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Dynasty Athlete Representation

Dynasty Stars Duke and Fagan on ESPN Sunday

Norm DukeFor the 3rd tournament in a row and 4 out of the last 5, Dynasty Athlete Representation has 2 bowlers in the ESPN TV finals.

After a disappointing finish in the recent Professional Bowlers Association H&R Block Tournament of Champions, where he was trying for his fourth consecutive “major” title, Norm Duke regained his focus to take top qualifier honors for Sunday’s ESPN-televised stepladder finals of the Denny’s Dick Weber Open at Fountain Bowl.

Duke of Clermont, Fla., a 31-time PBA Tour titlist who was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame Jan. 24 in Las Vegas, posted a 17-7 overall match play record and was 7-1 after Friday’s final match play round. His 9,371 39-game pinfall total put him 52 pins ahead of fellow Hall of Famer Pete Weber of St. Ann, Mo., who qualified second for the TV finals.

“What else can I say but to stay ahead of Pete Weber in a tournament named after Dick Weber is unbelievable,” Duke said. “All I heard was footsteps. It’s going to be a tough one Sunday.”

Weber, who is tied for third on the all-time PBA Tour title list with Mark Roth with 34 wins, makes his first television appearance of the 2008-09 Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour season and will be looking for his first win.

“To win this tournament would be like winning a major-it would obviously mean a lot,” Weber said. “But I have to say I’ve had good luck winning tournaments named after professional bowlers. I won one named after Parker Bohn III, Johnny Petraglia and I think there might have been a Don Carter somewhere in there.”

Qualifying in the third spot was four-time Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour titlist Ryan Shafer of Horseheads, N.Y., followed by the reigning PBA Bowler of the Year and 10-time Tour winner Chris Barnes of Double Oak, Texas in fourth. Both will be looking for their first win of the season.

In a battle that went down to the final frame of the position round match, Michael Fagan of Patchogue, N.Y., defeated Tony Reyes of San Bruno, Calif., 224-216 to earn the fifth and final stepladder spot. Fagan will be looking to win his second career Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour title.

The tournament featured the “traditional” qualifying and match play format used in PBA’s early years and included three rounds of qualifying after which the top 24 advanced to 24 games of round robin match play to determine the five players for the stepladder finals.

Sunday’s finals will get underway at 1 p.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Pacific). The winner earns $35,000 plus a one-year exemption on the Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour.

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.