Sports Lawyers Association

Listen to this Podcast as Rachel Nicholas, a partner in the Phoenix office of Lewis Roca  discusses a recent blog post, "NCAA First Ever NIL Era Sanction" authored by SLA's NextGen Committee Member, Maria Aiello, a recent graduate of Santa Clara University School of Law. Hosted by NextGen Committee Member Landis Barber, Associate Attorney at the Safran Law Offices, as they delve into the NCAA's first ever issuance of NIL penalties for recruiting violations. 

From the opening panel to the final goodbyes, the Sports Lawyers Association Annual Conference took center stage in Los Angeles from May 10th through 13th. Focused on the theme "The Athlete in Sports," attendees had the opportunity to grow through educational panels and networking opportunities. A highlight of the year for SLA members, the 2023 Annual Conference did not disappoint.

Tune in as Trisha Newman, Of Counsel at the law firm of Manning & Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez, Trester, LLP and General Counsel of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association discusses a recent blog post, “Profiting from Student-Athletes' Biometric Data and the Legal Landscape” authored by SLA's NextGen Committee Member, Raul Muniz. Hosted by NextGen Committee Member Landis Barber, Associate Attorney at the Safran Law Offices. Our guests delve into the commercialization of biometric data and other relevant topics correlated with this blog article.

Tune in as Gregg Clifton, a partner in the Phoenix office of Lewis Brisbois, a chair of the Collegiate & Professional Sports Law Practice, and a member of the Entertainment, Media & Sports Practice, discusses a recent blog post, “Was Kyrie Irving’s Suspension From The Nets A Violation Of Labor Law?” authored by SLA's NextGen Committee Member, Lauren Mattice, 1L at USC. Hosted by NextGen Committee Member Landis Barber, Associate Attorney at the Safran Law Offices. Our guests delve into the interplay of the National Labor Relations Board and the National Labor Relations Act and other relevant topics correlated with this blog article.

Join Patrick Reilly as he discusses the rise and fall of the failed league with Katarina Pijetlovic, an expert in breakaway leagues.

Join Bobby Hacker as he moderates a discussion of the impact of the decision with Allison Rich, Matt Mitten, and Tyrone Thomas, as we look at the case from three separate perspectives.

SLA president, Bobby Hacker, sits down with Mori Taheripour, author of Bring Yourself: How to Harness the Power of Connection to Negotiate Fearlessly and educator at Wharton School of Law to discuss topics from her book including her holistic approach to negotiations, gender roles defined by society, and imposter syndrome.

March is Women’s History Month. It is a time to honor the vital role of women throughout history, and to celebrate the contributions of women in sports law. SLA Past Presidents, Pam Lester and Nona Lee, and President Elect Allison Rich join Jayma Meyer, Vice Co-chair of the SLA conference committee, to discuss their roles in SLA and how SLA has continued to play a vital role in their careers.

This podcast discusses the preparations and the impact of COVID-19 on Spring Training from the team perspective with Ashwin Krishnan, Vice President and General Counsel of the Miami Marlins, and Maacah Scott, Assistant General Counsel at Chicago White Sox, and the players perspective with agent Joe Longo, Paragon Sports International who represents such current superstars as Christian Yelich and Aaron Nola.

Sports agent Greg Genske joins SLA President Bobby Hacker and reflects on the experience of representing professional athletes at various stages of their careers before sharing an inside view of the negotiations between Major League Baseball and the players’ union to play games amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Join Brian Socolow, Mark Rodgers and Mike Feblowitz on this episode where they discuss Name, Image, and Likeness issues in college athletics. Mike is the 2020 first place winner of the SLA annual student writing competition for his paper titled One NIL: The Impact and Constitutionality of the Fair Pay to Play Act. Listen in as the three discuss the current state of NIL, its future in college athletics, and the constitutional issues that inspired Mike to submit his paper to the SLA.

Bobby Hacker and Nerissa Coyle McGinn discuss contracting in the age of Coronavirus. Nerissa discusses the differences between jurisdictions. We also see how several states have a common law force majeure.  This calls for a practical lawyering situation and the drafting of force majeure provisions. This podcast discusses realistic situations and how you can protect your client.

Join Allison Rich and Jon Velie as they discuss pandemic-related immigration issues in the sports industry. In this podcast Allison and Jon take us through different scenarios with international athletes, covering topics including visas, furloughs, reduced pay and even government stimulus checks. Learn what questions to ask and how important it is to ask them.

One of the hottest sports law topics of the day are the current legal issues facing NBA star Zion Williamson. Sued by a marketing agent for breach of contract he signed while at Duke University, the case has unfolded and gained increased attention with interesting legal turns and accusations over the past several weeks. The case brings to light a bevy of legal issues including forum shopping, contracts, NCAA amateurism rules, the Uniform Athlete Agents Act, and representation issues. Darren Heitner of Heitner Legal, Daniel Wallach of Wallach Legal, LLC, and Warren K. Zola of Boston College have a roundtable to discuss the case and Zion's future.

Listen to our latest podcast with Bobby Hacker and Gabe Feldman on Name, Image and Likeness and the Future of College Sports. Join them as they discuss potential models for permitting college athletes to receive compensation for their NIL deals.

Part 3 of the SLA podcast features Lester Munsonand Gregg Clifton, discussions are had on the changes in sports from the collegiate levels to the professional leagues. We now live in a world where we wait on government officials to tell us when sports can go back to “normal”.

Part 2 of the SLA podcast features Lester Munson and Gregg Clifton discussing the effects of the pandemic including government actions to support the sports industry stimulus packages, the postponement of the Olympics and pandemic insurance.

The three-part podcast series is sponsored by the SLA and explores the impact of the coronavirus on sports, sports law and you.  The podcast series will help SLA members keep up with the latest developments in the industry.  The podcasts are hosted by Lester Munson with Gregg Clifton.  Lester is a legal analyst for ESPN and Gregg Clifton is a Principal in the Phoenix, Arizona office of Jackson Lewis P.C.

MLB, NCAA, NBA . . . the sports world is not immune from the impact of COVID-19.  This podcast series will help you make some sense of it all, share thoughts on what you should be doing now and, in the future, to prepare for the resumption of sporting events.

The three-part podcast series is sponsored by the Sports Lawyers Association and explores the impact of the coronavirus on sports, sports law and you.  The podcast series will help Sports Lawyer Association members keep up with the latest developments in the industry. The podcasts series is hosted by Lester Munson and his guest, Gregg Clifton.  Lester is a legal analyst for ESPN and Gregg Clifton is a Principal in the Phoenix, Arizona office of Jackson Lewis P.C.

Listen each week to get the most recent news and information on the professional sports industry. Lester and Gregg will discuss the hot trends, key players and important professional sports organizations along with other information you’ll find valuable and entertaining.

Your host for this episode is Lester Munson, ESPN’s legal analyst talks to Scott Boras, the founder and president of Boras Corporation in Newport Beach, CA. The duo team up to have an in-depth discussion on arbitration, contracts, and the “recipe” for winning the World Series. Mr. Boras also shares his thoughts on sports analytics and the sports lawyer industry. Listen now to get great insights on the world of sports.

With college football in full swing we decided to throw a “Hail Mary” and see if we could get one of the most influential people in the world of collegiate athletics to agree to speak with us.

Touchdown!

Arizona State University’s Vice President for University Athletics and Athletics Director Ray Anderson’s interview with SLA Podcast Host and renowned Sports Lawyer Mark Rodgers ranged from Ray’s time working in professional sports to advice he’d offer others culled from a long and successful career.  Anderson came to ASU from the NFL and before that worked as a professional agent.

Ray also serves as a board member of the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame; a member of the NCAA Football Oversight Committee; Chair of the new Ad Hoc NCAA Football Competition Committee and he is on the Green Sports Alliance Advisory Board. Anderson was also one of a group of minority athletics directors to meet with NCAA President Mark Emmert and NCAA Leadership at the 2016 College Football Playoffs in Phoenix and encouraged the creation of a collegiate "Rooney Rule" to encourage diversity and inclusion in the hiring of athletics leadership.

As more and more athletes increasingly give voice to their activism by using their sport as a platform new and often complex issues arise. In the “Athletes and Activism Podcast” these complex issues and their impact on sports law are explored: Should college athletes be paid? How is the student/athlete environment changing? What skills are needed to transition to a life without sport? Historically, activism was more prevalent among collegiate athletes. Why the increase in activism among professional sports today?

Your host is Bobby Hacker, SLA President Elect and Attorney, Robert A. Hacker Attorney at Law and Sports Media Consulting with special guest Kenneth L. Shropshire, CEO, Global Sport Institute; adidas Distinguished Professor of Global Sport, Arizona State University and Professor Emeritus, Wharton School.

Hear from some of the top lawyers in the sports industry and members of the Sports Lawyers Association as they walk you through how they got to where they are and where the SLA is going. Former SLA President (May 2015 – May 2017) and Executive Director of the National Sports Law Institute and Professor of Law at Marquette University Law School, Matt Mitten is joined by SLA Immediate Past President and Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Nona Lee and SLA President and Attorney for Robert A. Hacker Attorney at Law and Sports Media Consulting, Bobby Hacker. Listen while they share their insights into how they broke into the sports law industry and offer tips on how you can too. Feel free to sit back, relax and enjoy 15 minutes of tips and insights. Be sure to tweet us your thoughts about the podcast @sportslawyers and let us know what topics you want to see covered in the future! Enjoy!