IMG (International Management Group) has recently decided that its future growth will be focused on the development of both soccer and motor sports divisions in the agency. George Pyne, IMG’s new president, has declared that as the two largest sports in the world, soccer and motor sports can no longer be ignored as potential markets […]
Author: 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.
According a post by the Sports Law Blog, the Sports Agents for Tyrus Thomas (formerly of LSU) have been trying to coerce a major NBA draft ranking website into changing their listing and bump up their client (Mr. Thomas) up from his current position of #7. While it is true that many people are talking […]
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Agent Spotlight: Tom Condon
In a recent interview, with Jason Whitlock, a reporter for the Kansas City Star, Tom Condon called himself an offensive lineman. The comment was in response to the question of whether or not Mr. Condon cared that he was not as notorious as names like Drew Rosenhaus and Scott Boras in the Sports Agent world. […]
Many people were wondering the same thing about men’s collegiate and professional coaches not too long ago. The value of coaches has risen dramatically in the recent past if one were to look at salary figures alone. The newest addition to the millionaire club is the community of coaches in women’s collegiate basketball. Brought to […]
Along with lighting engineers and coffee makers, the occupation of Sports Agent has been added as a new occupation by the Ministry of Labor in China. Sports Agents have been added to the list while the Ministry continues to debate over whether occupations such as: entertainment agents, shoe designers, and wine tasters should be added. […]
One viable option for many years now is to send football players to NFL Europe. Another arena (pun intended) is the Arena Football League (AFL), which will be the option discussed in today’s post. Some interesting notes that I made while reviewing the AFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement: The AFLPA (players association) does not have an […]
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Agent Spotlight: Kevin Gold
The path to becoming a “Superstar Agent” is not etched in stone. Kevin Gold, an attorney at the law office of Rhoads & Sinon, LLP and NFLPA certified contract advisor, prepared himself to become a Sports Agent at a young age. He went to Law School (which has its advantages and disadvantages for future agents) […]
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Sports Agency Link Update
I have just added a bunch of new links to Sports Agency websites on the left side of the blog. Make sure to check them out; they are definitely helpful if you are shopping for an internship/job opportunity with an agency. Some newly added sites include Axcess Sports & Entertainment, Reynolds Sports Management, Kauffman Sports […]
Let’s not lie, many people want to be agents because of the possible high salary that comes along with the job. Let’s also be be clear, though, that it is very hard to be one of the few Sports Agents with a list of top clients that gross you a good amount of money. One […]
Since the post made about the UAAA (Uniform Athlete Agents Agent) on January 6th, one new state has passed the act, making it 34 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S Virgin Islands as adherents. Alabama is one of those states. Section 8-26A-4 of Alabama’s state act under the UAAA says: (a) Except as […]