U.S. District Judge Richard Boulware just issued a restraining order against NCAA in an antitrust case, allowing STatuo Martinson to keep playing football beyond NCAA eligibility rules. Boulware had maybe the most critical language I've seen of a judge with regard to NCAA eligibility rules:

Extending the pro sports protections of the Sports Broadcasting Act to college sports is one idea being discussed. There's a problem: the SBA does very little these days for sports on TV since it doesn't apply to cable, paid satellite or streaming. My weekly @sportico.bsky.social sports law column:

International college athletes are limited in earning NIL money due to visa restrictions, but ASU basketball player Last-Tear Poa, who is from Australia, has brought a federal case that could change that. She gets past the feds at motion to dismiss stage. I discsuss for @sportico.bsky.social:

Duke sues alleged counterfeiters in China who use Temu and AliExpress to sell what the school says are products illegally featuring Duke trademarks. I discuss in a new @sportico.bsky.social article: www.sportico.com/law/analysis...

New: The NFL petitions the 2nd Circuit for a rehearing en banc in the Brian Flores case. These petitions are granted only about 1% of the time. But NFL argues this is an exceptional situation that impacts other pro leagues and their ability to arbitrate disputes. I discuss for @sportico.bsky.social:

Lots of talk these days of Congress "fixing" college sports. The politics of that are hazy, but more engaging--to me at least--is how a federal college sports statute would face its own set of legal challenges, including on Equal Protection + states' rights grounds: www.sportico.com/law/analysis....

The latest turn in Brian Flores v. NFL could be a big one: he asks the trial judge to bring his claims against the Dolphins—which include him refusing to go along with tanking—back from arbitration into court in light of Second Circuit's ruling last month. My legal take for @sportico.bsky.social:

Executives and stars from the WNBA, NWSL, Unrivaled, WLL and the Olympic movement gathered in midtown Manhattan.

Looking forward to a sports law lunch talk at Harvard Law School next Thursday with the Harvard Committee on Sports & Entertainment Law. There's a lot to discuss about sports law these days! hls.harvard.edu/events/csel-....

I listened to today's Diego Pavia v. NCAA hearing at the Sixth Circuit. There's a good chance the court will decide the case is moot since Pavia got what he sued for: The chance to play this fall. But if not, moot the judges seemed skeptical of NCAA arguments. My recap for @sportico.bsky.social:

While 23XI and Front Row Motorsports' antitrust case against NASCAR has gotten most of the media attention, NASCAR has also countersued those two two teams and longtime Michael Jordan business pal Curtis Polk. I have details on @sportico.bsky.social on developments in the countersuit:

The SCORE Act is facing political headwinds, but even if it were to become law, it could face several legal challenges, including with regard to states' rights, employment law and Equal Protection. My @sportico.bsky.social legal column: www.sportico.com/law/analysis...

A huge hearing today for college sports law: the U.S. Court of Appeals for 6th Circuit will hear NCAA's appeal in Diego's Pavia case. How long should college athletes be eligible to play? Is that an education or antitrust question? My @sportico.bsky.social preview: www.sportico.com/law/analysis....

Shohei Ohtani and his agent motion to dismiss a lawsuit accusing the two men of wrongdoing in a $240M luxury real esate development in Hawaii. Ohtani argues he did nothing wrong and insists that the developer misused his NIL. I have details and analysis for @sportico.bsky.social:

Big NBA agent arbitration decision: Derrick Jones Jr. owes his ex-agent, Aaron Turner, $1.2M for a $30M contract Turner says he negotiated with the LA Clippers in part because Jones didn't give Turner sufficient notice of his firing. Kudos to Darren Heitner on the win. My @sportico.bsky.social take:

“In court filings, judges and prosecutors have defined understanding as ‘the comprehension or awareness of the parties’ and ‘at least a universal perception or belief’. The NBA could place a low bar for ‘understanding’ to find the Clippers at fault.” @mccannsportslaw.bsky.social:

Unlike so many of the tryhard legal writing jokes, this is perfect.

Kalshi says it never wins when users lose. That's not true—at least for the parent company. Kalshi Trading, owned by Kalshi Inc., is a for-profit entity operating on the exchange. We break down the affiliate and how its existence seems to contradict Kalshi's public messaging.

A group of former men's basketball players allegedly bet against or for their team, among other acts that break NCAA rules. There are more than 500,000 college athletes, plus numerous others (trainers, interns etc) with access to inside info. Big problem. Details on @sportico.bsky.social:

As troubling new salary cap circumvention allegations against the Los Angeles Clippers are revealed this morning by Pablo Torre, NBA commissioner Adam Silver—a seasoned attorney—stresses the importance of due process. My @sportico.bsky.social legal take on latest developments:

If the NBA finds the LA Clippers and Aspiration conspired to pay Kawhi Leonard, the team will be punished severely. But what if the evidence doesn't show a conspiracy, but instead looking the other way? That's where the CBA word "understanding" becomes key. My @sportico.bsky.social take:

Junk fees—hidden or surprise fees presented at the end of a transaction, after you mentally decide to buy something—are common. Rent a car or buy a plane ticket. They're there. A new lawsuit against Washington Nationals say they appear when buying game tickets. I discuss for @sportico.bsky.social:

Great to join The Ringer's Zach Lowe for his show to discuss the Kawhi Leonard/Los Angeles Clippers salary cap circumvention scandal—or maybe non-scandal—here's the link to the video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M6L...

I became a law professor in 2005, and have taught sports law every year. Looking back at my syllabus from 20 years ago, let's just say things have changed—from the NCAA, to sports betting to marijuana. Plus now it's a "real" area of law. My @sportico.bsky.social column:

Can't believe it was a decade ago that U.S. District Judge Richard Berman vacated the NFL's four-game suspension of Tom Brady. The students in the Deflategate course at the University of New Hampshire were ready for the news!

I appreciate the shout-out from The Ringer's @zachlowenba.bsky.social on his NBA show discussing the Kawhi Leonard investigation. Excellent discussion too. I'll have a column for @sportico.bsky.social today on the topic. www.theringer.com/podcasts/the...

Will private equity save college sports and higher ed? Both need money, fast. But I have my doubts: www.sportico.com/law/analysis...

Hostile work environment case against Skip Bayless—who was accused of offering to pay co-worker for sex--and Fox is partially settled, with claims of harassment and battery resolved. But potential class action claims remain. I have details on @sportico.bsky.social: www.sportico.com/law/analysis...

Inflated attendance numbers are a well-known thing in college sports. LA Times reporter Ben Bolch used a public information request to obtain UCLA’s scan count — thus got a closer number of how many people are actually attending some of their home games: www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/...

There's talk of private equity investing in college sports. The top of college sports generates a lot of money and colleges need money. But so long as college athletes aren't employees and aren't in a union, it's a risky bet for investors unless they're comfortable becoming antitrust defendants:

A new federal antitrust class action lawsuit filed tonight against the NCAA argues the Redshirt Rule restricting play to 4 seasons in 5 years is an antitrust violation. Vanderbilt's Langston Patterson makes the case players should get 5 seasons in 5 years. My @sportico.bsky.social legal take:

23XI Racing and Front Row fire back at NASCAR's argument that the reason for the two teams' seeking an injunction has been rendered moot. 23XI and Front Row insist NASCAR's depiction of charters should be moved off the track. I have details and analysis for @sportico.bsky.social:

The NFL/NFLPA collusion appeal could turn out to be more about the powers of a league management council to share advice and information. A really interesting sports law issue (and one law students who are writing law review notes might want to explore). My @sportico.bsky.social legal column:

NASCAR tells a federal judge that 23XI Racing and Front Row's demand for an injunction has been rendered moot. Jeffrey Kessler says not so fast. I have details for @sportico.bsky.social: www.sportico.com/law/analysis...

Guy who was bookie to ex-Shohei Ohtani inteprpreter Ippei Mizuhara—and to many others in an illegal gambling enterprise—sentenced to 12 months and a day behind bars. Prosecutors said Mizuhara placed at least 19,000 bets with Mathew Bowyer. I discuss for @sportico.bsky.social:

Barstool Sports files a federal lawsuit against Omega Accounting Solutions, accusing the company—which did ads and promotions with Barstool--of failing to pay millions of dollars for the benefit of partnering with Barstool. I have details and analysis for @sportico.bsky.social:

ESPN sues Dish Network over Sling TV's new Day Pass service, which lets people pay to watch ESPN (and other channels) for a day. ESPN says its contract with Dish doesn't allow that and wants a federal judge to issue an injunction. I have details and analysis for @sportico.bsky.social:

Buying a minority stake of a pro team doesn't give you control but does give you access. Phoenix Suns minority stake owners are suing the team, claiming they've been denied access in violation of contract, good faith & fair dealing. I have details in a new @sportico.bsky.social article:

The Great Shambino: a guy who shares Babe Ruth's name and who allegedly used the identities of deceased and retired MLB players to scam class action settlement administrators faces felony charges. I read through the indictment for @sportico.bsky.social: www.sportico.com/law/analysis....

In a new brief, Jeffrey Kessler, on behalf of 23XI and Front Row, compares NASCAR to the NCAA (from an antitrust perspective). NASCAR, meanwhile, cites cases involving the NFL rejecting applications for teams. An interesting case gets more interesting. My take for @sportico.bsky.social:

It took only four days for the Second Circuit's ruling to keep Brian Flores v. NY Giants out of arbitration to impact arbitration in another league. Judge cites Flores in ruling former NBA referee's lawsuit doesn't go to arbitration. This is a big deal as I discuss in a @sportico.bsky.social column:

A great day teaching Crisis Management Law at UNH Law with Michael Strauss, an attorney for MLB stars as Ronald Acuña Jr. & Fernando Tatís Jr. and other celebrities (also a former superstar student of mine). A 3-day class, from 9 am to 6 pm today, Saturday & Sunday. 1st day went great. 2 more to go!

Malik Beasley is no longer a target of a federal investigation, but that doesn't mean he's in the clear. It's an interesting situation for NBA teams to weigh with Beasley a free agent. My @sportico.bsky.social legal column: www.sportico.com/law/analysis....

Four WVU players who began college as far back as 2018 win court ruling to play past NCAA eligibility. Will college sports morph into minor league sports if more "seasoned" players stick around? The old saying "stay in school, kids" is taking on new meaning! Here's my take for @sportico.bsky.social:

In a new court filing, NASCAR argues that 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports' problems are self-inflicted and that the teams' antitrust theory against NASCAR doesn't hold up. I discuss in a new @sportico.bsky.social article: www.sportico.com/law/analysis...

Should NCAA eligibility rules, which impact NIL and revenue share opportunities but are directly about how long a college student can play a sport, be subject to antitrust scrutiny? Judges have given conflicting takes. The latest ruling goes for the NCAA. I discuss for @sportico.bsky.social:

Thank you to my friend, retired MLB player Doug Glanville, on visiting us at UNH Law last week and sharing wisdom on sports, activism and policy. Doug is now a professor at UConn, an ESPN analyst, Athletic writer & podcaster. He's also one of very few Ivy Leaguers to be drafted in the MLB 1st round.

ESPN is accused of stealing trade secrets & violating an NDA signed with tech company SportsBubble, which claims ESPN duped it to share intel so ESPN could launch Where to Watch. It's a $200 million federal lawsuit. ESPN has defenses. I have details + analysis on @sportico.bsky.social:

Mark Gastineau, who is suing ESPN and the NFL for $100 million over use of his video confronting Brett Favre about the sack record, argues in a new court filing that conflicting interpretations of contract language mean his lawsuit shouldn't be dismissed. I discuss for @sportico.bsky.social:

Brian Flores scores a big win at Second Circuit in his discrimination case, but NFL will challenge it. Key is whether the commissioner can arbitrate a dispute in which he is accused. Second Circuit said yes with Tom Brady in Deflategate, now says no with Flores. I discuss for @sportico.bsky.social: