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Video Gamers

DirecTV Trying To Get Into The Game

Not to brag or anything, but I think that I was a little ahead of the game in predicting the rapid rise of the video gaming industry as a sport (for past video gaming posts, check out the Video Gamers archive).

Anyway, the fad sport keeps growing. On November 11, 2006, the USA Network decided to air the MLG (Major League Gaming) [Don’t Hate The Player, Hate The Gamer]. It must have done well, because on June 19, 2007, the MLG announced that it will be expanding to Canada and is under license by Toronto-based Insight Sports [Major League Gaming Expands Into Canada]. Expansion in the MLG alone should show promise for video gamers, but it gets even better.

DirecTV has now decided to enter the mix and develop its own league called the Championship Gaming Series [Is pro gaming the next poker?]. Has DirecTV figured out how to make pro gaming entertaining for viewers – gamers and non-gamers? Only time will tell. But if you are looking at trends and you want to venture into an industry before its potential boom, now may be the time to look into representing the next big video gamer. Here is something to mull over:

DirecTV is betting big money on this league. Salaries and bonuses for the 2007 season will total $5 million, a new benchmark for professional gaming. Rather than offering cash and prizes for individual contests, CGS will operate like a pro sports league. Every drafted player and each general manager will receive a salary with additional bonuses for performances. Reif said the base salaries will be higher than minor-league pro baseball players and winning players can clear six figures in 2007.

So I ask the same question that I asked on January 25, 2006: Representation of “Cyber Athletes”? I think that Dynasty Athlete Representation would have no qualms about representing a top gamer!

-Darren Heitner

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.

5 replies on “DirecTV Trying To Get Into The Game”

So, will we be seeing DGR (Dynasty Gamer Representation) sometime in the future? 😉

On a more serious note, many young, aspiring agents think of clients merely in terms of the four major sports (football, basketball, baseball, hockey), but looking closer there are a ton of other areas of opportunity. Soccer and Golf being the most obvious, but also: boxers, arena league footballers, extreme sports athletes (think X-Games; snowboarders, bmx riders, wakeboarders, etc), olympic athletes, billiards players, poker players, and now even video gamers (and I’m sure I’m forgetting a few more).

Tennis is a big one too. Gamers will be a decent sized industry I am sure. Think about Japan, where some of their biggest celebrities come in the form of gamers. Gamers in Japan make 6-7 figures easily. I don’t know what the equivalent of say Nike sponsoring a pro-athlete would be for a gamer, but I’m sure there is something out there for them. There is always money to be thrown around.

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