Last month, the Big Ten announced a private capital deal worth around $2.4 billion with UC Investments, the pension fund for the University of California system. Now as the deal is set to go to a vote for approval, member schools of the Big 10 are threatening to sue the conference in order to release... Continue Reading →
Dozens of suspicious bets made by gamblers were recently flagged by sportsbooks.1 These suspicious bets were made “against the same small-conference teams in at least 11 men’s college basketball games over six weeks last season.”2 The NCAA and federal authorities have been investigating “alleged point-shaving in college basketball.”3 The new documents reveal alleged gambling in... Continue Reading →
For over three decades, Texas Tech fans have celebrated home football games with a uniquely Texan flair: tossing tortillas into the air as the team took the field for kickoff at Jones AT&T Stadium. The tradition symbolized Raider pride and rowdy enthusiasm. But this fall, that long-standing ritual came to an end. On October 20th,... Continue Reading →
Photo Credit: https://baumgartner.house.gov/ On Monday, October 6th, Representative Michael Baumgartner (R-Wa-5) introduced a bill that would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit certain private-equity, sovereign wealth fund, and hedge fund agreements involving intercollegiate athletics.[1] This comes after a string of headlines within the past year and a half involving rumors of private... Continue Reading →
Few lawyers have reshaped the world of sports as profoundly as Jeffrey L. Kessler, Co-Executive Chairman of Winston & Strawn LLP. Kessler, recognized as one of the nation’s leading antitrust and sports lawyers, has built a career successfully challenging entrenched power structures in professional and collegiate athletics. Finding Sports Law by Chance Kessler did not... Continue Reading →
With NIL and revenue-sharing reshaping the financial foundation of college athletics, programs are finding themselves in uncharted territory. As discussed in a recent article on Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables taking a $1 million pay cut to support the Sooners’ NIL collective, schools are already making major sacrifices to keep pace in the SEC and beyond.... Continue Reading →
The University of Michigan has a new argument: immunity. A little over a month after the school was sued regarding the hacking scandal surrounding their football team, lawyers for the school say they are immune from all liability. Lawyers for the University argued in their papers to the court that virtually all the claims... Continue Reading →
Photo Credit: https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/as-washington-renounces-native-american-imagery-pressure-continues-on-remaining-teams/ It seems like it’s a debate as old as time, but again there is controversy regarding a sports team using Native American mascots and imagery. No, it’s not the Atlanta Braves, or the Kansas City Chiefs, or the Chicago Blackhawks, but an obscure high school in the Long Island town of Massapequa.... Continue Reading →
Relaxed ownership rules have opened the door for private equity investment in U.S. professional sports teams. From the NFL[1] to the MLB,[2] private equity firms are becoming a dominant force in team ownership. While investment in European sports teams, particularly soccer teams, has long been common, the trend in the U.S. began largely when Major League Baseball... Continue Reading →
Title IX, the landmark federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education, continues to face legal challenges and regulatory shifts as applied to collegiate athletics. The last Title IX blog post covered the lawsuit filed against the NCAA for allowing Lia Thomas to compete in swimming.[1] Legal Challenges to 2024 Regulations: The Department of Education (DOE)... Continue Reading →