Checking In From Occasionally Sunny South Florida

I am currently down here in South Florida, having business meetings and enjoying the various major Super Bowl related parties.  Wednesday night I attended the MOVES Magazine party at Christine Lee’s in the new Gulfstream Park.  Thursday night was the GQ Party at the Bud Light Hotel (Bud Light has taken over the Surfcomber Hotel for the week).  I have to say that was the most impressive party to date.  Earlier on Thursday, I spent some time at the Hard Rock pool for the Red Bull Super Pool party.  Last night I returned to the Hard Rock to go to the Hard Rock “Rock ‘N Soul” Party with Drew Rosenhaus party.  If you read my tweets, you know that I was least impressed with last night’s party.  Soon, I will be hitting up my last event for the weekend: Leigh Steinberg’s party.

I have been conversing with many athletes and celebrities at the various events.  The athlete I am most impressed with is Darren McFadden.  Besides having a great first name, he is well spoken and has great character.  I wish him the best next season with the Raiders.  It has also been nice to catch up with a lot of great sports business people.  Based on a few of our conversations, we may be able to do some great work together in the near future.

I have uploaded a short clip that shows what some of these parties look like from the red carpet to the action inside.  See below.

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.

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