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Arena Football League Bankrupt And Disbanding

Arena Football League

Here’s to hoping that the UFL turns out to be a successful venture.  Less than a year ago, I was sitting at a table outside of a panel at the 2008 Princeton Sports Law Symposium when someone yelled that the AFL was going to be suspending its 2009 season.  After quickly verifying that rumor, I was in shock.  Sure, the economy was hurting, but how could a league with strong friends in ESPN, NBC, and other large corporations be that bad off?  A year off, and maybe the league would rebound, and once again serve as a place for players on the cusp of breaking into the NFL to show their skills.  Looks like that won’t be happening.

Facebook is on a tear (it’s the fourth largest site on the web now).  Your mom uses it, your dad uses it, your dog has its own Fan Page, and Presidents/COOs of professional football teams are updating their statuses with breaking news on it.  Apparently, the first word that the AFL will diesband came from Jim Borghesi of the Tampa Bay Storm.  It is disbanding and declaring bankruptcy (sorry for you crditors with outstanding debts).

All along, there seems to have been two factions within AFL ownership: Owners willing to spend the money to keep the league afloat and a group who wanted to cut their losses and end the show.  Will the first group stay in the business of football?  Will they invest in a new start-up league?  Will it be the UFL?

Here is a clip of my boy Darren Rovell discussing this matter in depth:

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.