Sports & Entertainment

Squire Sanders is ideally positioned to closely monitor legal developments that affect athletes, entertainers and artists as well as sports teams, leagues, related businesses and governments seeking to succeed in an increasingly global sports and entertainment marketplace. With a full range of legal services to assist clients in their management and marketing efforts, we have helped organizations and individuals maximize their business interests and promote their physical and creative talents.

We offer one of the leading sports and entertainment practices in the world. Our diverse practice has included everything from the longstanding representation of multiple Premiere League football clubs to advising an NBA MVP, a collegiate sports conference, global entertainers and many others. Featuring recognized industry leaders, we provide the full range of legal services to an array of blue chip clients drawn from all areas of the sports and entertainment sectors including:

Agencies  Composers Event organizers Film companies Gaming organizations International and national governing bodies Internet entities

Marketing groups Media companies Players and performers  Professional sports teams Promoters and sports rights brokers Recording companies Sponsors Television networks

Technically skilled and immersed in the needs of sports and entertainment industry participants, we anticipate issues and advise our clients how best to address them, including all aspects of:

Advertising and marketing Anti-doping requirements Banking and securitization Bankruptcy and restructuring Bids and tenders Bond offerings and project financings Branded content Breach of privacy rights and adverse press Broadcasting and data initiatives Business, tax and estate planning issues for the post-career period Commercial law Content production and delivery Contract negotiations Corporate transactions and finance E-commerce Employment Endorsement opportunities Gambling regulations Image protection Immigration issues Innovative investments

Intellectual property and rights protection Licensing Litigation and alternative dispute resolution Marketing and public relations activities Match integrity Media rights Option agreements Payment strategies Premises licensing Recording and commercializing musical works Relationship management Revenue stream creation and diversification  Sponsorship agreements Tax matters Trademark exploitation Transfer transactions Work permits and appeal hearings

Building the Buildings They Play In. We offer deep expertise in the complex area of facility financing and are called upon to provide counsel for projects around the world, as well as post-issuance tax compliance advice, bond counsel and public-private partnership financing counsel. We have assisted professional sports teams, sports authorities and governmental bodies in planning, financing and implementing professional league arenas and stadiums and sports training facilities, tennis centers, motor sports complexes and entertainment venues.

Exceptional Experience, Valued Counsel. Our global team provides a formidable bank of market knowledge, combining local information with an international perspective. We act for some of the largest and most well-known names in sports and entertainment and have dealt with many of the most high-profile developments in this complex and challenging industry. We go the extra mile to provide creative counsel to our sports and entertainment clients. From counseling on a wide range of matters for sports superstars to quarterbacking some of the most prominent public infrastructure projects in the world, we bring experience, enthusiasm and commitment to rendering personal attention. We collaborate with our clients and their financial professionals to develop and implement strategies that maximize and protect clients’ business interests, leveraging an integrated, full-service legal team that is the cornerstone of our “one-firm firm” philosophy.

In short, whether you are a major player or a start-up, we have the expertise and experience to guide you to success.

Practice Expertise

• Gambling Law & Regulation

Case Studies

Historic Pro Sports Bankruptcy Case

While the owner of the National Hockey League’s Phoenix Coyotes waded through an historic bankruptcy proceeding in 2009, Squire Sanders helped lead the way toward an unprecedented resolution. The Coyotes had moved to Arizona from Winnipeg, Manitoba,...