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Lagardère Unlimited Acquires Gaylord Sports Management

Earlier today, Lagardère Unlimited acquired Scottsdale, Arizona-based Gaylord Sports Management Group.  I had been hearing whispers for quite some time regarding the potential acquisition.  Law firm Proskauer Rose handled the transaction for Lagardère.

Not only will Lagardère Unlimited see a substantial boost to its athlete representation practice, but it will also allow for the company to expand into golf course design.  However, it is hard to overlook the talented athletes who will now be considered Lagardère Unlimited clients.  Gaylord Sports was well known for its expansive golf division, which included 2012 World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Phil Mickelson and 2011 PGA Championship winner and 2011 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Keegan Bradley.  Gaylord Sports President and Chief Executive Officer Steve Loy is now acting as President of Lagardère Unlimited Golf.

The rest of the Gaylord Sports management staff will be joining Lagardère Unlimited as well (including baseball agent Terry Bross and NFLPA Contract Advisor Ken Sarnoff).  Some of the prominent baseball players who are now Lagardère Unlimited clients include Dan Uggla and Bronson Arroyo.  In the football division, Nate Burleson, Chester Taylor, and a host of others will join an already strong stable of clients headed by longtime NFLPA Contract Advisor Joel Segal at Lagardère Unlimited.

“For our first domestic acquisition since acquiring BEST almost 2 years ago, we were looking for a strong company which would complement the assets we already have in place,” said Kevin O’Connor, Lagardère Unlimited Chief Operating Officer in North and South America.  “The addition of Gaylord Sports Management immediately ranks us among the leaders in professional golf representation and gives us an important footprint in baseball as we continue to grow.  It should go without saying that we are thrilled to be working with Steve [Loy], his team and their clients.”

The news is certainly exciting for those at Lagardère Unlimited and Gaylord Sports.  I wish everyone involved the best as they begin to work together in their new capacities.

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.