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Accessories Endorsements Sports Business

PureSport Is Making Waves

When Mark Eshelman, Director of Business Development for PureSport first emailed me about his company, I was wondering what he wanted from a company who did not represent any swimmers.  His company’s product, a protein-focused sports drink had a bunch of swimmers as endorsers, including Michael Phelps.  Mark reached out to me in advance of the 2008 Olympics, so while Phelps was a big name at the time, he was nowhere near the brand name that he is today.  Anyway, Mark sent the product to three of our baseball clients, and they all loved it.  Who knew that swimmers and baseball players both enjoy good tasting, healthy products?  PureSport took a chance with helping out a young company (Dynasty) and some of its Minor League clients.  The least I can do is thank them with a post on the blog.  But additionally, I’d like to congratulate them on a recent write-up in the Wall Street Journal.

PureSport was not only smart enough to snag Phelps as an endorser of its product prior to the 2008 Olympic Games, but additionally gave him and three of his swimming teammates a five-percent share in the company.  Want an athlete to truly care about the product?  Give him a stake in it!  Sports Authority now carries PureSport products, and a big reason for that is the exposure that the sports drink company gets by being aligned with Phelps.  Smart move by a smaller, new company looking to make a name for itself.  So which company is going to be the first to jump on an opportunity to have its large logo right in the middle of a guy like Norm Duke or Robert Smith as they bowl in championship after championship on ESPN?

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.

5 replies on “PureSport Is Making Waves”

Does he give free samples to the clients or as an agent do you need to pay for the drinks for your clients? Seems quite expensive….

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