The Sports
and Entertainment Group serves as counsel to clients in organized
professional sports and the entertainment industry. We have represented
teams and individuals in the sports industry for more than 20 years, and
currently serve as counsel on a wide range of matters to clients in
Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, Japanese Professional
Baseball, professional boxing and minor league baseball. In addition, we
advise marketing companies, new media companies, and television and
video production companies active in the sports and entertainment arena,
and have represented management personnel with major sports franchises,
entertainment music groups, radio and television broadcasters,
professional wrestlers and individual athletes in various sports. We
have also advised investor groups pursuing the purchase, sale and
financing of sports properties (including major and minor league
baseball teams).
The Sports and Entertainment Group is well versed in legal and business
issues affecting its sports clients, as members of the Group have served
in various in-house positions with major sports organizations, sports
marketing and management companies and state sports commissions.
The Sports and Entertainment Group utilizes interdisciplinary skills to
address issues and disputes affecting its sports and entertainment
clients. We work with our clients to coordinate all business and legal
aspects of their transactions, including the legal practice areas of
corporate, tax, securities, intellectual property licensing and
enforcement, litigation, government affairs, tax, labor and employment,
antitrust, real estate, bankruptcy, immigration and new media
properties. We also advise clients on issues unique to the sports
industry, such as player salary arbitrations, player contract
negotiations, player marketing, international player transactions,
player fines and disciplinary matters, amateur draft issues, collective
bargaining agreement issues, team payroll evaluation, team relocation,
concessions contracts, labor and pension issues, player marketing, and
international player transactions with a specialty in Japanese baseball.
Representative matters handled include the landmark Scott Stevens
equalization arbitration case on behalf of the New Jersey Devils, the
purchase and relocation of the Trenton Thunder Double-A franchise from
Canada to New Jersey, the George Brett "Pine Tar" case, the Chunichi
Dragons/Kevin Millar contract dispute, and numerous Major League
Baseball salary arbitrations. We have represented six Major League
Baseball clubs in a wide range of matters, and have won salary
arbitration cases against Alfonso Soriano, Johan Santana, Danny Graves,
John Franco, Mike Pagliarulo, Eric Davis, Tom Browning, Randy Myers,
Greg Swindell, Tom Candiotti, Glen Braggs, Dennis Rasmussen, John Hudek,
Osvaldo Fernandez, Steve Parris and Bruce Chen. In fact, the Sports and
Entertainment Group boasts one of the most active and most successful
salary arbitration records in Major League Baseball, proceeding to
hearings in more than 20 cases and saving management nearly $10 million
in contract dollars.
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