MLB Proposes Significant Changes to MiLB

When the dust settles on the next Professional Baseball Agreement (PBA), which is the binding agreement between Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball (MiLB), some MiLB teams may find themselves in search of a new home. After receiving an extension in 2011 that kept the relationship status quo, the current PBA expires on September 15, 2020 and significant changes are expected. According to leaked reports, negotiations include a proposed restructuring of teams participating in the lower level of MiLB, transitioning short-season rookie ball …

June 19, 2019 Basketball / NBA

Altercation Involving Masai Ujiri Leads to More than Just NBA Championship Press Coverage

A deputy suffered injuries, including a concussion, during an altercation with Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri. The deputy stopped Ujiri while he attempted to join his team on the court after clinching their NBA championship against the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, California at Oracle Arena, causing a brief physical altercation. ESPN and the Associated Press reported that the 20-year-veteran of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office also suffered a broken jaw during the altercation. According to Yahoo Sports, the deputy hired a high-profile civil …

June 13, 2019 Hockey / NHL

The Status of Women’s Professional Hockey: Where Are We Now?

The Canadian Women Hockey League’s (CWHL) Calgary Inferno and Canadiennes de Montreal faced off in the Clarkson Cup championship game on March 24, 2019. A record 175,000 viewers tuned in for the game, which was broadcast across the United States through an agreement with the NHL Network. The Calgary Inferno defeated the Canadiennes de Montreal with a final score of 5-2.

Following the championship and closing out its twelfth season, the league announced on March 31, 2019 that it would cease to exist as of …

April 16, 2019 NFL

Series on the Alliance of American Football: The Fall of the AAF

This is the second part of a two-part series chronicling the rise and fall of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). In the first part, we delved into the unprecedented growth of the AAF, much of which was based on an unsustainable dream to bring a successful professional football league to the United States. In this part, we analyze the ultimate collapse of the AAF, a reality of insurmountable debts and a lack of supporting investors.

The Failed Hail Mary

On April 2, 2019, …

April 10, 2019 Uncategorized

Series on the Alliance of American Football: The Rise of the AAF

As a filmmaker and the son of legendary NBC television executive Dick Ebersol, Charlie Ebersol was motivated to create the Alliance of American Football (AAF) in late 2016 after producing the documentary This Was the XFL for ESPN Films’ 30 for 30 series. The Xtreme Football League (XFL) was the 2001 brainchild of Vince McMahon, CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The XFL, which aired on NBC, was designed to be an extreme version of spring professional football, but it was canceled after only one …

March 9, 2019 NCAA

College Athlete Compensation Decision

On March 8, 2019, U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken issued an injunction prohibiting the NCAA from enforcing rules that are “overly and unnecessarily restrictive.” In yet another decision, Judge Wilken changed the landscape of the NCCA’s amateurism and compensation rules. For the second time, Judge Wilken ruled that the NCAA’s amateurism and compensation rules violated federal antitrust laws. Specifically, the NCAA can no longer “limit compensation or benefits related to education;” however, the NCAA “may continue … to limit compensation and benefits that are unrelated …

December 21, 2018 Gambling / Legislation / Sports Betting / Sports Gambling

Congress Enters Sports Gambling Arena: Proposes Nationwide Legislation

Sports and Entertainment Law Insider has been providing analysis of sports gambling since the topic emerged several years ago. In 2018, legislative interest in sports gambling rose to the forefront when the Supreme Court ruled the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was unconstitutional and overturned the ban on commercial sports betting. The ruling opened the door for states to legalize and regulate the gambling industry within their borders. Since that time, states have introduced or reintroduced legislation related to the legalization of sports gambling, …

November 30, 2018 Baseball / Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark / MLB

Trademark Showdown at Home Plate: Atlanta Braves at Bat against Local Taxi Company

On November 1, 2018, the Atlanta Braves commenced an action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against a local Marietta taxi company and its owner for trademark infringement. The complaint filed by the Atlanta Braves asserts Federal and State causes of action against Braves Taxi sounding in Trademark Infringement, Trademark Dilution, Unfair Competition, and Cyberpiracy. In short, the Atlanta Braves claim that Braves Taxi is using identical and confusingly similar marks to those of the MLB team on its vehicles.…