In NPS, LLC v. Minihane, 451 Mass. 417 (2008), the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decided a case that could have serious ramifications for seat license holders around the National Football League (NFL) and in other professional sports. The Court, by enforcing a liquidated damages clause in a 10-year agreement for club level seats, required a seat license holder to pay [...]
Home Field Advantage: Patriots Prevail in Suit Against Club Seat Ticket Holder in Case Before Massachusetts High Court
May 30, 2008 By 7 Comments
Recent Perspectives in Sports Law
May 28, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Here are some noteworthy and recent articles detailing various sports law issues: Rick Karcher of Sports Law Blog writes on Sports Media Ethics (or lack thereof) (see March 24, 2008 entry), detailing the Sports and the Media forum held at the Sports Lawyers Association Conference. Karcher adopts a critical view of the sports media, arguing that [...]
NCAA Study Shows that Most Athletic Programs Lose Money
May 22, 2008 By 4 Comments
A recently released NCAA report concluded that most college and university athletic departments are losing money. This study is given more credence by observers as it utilized an accounting method that separated institutional allocations from money earned through ticket sales and private donations. Here are the highlights of the study: Only 17 of the more than [...]
Concerns Over Artificial Turf Arise in Connecticut
May 20, 2008 By Leave a Comment
In wake of the closing of four artificial turf fields in New Jersey due to concerns over dangerous amounts of lead, a Connecticut field in West Haven has been closed and others are under scrutiny. However, there has yet to be a study linking artificial turf to any health problems for those that compete on such surfaces. [...]
General Counsels Forum: Notes from the NBA
May 17, 2008 By 6 Comments
Joel Litvin, President, League and Basketball Operations of the NBA, spoke about some of the important NBA issues during the General Counsels Forum at Sports Lawyers Conference in San Francisco: The proposed move of the Seattle SuperSonics to Oklahoma City is not a happy story for the NBA. Although Oklahoma City provided great support to the New Orleans Hornets when the [...]
Executive Directors Forum: Fehr, Upshaw, Hunter and Kelly Discuss the State of their Sports
May 17, 2008 By 8 Comments
This article includes highlights from the Executive Directors Forum at the Sports Lawyers Association Conference in San Francisco. Donald Fehr, Executive Director and General Counsel, MLBPA Mr. Fehr addressed a variety of issues, including the Mitchell Report: George Mitchell had no agreement and no participation of the Players Association, effectively placing the Players Association in a [...]
The New Frontier: The Representation of Coaches and Negotiation of Coaching Contracts
May 16, 2008 By 3 Comments
This article is based on “Negotiating Professional & Collegiate Coaching Contracts”, a presentation by Joel Corry and Craig E. Fenech, at the Sports Lawyers Association Conference. The dramatic salary increases in college and professional coaching has led to the emergence of a new area of sports law: the representation of coaches in contract negotiations. For a [...]
Hartford Courant Interviews Matt Walsh on Spygate
May 16, 2008 By Leave a Comment
The Hartford Courant has published an interview with Matt Walsh, the former Patriots’ video man and Spygate figure who also happens to be a Connecticut native. Walsh had this to say to the question of whether he was seeking publicity through his involvement in this saga: “This whole experience has been one big annoyance…What good [...]
