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Sports Business

Going The Extra 5M

5msportsSports have always been a big part of Joey Kirk’s life. From covering Bob Knight basketball at Texas Tech for the student newspaper to long nights of designing the sports section of the newspaper in Phoenix, Arizona, he found himself completely immersed in sports.

It wasn’t until after a year of establishing his first business, 5M Studios, that creative director and CEO Joey Kirk decided to spin off a second company, 5M Sports.

“We wanted to make 5M Sports because it covers a very niche portion of design services,” Kirk says. “We want to tailor our services to athletes and sports organizations because, like our tagline says, we like sports.”

They don’t just like sports though; they love them. Working alongside marketing director Caleb Mezzy, a recent grad of Temple University, 5M Sports has worked with several high profile athletes in the development of Twitter backgrounds, web sites, logos, camp brochures and recruiting packets.

Here are a couple of examples:

“We started with one client. And with some effort and a lot of emails, we’ve managed to grow significantly just since the launch of business back in August,” Kirk says.

Now, 5M Sports is working with several sport agencies and other organizations in building web sites for professional athletes as well as developing t-shirt designs, brand identity and other marketing materials.

“We have lots and lots of competition,” Kirk says. “Anyone that builds web sites want to develop them for athletes. They think they are cash cows.  But for us, that’s not the case. We love working with athletes. We’re not after their money.”

While there are a few design companies dedicated to working with athletes, 5M Sports stands out among its competition. With high-quality professional design and solid customer service, Kirk and 5M Sports work with almost any budget and are always on time with deliverables.

“We pride ourselves in making sure the client is always happy,” Kirk says. “We’ve never lost a client (nor has 5M Studios), and we don’t plan to start.”

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.