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Friday Wrap-Up Headline

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-up (2/21/2014)

Post author By Darren Heitner
Post date February 21, 2014

Manny Ramirez has changed agents...is it just Manny being Manny?

Manny Ramirez has changed agents...is it just Manny being Manny? — Manny Ramirez has changed agents…is it just Manny being Manny?

I am back in New York, which is starting to feel like a second home based on how much I have been traveling up here as of late. Today I will be giving the Keynote Speech at New York Law School’s 5th Annual Sports Law Symposium. The focus will be on growth areas in the world of sports agency; I will discuss traditional corporate structure and why the smart agent will be successfully adapting to necessary changes. I will be returning to Miami on Sunday. Don’t forget — you can now pre-order my forthcoming book titled, How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know. This week on FORBES: (1) 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend Kicks Off With Campaign Highlighting Players’ Sneakers; (2) Why John Wall May Provide Brands Best Value Of All NBA Players; (3) Can U.S. Hockey Win A Face-Off Against Poor Winter Olympics Ratings?; (4) NBC Universal Disputes Report Of Poor Winter Olympics Ratings; (5) NASCAR Extends Partnership With Parent Company Of OREO, RITZ And Nilla Wafers; and (6) Hakeem Nicks Retains Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports And Creative Artists Agency. And as always, the weekly wrap-up:

Baseball

Insightful read especially for those not well-versed on tax matters [How Arizona Saves MLB Players Millions in Taxes].
This just disgusts me [The Phillies ratted out a draftee to the NCAA for negotiating with an agent].
Another sad case of an athlete losing his money [Five-time MLB all-star sues UBS, ex-rep for $7.6M].
On to the next one near the end of his career [Manny Ramirez Joins Miami Sports Management].
Right before the two sides were going to fly to Florida for the hearing [Indians, Justin Masterson avoid arbitration with a one-year deal].
The trend started with A-Rod [Another Bite At The Apple: Opt-Out Clauses In MLB].

Football

My first contribution to Stack Magazine [10 Guys Who Aced the NFL Combine and Made Millions].
Sports Agent Blog’s Mark Burns with his first piece on Sporting News [Michael Sam’s marketing power is real—just not until draft day].

Tags Justin Masterson, manny ramirez, Michael Sam

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.