Categories
Colleges Headline Sports Law

Villanova Symposium: Examining Moneyball’s Impact on Business and Sports

What: Annual Villanova Sports and Entertainment Law Journal Symposium – Examining Moneyball’s Impact on Business and Sports

When: February 10, 2012 (12 p.m.)

Where: Villanova Room of The Connelly Center

Villanova University School of Law (VSL) convenes an all-star roster of leading experts from sports and television for its 2012 Villanova Sports and Entertainment Law Journal Symposium, “Moneyball’s Impact on Business and Sports.” Jeffrey S. Moorad VSL ’81, vice chairman and CEO of the San Diego Padres, headlines the panel alongside Billy Beane, vice president and general manager of the Oakland A’s; Omar Minaya, senior vice president of baseball operations for the Padres; and Phil Griffin, president of MSNBC. Former Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell VSL ’68, a guest sports commentator for Comcast SportsNet and the Philadelphia Daily News, serves as moderator. A question-and-answer session follows the panel discussion.

Beane’s distinctive analytical approach to making personnel decisions, allowing his team to remain competitive while managing payroll, has changed the business-side of sports for franchise executives, players and agents alike. Other Major League franchises—including the San Diego Padres, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox—soon began ‘playing Moneyball,’ adopting sabermetrics as a predictive tool and in turn impacting the landscape of America’s pastime. Symposium panelists Moorad, Beane, Minaya and Griffin will analyze the impact of Moneyball and the variety of ways it has changed the face of sports from player contracts to media markets and competitive balance.

Cost: Free for registered attendees.  Register here.  The Symposium will also be simulcast live at www.law.villanova.edu.

 

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.