Categories
Sports Business

Gaylord Sports Acquires GAAMES, LLC

I received this Press Release from contributor Erin Kane, agent at Gaylord Sports:

Gaylord Sports acquires GAAMES, LLC

Veteran scout and agent, Don Mitchell, joins Gaylord team

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (Nov. 6, 2007) – Gaylord Sports Management has acquired GAAMES, LLC. Don Mitchell, a long-time respected scout and former president of GAAMES will join GSM’s baseball division.

“We couldn’t be happier with the arrangement,” says Gregg Clifton, GSM’s senior counsel and vice president of Team Sports. “Don’s integrity speaks for itself, and his skills as an evaluator of talent make him the perfect addition to our team. This is a terrific opportunity for Gaylord as we continue to grow our business.”

Prior to running GAAMES, Mitchell played three years in the Reds organization and then served as a scout with Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh before joining the Atlanta Braves as their national scouting supervisor and assistant director of scouting. As director of scouting for the Arizona Diamondbacks, he helped create the 2001 World Series Championship team. In the past seven years at GAAMES, Mitchell has represented six first round draft picks and thirty-two players selected in the first three rounds. More than fifteen of his draftees have made it in the major leagues.

“I’m excited to join Gaylord,” says Mitchell. “I look forward to taking what we’ve been able to do with GAAMES in eight years and bring the best of that into Gaylord. It’s a great opportunity for me and my clients to be part of this company. Their knowledge and experience in the game, as well as the reputation of Gaylord Sports is tremendous.”

He joins Gregg Clifton, who has more than twenty years experience as a baseball agent and labor lawyer, and Terry Bross, a former baseball player who played at every level and has worked as an agent for the past eight-plus years.

“With the addition of Don Mitchell,” explains Bross, “Gaylord has a unique infrastructure. We operate with a team philosophy here, and we can offer each client and prospect a group of people that has been involved in this industry at every level.”

Gaylord Sports is a full-service sports and entertainment management company dedicated to building champions and building brands. For further details please go to www.gaylordsports.com.

-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.