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Dynasty Athlete Representation Sports Business

The Transformation Of Bowling

It seems as if the landscape of bowling has changed dramatically since Dynasty Athlete Representation first got involved in the sport. When we first started representing bowlers on all of their off-the-lanes ventures (mostly their endorsement deals), bowling was known as the show that attempted to steal a small share of the ratings from professional football on Sundays. But things have changed. While bowling still has its slot on Sundays against the NFL, the PBA Tour has had a lot of great moments, which has increased bowling’s relevance amongst non-traditional fans in the past year. Fortunately, many of the names that have helped transform the sport of bowling are Dynasty clients. And because of this, the cost of bowling balls is also affected, if you wanted to learn more check out https://skilledbowlers.com/bowling-balls/bowling-ball-cost/. Mike Jakubowski of PBA.com recently wrote a piece that highlights some of the most memorable recent moments on tour. I have republished the parts of his piece that apply to Dynasty’s clients.

The media momentum has been building for over a year now on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour. Newspapers, magazines, national television programs, radio shows, online columns, blogs, tweets and Facebook pages are spreading the news. No single player or story has dominated the coverage. Many people with many different stories have started many conversations across the country and around the world. Professional bowling is back! At the start of the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season, an international sensation by the name ofJason Belmonte used both hands to thrust himself into the national spotlight. The affable, good-natured Australian blazed a trail of ink from coast-to-coast than started with the front page of the Wall Street Journal to the Los Angeles Times. Belmo backed up the hype by advancing through the Tour Qualifying Round at the 2009 Bowling Foundation Long Island Classic by a single pin, into the field and won a pair of televised matches to capture his first Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title. All of that after showing Governor Mike Huckabee how to bowl the day before live on Fox and Friends on a damp day in New York City. Thanks to the interest created by Belmonte, the international bowling community turned up the heat during this season’s World Series of Bowling in Detroit. Now the world’s greatest bowlers and the greatest bowlers in the world have a new worldwide showcase for the sport of pro bowling. The first half of the 2009-10 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season began with the World Series of Bowling and ended with the live finals of the PBA World Championship. This time Tom Smallwood had a compelling story to tell and captured the attention of America and the mainstream media. From unemployed auto worker to PBA World Champion, Smallwood met every challenge on the lanes and told the story of his accomplishment to a national audience who could easily relate to having to find a way to support a family while trying to chase a dream. With his entire life on the line, Smallwood stepped up in the tenth frame and delivered a strike to remember. We are still talking about it. Where will the next story come from, who will step up and demand the spotlight, what circumstances will drive the next national media attention?

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.