Sports & Media
Bass, Berry & Sims represents professional sports organizations, media and technology companies and related businesses in the sports and media world with a full range of legal services tailored to the specific needs of this dynamic industry. The firm’s deep experience in corporate, litigation, intellectual property, data privacy and public finance matters makes us uniquely positioned to provide strategic, business-minded solutions to the legal issues faced by the sports and media industry.
We represent a variety of professional sports teams from the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), and Major League Soccer (MLS), as well as various sports organizations, including the National Basketball Association (NBA) and MLS. Additionally, we represent mass media enterprises, including broadcast television and radio networks, and various technology and marketing companies. Our experience in this industry includes negotiating the acquisition and sale of professional sports teams (including related franchise and expansion agreements with leagues), negotiating major sponsorship and events deals, advising on the acquisition and distribution of national and local media rights, and litigating ownership disputes.
Our comprehensive, multidisciplinary team provides a full range of services, including:
- Acquisitions and dispositions of professional teams and stadia (including expansion bids).
- Digital and linear content licenses and distribution agreements (including for national and local media rights).
- Sponsorship and advertising transactions.
- Intellectual property (including the clearance, registration and enforcement of trademarks and copyrights) and technology matters and agreements.
- Sports betting operations, rules, sponsorships and data-sharing agreements, as well as related technology and financial services agreements.
- Large-scale events and entertainment negotiations.
- Joint ventures.
- General corporate governance.
- Antitrust counseling and litigation.
- Rules and regulations of professional sports leagues and amateur associations.
- Data collection and compliance (including with respect to CCPA and GDPR).
- Bankruptcy and reorganization.
- Bond and other financing transactions.
Areas of Focus
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Professional Sports Advisement
We represent professional sports organizations, strategic business partners, and related businesses in the sports and media world with a full range of legal services tailored to the specific needs of our clients. We counsel our clients with respect to their brand assets through sponsorship deals and the businesses whose strategic objectives align with these brands, negotiate merchandising and ticketing agreements, advise in the acquisition and disposition of controlling and minority interests in major and minor league sports teams, and assist ownership in change of control transactions and disputes.
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Sports Media
We partner with our sports and media clients in their pursuit of greater audience acquisition and engagement through the negotiation of television and digital media rights agreements, naming rights and other sponsorship transactions, and the numerous contractual obligations associated with staging high-profile sporting and entertainment events. Additionally, we represent clients with respect to intellectual property matters (including the registration and enforcement of trademarks, patents and copyrights) and technology agreements, including for emerging areas such as augmented reality, A.I.-based chat platforms and virtual interactions between consumers and brands/athletes/teams. Our experience in marketing and advertising law allows us to provide counsel to clients on high-profile marketing campaigns and customer rewards programs (including for consumer sweepstakes and contests), as well as to advise on the collection and protection of customer data and best practices for privacy policies of websites and mobile applications.
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Gaming and Sports Betting
Our team represents traditional gambling companies and sports betting operators as they take advantage of opportunities in the growing sports wagering industry. Leveraging our unique depth of experience advising sports and media industry clients and a nationally-recognized corporate M&A practice, we provide business-minded solutions to gaming clients on matters involving sports wagering licensure; complex corporate mergers and acquisitions; strategic relationships; digital data collection practices and privacy compliance; and the negotiation of intellectual property and technology agreements, including software and technology service agreements, digital media license agreements, sponsorships and data-sharing agreements. Whether advising on the growth, acquisition, sale, or commercialization of gaming operations, we understand the legal implications that arise and guide our clients through every stage of development to achieve their strategic objectives and mitigate risks.
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Sports Financing
We regularly assist both sports organizations and government entities with the multi-million dollar financings of sporting facilities. Our experience includes representing government entities in the bond issuance used to help finance the construction and renovation of sports venues, including NFL stadiums, multi-purpose arenas, baseball stadiums and convention centers. Additionally, we represent sports organizations in the financing and refinancing of all types of credit facilities (including term loans, revolving lines of credit and accordions) to support their capital expenditure and working capital needs.
Experience
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Represented the Metro Nashville Sports Authority as bond counsel in connection with the issuance of $225 million of bonds in December 2020 to finance the construction of the new Major League Soccer (MLS) Stadium at the Nashville Fairgrounds
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Trademark licensing counsel to Fanatics Licensing Management, negotiating exclusive license agreements for college sports apparel and merchandise on behalf of University of Wisconsin, Notre Dame and University of Kentucky.
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We advise professional sports organizations, including NFL and MLS franchises, with respect to intellectual property licensing and enforcement matters, events and entertainment agreements, major sponsorship and technology agreements, registration, protection and enforcement of trademarks, trademark and copyright clearance issues, domain name issues, website and mobile app privacy policies and data collection practices (including responses to potential data breaches), as well as legal compliance in connection with fan rewards marketing programs.
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Served as main counsel on the recent Columbus Crew acquisition by a private investor group led by Dee and Jimmy Haslam (Crew SC Holdings)
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Served as primary outside counsel to the NHL’s Nashville Predators since 2010.
Professionals
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.
Notice
Visiting, or interacting with, this website does not constitute an attorney-client relationship. Although we are always interested in hearing from visitors to our website, we cannot accept representation on a new matter from either existing clients or new clients until we know that we do not have a conflict of interest that would prevent us from doing so. Therefore, please do not send us any information about any new matter that may involve a potential legal representation until we have confirmed that a conflict of interest does not exist and we have expressly agreed in writing to the representation. Until there is such an agreement, we will not be deemed to have given you any advice, any information you send may not be deemed privileged and confidential, and we may be able to represent adverse parties.