Categories
Arena Football

Tony Kornheiser Loves Him Some Arena Football

Football players no longer have to be in college or in the NFL to be showcased on ESPN and ABC. After becoming a minority owner in the AFL yesterday, ESPN plans to add Arena Football games to its Monday night lineup (starting after the NFL season is over, of course). At least 26 AFL games will be shown on the ABC family (ESPN, ESPN2, ABC) starting in 2007 [ESPN buys stake in Arena football].

Year-round football on Monday nights…just another way that the World Wide Leader in Sports is trying to take over the world. At the same time, this deal should bring even more prestige to a league that has been growing as of late (NBC coverage, EA Sports video game, etc) and will benefit players who cannot quite make it in the NFL. Deadspin pokes some fun at the ESPN purchase, but I think that this may be even better long-term than short-term for the AFL. The AFL has lingered around as Minor League Football for a while on a certain type of speed that did not come close to the XFL. ESPN may give the league even more legitimacy and further establish the AFL as something that will not disappear anytime soon.

For more information on the Arena Football league, check out a post I made on May 16, 2006: [Football Client not Ready for the NFL?].

Maybe ESPN will get lucky enough to catch another ref getting hit in the “wind mid-section” [YouTube – Arena Football: Ref gets taken down during TD celebration].

-Darren Heitner

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.

One reply on “Tony Kornheiser Loves Him Some Arena Football”

Comments are closed.