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Baseball Career Conference at the Baseball Winter Meetings

What: Baseball Career Conference hosted by Sports Management Worldwide

When: December 2-3, 2012

Where: Radisson Hotel at Opryland in Nashville, Tennessee

The goal of the Baseball Career Conference is to provide members of the sports industry an opportunity to work with and learn from leading industry experts regarding the representation of athletes and the challenges of operating professional teams, leagues, facilities and media outlets.  Anyone 16-years-old or older working on the business side of baseball or wanting to work in baseball is welcome to attend.

Tentative List of Speakers

  • Stan Kasten,  former President of the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals and the current president, and part-owner, of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
  • Pat Gillick – former GM of four Major League Baseball teams including Toronto Blue Jays (1978–1994), Baltimore Orioles (1996–1998), Seattle Mariners (2000–2003), Philadelphia Phillies (2006–2008) Guided two teams to three World Series championships in his career: 1992 and 1993 titles with the Toronto Blue Jays, and a 2008 title with the Philadelphia Phillies.
  • Cory Schwartz, Vice President, Stats, MLB Advanced Media
  • Jayson Stark, ESPN Senior Baseball Writer
  • Rob Neyer, SB Nation National Baseball Editor and well known author
  • Jay Miller, Texas Rangers Senior Vice President
  • Mike Birling, Durham Bulls GM
  • Harold Reynolds – MLB Network Studio Analyst (Invited)
  • Will Carroll, Contributer, SI.com
  • Don Welke – Texas Rangers Senior Special Assistant to the GM & Scouting
  • Toney Howell, LA Dodgers, Special Assistant to the General Manager
  • Larry D’Amato, former scout for Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, NY Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Cincinnati Reds
  • Maury Brown, Biz of Baseball & SMWW Faculty
  • Tony Ciccolella, MLBPA Agent
  • Jeff Gray – Minnesota Twins Pitcher
  • Tracy Ringolsby – Baseball America and FoxSports.com. Hall of Fame baseball writer in his 37th year covering MLB is a co-founder of Baseball America, and is in his fourth year as analyst for Colorado Rockies games on Root Sports.
  • Dr. Lynn Lashbrook, SMWW President
  • Ryan Latham, Seattle Mariners Account Executive & SMWW Alumni
  • Michael Lawlor, Boston Red Sox Fan Services
  • Mark Smith, Oakland A’s Minor League Video Coordinator & SMWW Alumni

Cost: General Admission ($225 before October 31; $250 after); College Students, SMWW Alumni & Faculty ($135 before October 31; $150 after); and Team and Agency Employees ($125 before October 31; $150 after).  Click here for more information and to register for the event.

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.