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NBA Players Video Gamers

Don’t Hate The Player, Hate The Gamer

It’s not the NFL. It’s not the MLB. And it sure as hell is not the NHL (it is even too good for the Outdoor Life Network).

This post is focused on the MLG, which will make its debut on the USA Network on November 11th. MLG stands for Major League Gaming, and is a sport rising in popularity by the day. Over $2 million is at stake for the competitors, and I have not begun to mention the amount of money that the USA Network and individual players will make from advertisements/sponsorships.

7 weeks of programming have been announced at MLGPro.com. The website is featuring a trailer on Episode 1 of the program, which highlights Walshy: your normal 22 year old who signed a multi-million dollar deal with MLG.

The MLG Pro Circuit already has corporations like Scion, Boost Mobile, GameStop, and Red Bull as sponsors. I anticipate that many more companies will be jumping on the bandwagon in the near future. Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards is even a fan. According to a press release by PR Newswire, Arenas will be on the USA Network’s TV show, and he has decided to sponsor one of the competing teams. Arenas is quoted as saying:

“MLG and Final Boss are going to be huge. It’s a great investment for
me to get in at the beginning like this, and it’s fun to be involved with.
The MLG competitions are unreal — the level of talent and energy is
unbelievable. And once the show airs in November, Final Boss will be
celebrities,”

If the show takes off, expect video gaming to gain even more exposure, hype, and money as individual gamers become superstars like Walshy. That’s when the real endorsement deals start rolling in. These athletes will need agents the same way that professional football/baseball/basketball/hockey players need them.

-Darren Heitner 

[tags]video games, video gaming, video gamers, mlg, major league gaming, gilbert arenas, arenas, walshy[/tags]

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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