Covington’s dedication to the business of sports runs broad and deep. For over 45 years, we have represented major sports organizations, among them Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, the NBA, the NFL, the NHL, the USTA, and the USOC. Sports industry participants regularly seek our advice for complex, industry-shaping legal questions, covering such diverse matters as antitrust counseling, collective bargaining, copyright enforcement, financings, governance, litigation, media rights development, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory affairs, sponsorships, and state, federal, and international tax.
Covington represents a vast range of sports clients, including:
- Virtually all of the major US professional sports leagues;
- Domestic and international amateur athletic associations;
- Individual teams and stadium/arena entities;
- Television and new media companies;
- Team and league owners, lenders and other sports investors;
- League, team and facility naming-rights sponsors; and
- Municipalities and stadium/arena authorities.
So whether a matter involves an antitrust challenge to player eligibility rules, the financing of a baseball stadium, the acquisition of a sports franchise, the negotiation of online media rights, protection against unauthorized online and other distributions of content, or the creation of tax-efficient structures for sports leagues to pursue media or international business opportunities, Covington’s sports practice team has the in-depth and “on-court” experience on which sophisticated sports clients rely.
In addition to our clients, Covington’s lawyers offer some of the best credentials in the sports business. Covington understands the evolving business of sports -- and the diverse legal needs of a unique industry that operates across several different legal disciplines. Covington alumni have served as Commissioner of the NFL and as General Counsels of the NBA, NFL, and NHL, and in other prominent roles in the industry.
Covington is long known for its domestic sports work, but our sports practice extends well beyond US borders. For example, Covington’s sports finance team assisted with financing for the 2005 acquisition of the Manchester United Football Club, and our technology and sponsorship groups have been called upon for assignments relating to new media platforms for Formula One racing and naming-rights transactions for European stadium facilities.
Operating as a single practice group across the firm’s London, New York, Washington, and San Francisco offices, Covington sports lawyers recognize how lucky we are to practice in such an innovative, entertaining, and -- at times -- hard-hitting industry. We bring that enthusiasm to our work, and we invite you to learn more about specific aspects of our sports practice by clicking on any of the links.
Covington’s sports team consists of more than a dozen partners and over twenty associates who dedicate a major portion of their time to sports-related legal issues. Many more of our lawyers provide specialized regulatory, legislative, litigation and media-related support to our efforts. To learn more about our sports team’s capabilities and the resources available to you within the firm, we invite you to contact Gregg Levy (litigation), Bruce Wilson (corporate/media) or Jeremy Spector (tax).
Representative Matters
- When the NFL was sued by Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett, the League turned to a team of Columbus natives, led by partner Gregg Levy, to defend its eligibility rules. The fast-paced litigation moved from the filing of the complaint in the Southern District of New York to a decision by the Second Circuit in barely six months. When the dust had settled, the Covington team had established that the NFL’s eligibility rules complied fully with the antitrust laws. The principal authority upon which the Second Circuit relied to endorse the NFL’s position? Brown v. Pro-Football, Inc., a Supreme Court case won by Levy and another team of Covington associates several years before.
- Covington’s sports media practice combines the experience of our sports-focused transactional lawyers with specialized expertise from our television broadcasting, internet, and intellectual property practices. When NASCAR wanted to complete agreements covering its television, internet, and other media partners, it turned to Covington partners Bruce Wilson and Peter Zern and their team of Covington associates. Their experience in negotiating sports television broadcasting agreements and addressing the evolving media landscape for sports content provided a winning combination for NASCAR.
- Kangaroo Media Inc. needed an experienced lawyer to help negotiate their six-year agreement with Formula One for Kangaroo Media's hand-held devices. Covington supplied the experience and now Formula One race fans can follow their favorite drivers around the track, receive race telemetry and timing data, and listen to live driver and team communications, all from a device in the palm of their hands.
- When the IRS began to mount significant challenges to the way that new club owners were treating their franchise acquisitions for tax purposes, the sports leagues called on Covington. Covington’s tax lawyers, led by partner Jeremy Spector, negotiated and secured a major industry-wide resolution of the issue that allowed new owners to realize substantial tax benefits (including the amortization of acquired intangible assets).
Accolades
- Chambers USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers 2007: Our Sports Practice was recognized as a Tier 1 National Sports practice, and our partners Doug Gibson, Gregg Levy and Bruce Wilson were recognized as nationally leading sports practitioners.
- Best Lawyers in America 2008: Partners Gregg Levy and Bruce Wilson are honored for their prominence in Sports Law.
- The Legal 500: Partner Jeremy Spector ranked as leading tax experts for their work in the sports field.
- Sports Business Journal’s Forty Under 40: Partner Peter Zern was named one of the forty leading sports executives under the age of 40 by the Sports Business Journal in 2008.
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