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Sports Agents

Follow Up On CAA

Leinart's face may soon be on the bottle

I stumbled upon a very interesting article over at the LA Weekly titled: Oh Shit! The Vultures Are Circling, which digs deeper into the Steinberg/Creative Artists Agency/Matt Leinart controversy.

If you are interested in the issue, the history of CAA, or want a good read, go check it out. Here is a little snippet from the post:

I’m told the phrase “sons of bitches” to describe CAA was floating around Steinberg’s office after he received Leinart’s letter of termination. Ironically, USC offensive tackle Winston Justice fired Steinberg late last week because he felt Steinberg was focusing all his time on his more famous Trojan client.

Is CAA the newest breed of super-agency? Will it become a bigger force in the field of Sports representation than IMG?

[tags]Matt Leinart, Leigh Steinberg, CAA, Creative Artists Agency, IMG, USC[/tags]

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

3 replies on “Follow Up On CAA”

[…] These facts provide an interesting foray into the post made by Rick Karcher at the Sports Law Blog today [Hollywood Talent Firm Consolidates Sports Agent Biz].  With consolidation in the old Sports Agent world creating powerhouses such as SFX, Octagon, and IMG, Scott Boras was still able to dominate America’s pasttime throughout all of the mergers and buyouts.  It seems that he is able to continue to maintain his dominance in the industry even as the tide has changed recently.  Major consolidation has turned into massive consolidation as Hollywood talent agencies have begun to enter the Sports Agent world and acquire big names from the old consolidated big players (ex: IMG).  These new companies have been highlighted in this blog: CAA, WMG, etc. […]

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