Sports & Gaming
Overview
As a player in the sports and gaming industry, you drive the organizations and experiences that entertain and enrich the lives of countless fans and athletes, unite communities, and cross-sect virtually every aspect of society.
We serve or have served as principal counsel to franchises in all major U.S. professional sports leagues, as well as counsel to the National Football League, the National Hockey League, and Major League Baseball. We also represent Olympic, collegiate, minor league, and other professional and amateur international, national, and regional sports clients, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association. We advise teams, leagues, governing bodies, facilities, contractors, sponsors, schools, cities, government entities, and nonprofit sports organizations on a full array of facilities, operational, sports, entertainment, corporate, litigation/risk management, and intellectual property matters.
Sports & Gaming Team Leads
-
Patrick H. Reilly
Partner
-
Jeffrey S. Jacobson
Partner
-
James D. Leonard
Partner
Related Legal Services
Corporate Litigation Intellectual Property Labor & Employment Real Estate & Construction Product Liability & Mass Torts Class Actions AntitrustServices
Stadiums, Arenas and Facilities
We work with teams, sponsors, and cities, including current industry-leading naming rights arrangements for U.S. Bank Stadium (home field for the Minnesota Vikings), Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, TCO Stadium (team corporate headquarters for the Minnesota Vikings and 200-acre mixed-use project), Target Field (home ballpark for the Minnesota Twins) and the complete redevelopment of the Climate Pledge Arena (home of the Seattle Kraken). We have experience with all matters relating to
- Stadium, arena and related facilities
- Office development and ownership
- Lease and use agreements
- Design and construction contracts
- Financing
- Entitlements
- Eminent domain
- Sponsorship and monetization
- Naming rights agreements
- Sponsorship agreements
- Intellectual property matters
- Licensing and merchandising
- Operations
- Ticketing
- Suite agreements
- Special events contracts
- Concessions
- Pouring rights
- Alcohol and food licensing and regulations
- Parking
- Transportation
- Security
- Technology
- Zoning
- Signage/signage districts
- Environmental
- Waste disposal
- Emergency services
- Interaction with state and local government and law enforcement
- Disputes and litigation
World Championships, and Sports and Entertainment Events
Our work has included multi-sport worldwide games (including the Pan American Games and Goodwill Games) and International Federation World Championships (including FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships, FINA Swimming World Championships, FIBA Basketball World Championships, IFG Gymnastics World Championships and FIFA World Cup). We have experience with all matters relating to large-scale, world-class sports and entertainment events, including:
- Bidding
- Planning
- Host analysis and selection
- Funding
- Construction/takedown
- Risk management
- Naming rights
- Sponsorship and monetization
- Operations
- Entertainment booking and production
- Government affairs and regulatory assistance
- Disputes and litigation
Corporate Governance and Organizational Matters
Our experience in corporate matters for nonprofit amateur sports organizations and for-profit professional organizations comprises the full range of corporate services, including:
- Governance
- Restructuring
- Membership and affiliate registration and management
- Sales and divestitures
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Capitalization and financing
- Nonprofit and charitable organization issues
- Antitrust issues
- League franchise issues
The governance and organizational matters extend to:
- USOPC National Governing Body issues (including compliance with the Amateur Sports Act, National Governing Body remediation, and USOPC audits and USOC dispute resolution)
- NCAA and member institution issues (including compliance with NCAA rules)
- Contract drafting, review, and negotiation for all aspects of a sports organization’s business (including naming rights, sponsorship, ticketing, transportation, venue use agreements, player contracts and arrangements, and corporate, charity and foundation transactions).