit against the NFL and the Cowboys:

New Sports Illustrated Column on Barry Bonds Case and Impact of Greg Anderson Recording

Posted on February 11, 2011
I have a new SI column on the Barry Bonds trial and how a hearing today will determine whether a recording of a pivotal conversation between Bonds's former trainer, Greg Anderson, and business partner, Steve Hoskins, is deemed admissible or hearsay. In the conversation, Anderson talks about providing Bonds with The Clear (THG)...

Jered Weaver and the Angels

Posted on February 10, 2011
Jered Weaver and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim conducted their arbitration hearing yesterday before the arbitration panel of Margaret Brogan, Robert Herzog, and James Oldham. Weaver requested $8,800,000, and the Angels offered $7,375,000. Although Weaver only won one more game than he lost last year, he did lead the Major Leagues in strikeouts with 233...

Roger Goodell's Recruitment of College Players in 1984 and Tortious Interference with Contractual Relations

Posted on February 10, 2011
Jimmy Golen and I recently discussed a very interesting passage from Peter King's Sports Illustrated cover story on Roger Goodell titled The Man of the Hour:* * *Goodell's first project upon being hired full-time by Rozelle in 1984 was to persuade college players not to sign with the rival United States Football League...

4th Annual National Baseball Arbitration Competition

Posted on February 10, 2011
The 4th Annual National Baseball Arbitration Competition, hosted by the Tulane Sports Law Society, began this morning. We have an incredible group of competitors this year, featuring law schools from across the country. We also have a great group of guest arbitrators, including the following:Michael Weiner, Executive Director and General Counsel, Major League Baseball Players Association...

Lawsuit in Super Bowl ticket debacle

Posted on February 09, 2011
As one of the commenters on my earlier post noted, a class action has been filed in federal court by more than 1000 Super Bowl ticket holders against the NFL and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, among others. The action is in federal court under the Class Action Fairness Act, which allows for federal jurisdiction on minimal diversity (one of the named plaintiffs is from Texas)...

Hearing Number 1 - Ross Ohlendorf and the Pirates

Posted on February 09, 2011
Ross Ohlendorf and the Pittsburgh Pirates grabbed the honor for participating in the first arbitration hearing in 2011 yesterday in Phoenix. Ohlendorf is seeking a raise from $439,000 to $2,025,000. The Pirates countered with an offer of $1,400,000 establishing a midpoint of $1,712,500...

The Legal Issues Behind the NFL CBA Negotiations

Posted on February 09, 2011
I have a new column up at the Huffington Post that analyzes the key legal issues behind the NFL-NFLPA collective bargaining negotiations. Here's an excerpt. You can find the complete column here.Have professional athletes decertified their union in the past? Yes...

Baseball Salary Arbitration

Posted on February 08, 2011
Thirty-four players and teams exchanged numbers this year in salary arbitration if you include Santiago Casilla and the San Francisco Giants, who announced a settlement on the day of the exchange of figures. Apparently, Casilla and the Giants had an agreement in place two days earlier, but needed to finalize the deal...

Missing seats, Super Bowl tickets, and contract damages

Posted on February 06, 2011
The NFL and the people who run Cowboys Stadium built a lot of temporary seating for the Super Bowl (apparently to set an attendance record by exceeding 105,000), but approximately 1250 seats could not be installed. The league found alternative seating for 850 of those fans, but not for the remaining 400, who were turned away with a refund of triple their ticket's face value--$2400...

Revisiting Electronic Arts' Exclusive Contract with the NFL and NFLPA

Posted on February 05, 2011
Back in 2004, I wrote about Electronic Arts snagging an exclusive licensing contract with the NFL and NFLPA to develop, publish, and distribute football video games featuring NFL players and teams. The 5-year, $400 million contract--the exclusivity of which resembles the exclusive NFL-Reebok contract that precipitated American Needle v...

NBA Legend Oscar Robertson Joins Ed O'Bannon Lawsuit against NCAA

Posted on February 04, 2011
Ed O'Bannon's class action lawsuit against the NCAA, which centers on the NCAA's use and licensing of former college players' images and other identifying characteristics, received a boost last week, when Hall of Fame guard Oscar Robertson - the only player in NBA history to average a triple-double (30...

New Sports Illustrated Column: Will Mets Owner Fred Wilpon Settle Complaint from Madoff Victims?

Posted on February 04, 2011
I have a new SI column on the complaint filed by victims of Bernie Madoff against Mets owner Fred Wilpon, and what it means for the future of the Mets. The complaint was unsealed today. Here is an excerpt from the column:* * *A settlement might also benefit Wilpon from the standpoint of his coveted position as an owner of a major league franchise...

Public Forum: MMAdness - Issues Surrounding the Legalization of Mixed Martial Arts in NY : Rescheduled

Posted on February 02, 2011
Wednesday, February 09, 2011 Location: 14 Vesey StreetTime: 6:00pm Speakers:* Joseph M. DeGuardia, Esq., Owner of Star Boxing, a boxing promotional company, and President of the Boxing Promoters Association;* Michael DiMaggio, Esq...

New Sports Illustrated Column on Lawsuits filed against New York Mets Owner

Posted on February 01, 2011
I have a new SI.com column on two significant lawsuits filed against Mets owner Fred Wilpon and others connected to the team. Here's are some excerpts:* * *The lawsuits center on Wilpon and his companies' investments with imprisoned Ponzi scheme artist Bernard Madoff and whether Wilpon and his associates knew, or should have known, of Madoff's fraudulent actions...

No Listen, No Money: Disenchanted Donor to UConn Athletics wants his $3 Million Back

Posted on January 28, 2011
Everyone knows that big money boosters influence athletic departments at big-time sports schools.But what happens if a booster who gives $7 million to a school feels as if his "suggestions" are being ignored by the school's athletic director?Meet Robert Burton, a Greenwich CT-based printing industry executive who wants a $3 million donation returned from UConn...

Sonny Vaccaro to speak at the University of San Francisco School of Law

Posted on January 27, 2011
Giuliana Garcia, Co-President of the University of San Francisco Sports & Entertainment Law Association, has let me know of an event next week that will surely be of interest to those in the Bay area: Sonny Vaccaro will be speaking at USF Law School on college sports and how college athletes are treated by the NCAA...

Networking Event

Posted on January 27, 2011
The Sports Lawyers Association is hosting a great networking event on February 2, 2011 at 6pm at the Prudential Center before and during the Nets-76ers game. Jeff Gewirtz, the CLO of the NETs, and Charles Mierswa, the CFO of the Nets, will be giving a brief lecture during the event...

Shaquille O?Neal Delivers Sports Law Lecture at Harvard Law School

Posted on January 27, 2011
Boston Celtics center and future Hall of Famer Shaquille O?Neal recently spoke at Harvard Law School Professor Peter Carfagna's sports law class. He was accompanied by his agent, Perry Rogers, and by Celtics Assistant General Manager & Associate Counsel Mike Zarren...

Sports Law Career Opportunity

Posted on January 27, 2011
For those looking to break into the sports law industry, the NBA is currently hiring an in-house legal counsel to work on matters relating to the WNBA and NBA D-League. In addition to traditional legal duties, the position would also entail some basketball-related functions such as managing each league's player draft...

MMAdness Postponed...

Posted on January 26, 2011
Due to inclement weather in New York City, tonight's scheduled "MMAdness-Issues Surrounding the Legalization of Mixed Martial Arts in NY" forum at the New York County Lawyers Association building is postponed. Please check back for the new date.

Bloggers, promote your law blog by nominating your blog for inclusion in USLaw.com's Law Blog Directory and RSS Reader. Benefits described.