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:

Here's a dive into what Kyle Schwarber has to look forward to in free agency and the NL MVP race. My latest for @sportico.bsky.social

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:

Women’s National Basketball Players Association executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson touched on the challenges the union faces in securing a CBA.

Remember those "Pay Us What You Owe Us" shirts that sparked a firestorm of sorts after the @wnba.com ASG? During @sportico.bsky.social's RISE event yesterday, I had a chance to talk with WNBPA about their impact. www.sportico.com/leagues/bask...

Taking an off day from baseball I write about the WNBA playoffs and how Liberty coach Sandy Brondello has a chance to eliminate her former Mercury squad with a win in Brooklyn tonight. My latest for @sportico.bsky.social

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

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:

Liz Marro, Unrivaled's new chief marketing officer, previously served as CMO at sports gaming company Underdog.

Former WNBA MVP Tina Charles is the latest hooper committing to play in the Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball league this winter.

ESPN and CBS will both see the number of games they air expand in 2026, while Victory+ enters the fray.

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....

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...

According to @netflix.com, over 41 million around the world watched Crawford's win over Canelo. Some context in my latest for @sportico.bsky.social as scrutiny over streaming numbers has grown in recent weeks. www.sportico.com/leagues/boxi...

Always a treat to sit down with Trevor Hoffman, this time talking about the current great Padres bullpen and his slick recent save at Petco for the Bananas. My latest for @sportico.bsky.social

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:

In February, Alvarez signed a four-fight deal with Alalshikh; Reports put the package at $400 million. A longtime boxing insider told Sportico the fight contract was in the neighborhood of $325 million.

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:

The jokes are flying but the business is real. With USF/Miami on The CW tomorrow, I chatted with its president about how ACC football helps raise the profile of CW Sports. My latest for @sportico.bsky.social. www.sportico.com/business/med...

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.

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:

Tito Francona just wins everywhere he manages. He came out of retirement to take the low budget Cincinnati Reds into the NL Wild Card race. They are currently two games out. My latest for @sportico.bsky.social

Canadians are playing more golf at home—and way less in the U.S.—in response to Donald Trump.

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:

While Josh Kraft will face Boston's incumbent mayor Michelle Wu in November, the early count in tonight's preliminary election is... woof. For @sportico.bsky.social, I wrote about his campaign spending as well as the sports stories for both candidates. www.sportico.com/personalitie...

It's not looking good for the son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft in his mayoral campaign 🗳️

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:

Kalshi and Polymarket say state law doesn't apply to them. What about intellectual property law? That's the latest potential land mine they're testing, so far without pushback.

After Devers debacle, Red Sox still have to deal with re-signing Bregman, who has a player opt out at the end of the season and is sure to exercise it. My latest for @sportico.bsky.social

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:

"If someone comes to us and presents a compelling opportunity, we’re, of course, going to listen."

NFL teams are increasingly pushing costs down the road using void years

My @sportico.bsky.social legal column on the Kawhi Leonard salary cup circumvention investigation looks at why it is a complicated situation since the alleged wrongful payer is not the team but a sponsor. That implicates a wide range of biz and legal considerations: www.sportico.com/law/analysis....

Bochy at 70 has Rangers again heading toward the playoffs on the last year of his contract. Is this his swan song? My latest for @sportico.bsky.social

Just seven years ago, WNBA players didn’t appear in 2K at all. Since then, women’s basketball has enjoyed a wave of commercial and cultural momentum that made Take-Two take notice.

(10) Now the NFL is turning its attention internationally, looking to grow the sport in more and more countries around the world Check out @kbadenhausen.bsky.social's thorough breakdown for @sportico.bsky.social on how NFL teams make money: wp.me/pc2RuA-1lz4Cd

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...

My latest for @sportico.bsky.social on the alleged no-show job for Kawhi Leonard that might have allowed the Clippers to go around the league's cap, the company at the center of it all, and a trip down memory lane. www.sportico.com/leagues/bask...

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:

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:

So Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy threw a little shade at Oregon's spending. Pot, meet kettle? For my latest at @sportico.bsky.social, a look at the actual dollars for the athletic programs (and football teams) of the two schools. www.sportico.com/leagues/coll...

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...

Adrian Mannarino: The coolest 🎾 player you haven't heard of • Never looks at the bracket • Had no sponsor for over a year • Strings racket at 24 lbs (normal is 50 lbs) • Wins 58% on grass, but only 22% on clay • Won majority of his titles after his 35th birthday www.sportico.com/leagues/tenn...

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:

There are a couple pathways that are on the horizon if labor talks go beyond Oct. 31.

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: