More law firms are strategically expanding their focus on sports-related practices, driven by evolving dynamics in both amateur and professional sports. Issues such as employment and antitrust regulations in name, image, and likeness (NIL) licensing for NCAA athletes, private equity investments in teams and leagues, and the rapidly increasing investments in elite women’s sports are reshaping the legal landscape.
The scope of media rights deals, expected to be in the tens of billions, also underscores the complexity and significance of this sector. “The issues have become far more complex, the stakes far more significant, and the players far more global and institutional,” noted Paul Weiss chair Brad Karp.