Sports Lawyers | Esports Lawyers

From over-the-top streaming to esports and from wearable technology to the stadiums of the future, today’s sports business is a whole different ballgame. The rules are changing, new players are entering the arena and the hurdles — and trophies — are bigger than ever.

Whether you’re an athlete, team or league; an owner or investor; a media or tech company or other content developer or publisher; or a brand operating in the space, Loeb & Loeb is committed to helping you play competitively, on and off the field.

Drawn from practices across the firm, our sports and esports lawyers are deal-makers, problem-solvers, litigators, and trusted legal and business partners for individuals and organizations of every kind, in matters touching every corner of today’s sports universe. Our work spans every major professional sport and collegiate athletics, as well as the dynamic and rapidly growing worlds of esports and fantasy sports. Our core areas of capability include the following:

We provide counsel to individual investors and ownership groups in bids for professional sports franchises and esports teams. Our lawyers also advise private equity investors, high-net-worth individuals and corporate entities in acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, equity and debt financings, and recapitalizations, as well as other commercial transactions involving sports organizations and assets.

Loeb lawyers assist franchise and team owners, investors, and management companies with the full spectrum of legal and business issues involved in the development and operation of stadiums and arenas — from facility financing to entitlement, construction, leasing and operating agreements. We also negotiate sponsorship and naming rights agreements for sports facilities and entertainment venues, as well as event licenses, facility management agreements, and food and beverage and concession agreements.

Our team has extensive experience documenting and negotiating credit facilities and syndicated financings on behalf of financial institutions that lend to or invest in leagues, teams, and other sports and esports assets. We’ve been involved in loan facilities for a variety of sports-related investment projects as well as sophisticated project finance transactions for the construction of new stadiums and arenas.

Loeb’s vast experience in all aspects of media and entertainment translates to unmatched knowledge and ability to assist global media companies and nontraditional sports and Esports content providers — as well as leagues and teams — with the challenges and opportunities of today’s dynamic sports media market. We negotiate and implement media rights agreements for local and national television and radio sports broadcasts, as well as innovative licensing deals for content distribution on internet, mobile and other digital platforms.

Technology continues to disrupt and dominate the business of sports and Esports, changing the way fans engage and the way athletes and organizations compete. Loeb provides cutting-edge counsel on legal, regulatory and business issues related to Esports and fantasy sports platforms, apps, and digital products and experiences, as well as wearable technology, over-the-top streaming services, new stadium technology and many other transformative innovations in sports.

Widely known for innovative work in marketing and advertising law, Loeb guides major advertisers and sports and esports leagues, teams and players in sophisticated sponsorship and endorsement agreements, naming rights transactions, promotions, and brand marketing activations. We advise on the use of new technologies and developing media channels in marketing and advertising efforts, including cutting-edge mobile marketing, social media, and behavioral and interactive advertising initiatives. Our team also helps brands combat ambush marketing tactics and enforce their marketing rights.

In the business of sports, names, logos, images and likenesses can be a client’s most valuable assets. The stakes are just as high in esports, where the intellectual property that forms the basis of play — the games, the content and even the on-screen avatars — are just beginning to reveal their potential for monetization. We handle the full spectrum of issues related to trademarks, copyrights, rights of publicity and patents, helping our sports and esports clients protect their IP against unauthorized use and exploit their brand assets through lucrative licensing and endorsement deals.

Our seasoned lawyers represent brands, athletes, influencers, investors and other parties as they take advantage of opportunities in the booming health and wellness industry. From helping our clients launch popular nutraceuticals and health food products, advising on some of the first athlete and celebrity endorsed at-home workout programs and apps, and structuring brand partnerships for apparel, wearable technology, food and beverage and other products, Loeb has always been at the forefront. As social media, sports and health and wellness become inextricably linked, there is also no other firm like Loeb that is on the cutting edge of influencer arrangements, innovative equity investments and other social media wellness partnerships and ventures.

Our courtroom-tested trial and appellate attorneys handle all types of commercial disputes in courts and alternative dispute resolution forums across the country. We advocate for our sports and esports clients in contract and licensing disputes, intellectual property infringement actions, domain name disputes, real estate and entitlement challenges, employment disputes, regulatory investigations, and white collar criminal enforcement proceedings.

Loeb’s nationally recognized tax, estate planning and charitable-giving practitioners advise professional athletes and their families on a full range of private wealth management issues, while minimizing exposure to tax liabilities and ensuring compliance in an evolving tax landscape. From traditional tax and estate planning needs to more complex wealth transfer strategies, including the organization and administration of charitable foundations, we help our clients preserve and protect their wealth for the future.