Perspectives on Sports

On Thursday, July 13, 2023, Major League Cricket (MLC) launched its inaugural season to a sold-out stadium in Grand Prairie, Texas. The Texas Super Kings beat the Los Angeles Knight Riders by 69 runs, in an exciting opening match.

As we previously reported, the new Major League Baseball (MLB) collective bargaining agreement, finalized in early 2022, allows MLB teams to license sponsor logo patches on team jersey sleeves and sponsor logo decals on team batting helmets beginning with the 2023 season.

ArentFox Schiff is pleased to announce that 70 attorneys were recognized as leaders in their field and 24 practices spanning the firm’s litigation, regulatory, and transactional capabilities were ranked in the 2023 edition of Chambers USA.

ArentFox Schiff served as outside counsel to California State University in a long-term stadium licensing deal with San Diego’s new MLS expansion team.

Earlier this month, ‘Call of Duty’ announced that Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant will be featured as an Operator skin in Season 03 Reloaded of “Modern Warfare 2” and “Warzone 2.0.”

“This is the new arms race.” That’s how Missouri State Representative and former University of Missouri offensive lineman Kurtis Gregory described the burgeoning patchwork of state laws that govern student athletes’ ability to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL).

On April 12, 2023, a Manhattan judge in the lawsuit regarding the sale of golf legend Jack Nicklaus’s intellectual property portfolio narrowed the claims against Nicklaus.

ArentFox Schiff served as legal counsel to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in a transaction awarding expansion rights for team #14 to an investment group led by Sixth Street Partners and a group of four US Women’s National Team legends.

ArentFox Schiff is representing TruGolf, Inc., a leading golf simulator manufacturer and distributor, in its announced merger with Deep Medicine Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: DMAQ), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company.

ArentFox Schiff is pleased to announce the addition of Partner Eric Fishman to the firm’s Sports group in New York. Eric has counseled some of the world’s most renowned athletes and sports organizations on a range of high-profile matters, from corporate deals to strategic transactions.

Imagine having the capability to watch a Major League Baseball game through the eyes of the batter, stand on the sidelines next to your favorite player during the Super Bowl or watch each play of a game from different viewpoints in your own home.

ArentFox Schiff LLP is pleased to announce that San Francisco Managing Partner, lead West Coast Real Estate Partner, and Chair of the Sports Group Richard Brand has been named among Daily Journal’s “Top 100 Lawyers” for his impact on the legal profession over the past year.

On August 16, 2022, we prepared an alert discussing Mickelson v. PGA Tour, Inc. and the claims made by suspended PGA Tour players (“Player Plaintiffs”) against PGA Tour, Inc. (“Tour.”) Quite a bit has transpired in the past three weeks both in and out of the courtroom.

ArentFox Schiff is pleased to announce that 121 attorneys have been recognized by The Best Lawyers in America 2023, with an additional six attorneys highlighted as “Lawyers of the Year” and 40 attorneys listed as “Ones to Watch.”

Recently, Major League Baseball (MLB) informed teams that cannabidiol (CBD) sponsorships were no longer off limits and that they were free to pursue sponsorships in the CBD category under certain conditions. CBD companies will also no longer be prohibited from airing commercials during MLB games.

The Metaverse stands to disrupt nearly every industry – fashion, media and entertainment, real estate, sports, the list goes on – presenting immense possibilities and potential risks. We have created the ArentFox Schiff Industry Guide to the Metaverse to answer questions and anticipate concerns.

On August 3, 2022, eleven suspended PGA Tour members filed a complaint [1] in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California (the “Court”) against PGA Tour, Inc. (the “Tour”), alleging violation of federal and California state antitrust laws.

The Ohio State University has successfully obtained a trademark registration for the word “THE,” which has been the university’s moniker and rallying cry at sporting events for decades. The trademark registration covers “clothing, namely, t-shirts, baseball caps and hats.

The interactive tools that the metaverse offers are a perfect complement to a crucial component of the sports industry: fan engagement. And with an influx of industry players establishing a presence in the metaverse, the way we consume sports may transform sooner than we think.

The 2022 edition of Legal 500 US has rated 77 ArentFox Schiff attorneys as national leaders in their field. In addition, 19 of the firm’s practice areas were ranked among the best in the country.

The 2022 edition of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business has recognized 66 ArentFox Schiff attorneys as leaders in their field.

On March 10, Major League Baseball (MLB) and the MLB Players Association agreed to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement, ending a 99-day lockout that was the first official MLB work stoppage since 1994. Both sides agreed to allow MLB teams to sell advertising positions on team jerseys.

Download Our Summary of the Most Important Cases.

Twenty-five Arent Fox LLP practices have been recognized in the 2022 “Best Law Firms” rankings that are published annually by US News & World Report and Best Lawyers.

Arent Fox Sports Practice Leader Richard L. Brand, Corporate & Securities Leader Steven A. Cohen, and Sports and Corporate & Securities Partner William Z. Ordower have been named Power Players by Sports Business Journal in their rankings of the sports industry’s best outside counsel.