What a difference just a few months makes. The weather turns from oppressively hot to cool and crisp. The leaves turn from a healthy bright green to all manners of reds, yellows and browns as they cling precariously to the trees before floating down to the ground. And the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) drafts a new constitution that actually acknowledges a student-athlete may commercially market his/her/their own name, image and likeness. That would have been unthinkable earlier this year, that is, until the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in NCAA v. Alston that non-cash education-related benefits (and, by extension name, image and likeness restrictions) violated antitrust laws. Indeed, Justice Neil Gorsuch might as well have been the author of this draft NCAA Constitution as his guidance in writing for the Court, referenced exactly what the NCAA is apparently deciding to do (albeit by necessity) – delegating rulemaking authority to its member Conferences and Universities. Of course, delegation is in and of itself a coup for the public, as few good things come to mind in recent history that the NCAA actually did itself. This is all to say that NIL is not going anywhere any time soon.
Also not going anywhere anytime soon? The “Spotlight” and yours truly. So for now, let’s check in on what else you should be in the know on this week:
-
- Former Heavyweight Champion Boxer Mike Tyson steps back into the cannabis industry ring, rolling out a new brand that is sure to make you smoke yourself into “bolivian.”
- Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers gets sacked by a health insurance company sponsor after publicly questioning the virtues of the COVID-19 vaccines and the National Football League’s public health measures. Apparently, not great for business.
- In the wake of the Astroworld tragedy in Houston, Texas, and as we start getting answers to some questions – each more disturbing than the last – one question from a business and marketing perspective is how, if at all, the event will affect its organizer, Travis Scott in the eyes of fans and brands alike.
- Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie become the latest music icons to see their song catalogues go up for sale and garner purchase prices in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Now that’s something about which to be “Dancing in the Dark” without the feeling of being “Under Pressure” of bill collectors.
Endorsement Deals, Sponsorships & Investments
Manning Family Signs Sports Betting Partnership With Caesars
November 9, 2021 via Sportico – Business (subscription may be required)
The Manning family has signed a multi-year partnership with Caesars Sportsbook to become ambassadors for the company’s growing sports gambling business.
Non-Profit BLUE Missions Launch "Name, Image, & Kindness," a Program for College Student-Athletes to Develop Leadership Skills While Impacting Lives in the Dominican Republic, Powered by Leading NCAA NIL Software, Athliance
November 9, 2021 via Yahoo! News
BLUE Missions, the Miami-based non-profit organization, is proud to launch the Name, Image & Kindness program.
Mike Tyson Reenters Cannabis Industry With Tyson 2.0
November 9, 2021 via Midas Letter
Iron Mike’s big endeavour is not in the ring this time, but is a new cannabis industry venture: Tyson 2.0. Mike Tyson isn’t a stranger to cannabis.
Actor Chris Pratt Becomes Official Ambassador of Golf and Lifestyle Brand TravisMathew
November 8, 2021 via PR Newswire
TravisMathew announced today, November 8, that actor Chris Pratt is the latest celebrity to officially partner with the brand. Pratt is TravisMathew's first ambassador in the entertainment space but joins a well-rounded roster of professional athletes including Jon Rahm, Matt Ryan, and Jimmy Garoppolo.
Healthcare Company Ends Relationship With Aaron Rodgers
November 6, 2021 via AP
A Wisconsin healthcare organization has ended a nine-year partnership with Green Bay Packers star Aaron Rodgers after the quarterback detailed his reasoning for avoiding the three COVID-19 vaccinations endorsed by the NFL.
Ledo Pizza Signs NIL Deal With Maryland Wide Receiver Dontay Demus Jr.
November 5, 2021 via FSR magazine
Already a proud partner of the Maryland Terrapins, Ledo Pizza is continuing to show its support for the Terps by partnering with leading receiver Dontay Demus Jr. The Maryland-based pizza brand is uniting with Demus to use his name, image and likeness in its first-ever NCAA sponsorship.
Legal (Chicken) Tender: Duke Men’s Basketball Stars Secure Historic NIL Endorsements With Bojangles, Others
November 4, 2021 via The Chronicle
The end of the Coach K era comes next April, but a new era of Duke men's basketball has already begun. The NIL era started when the Supreme Court ruled unanimously against the NCAA in an antitrust case June 21.
G.O.A.T. Fuel Named the Official Energy Drink of the Los Angeles Lakers
November 4, 2021 via BevNet News (subscription may be required)
The Los Angeles Lakers announced G.O.A.T. Fuel as the official energy drink of the team. G.O.A.T. Fuel is a health-focused energy drink, founded by NFL Hall of Famer and noted G.O.A.T. Jerry Rice, his daughter Jaqui Rice Gold and Trevion Gold.
Rutgers Athletics, Jersey Mike’s Partner on Arena Naming Rights
November 3, 2021 via Nation's Restaurant News
Rutgers Athletics and Jersey Mike’s Subs have reached a multi-year agreement to make the fast-casual sub sandwich franchise an official naming rights partner of Rutgers Athletics.
Hoop Dreams: Kevin Durant Launches $200 Million SPAC
November 3, 2021 via New York Post – Business
Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant has become the latest celebrity to endorse a blank-check firm after his Infinite Acquisition Corp filed for an initial public offering of up to $200 million on Wednesday, November 3.
Memphis Basketball: Jalen Duren Signs NIL Deal With Digital Fashion Marketplace
November 3, 2021 via The Commercial Appeal
Jalen Duren, a 5-star center at Memphis, has signed his first national name, image and likeness deal. The 6-foot-11 freshman agreed to terms with In-House, a digital marketplace for fashion brands headed up by celebrities, athletes and tastemakers.
Moving Company Signs 60 San Diego State Aztecs Players to NIL Deal
November 2, 2021 via ESPN
College H.U.N.K.S. Hauling Junk, a franchise-based moving company, added to its name, image and likeness involvement by signing 60 San Diego State football players to an NIL deal.
Sports
NFL Fails to Intercept Game Pass Lawsuit Over Super Bowl LIV
November 8, 2021 via Sportico – Law (subscription may be required)
A New York federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit brought by an Australian-based “long-time fan of Andy Reid,” over a substandard stream of Super Bowl LIV.
NCAA Delegates NIL Rulemaking in Draft Constitution
November 8, 2021 via Front Office Sports
The governing body in U.S. college athletics released a draft constitution in which it stated that “Student-athletes may not be compensated by a member institution for participating in a sport, but may receive educational benefits and benefit from commercialization through use of their name, image, and likeness.”
Nascar Says Behind the Scenes Changes are Fueling Momentum and Will Do So For Years to Come
November 7, 2021 via Forbes – Business (subscription may be required)
It wasn’t all that long ago that NASCAR seemed to be going nowhere fast (pun intended). In 2004 Bill France Jr. son of NASCAR founder ‘Big’ Bill France, held court with a group of reporters around a table in the cafeteria of the media center at Daytona International Speedway.
DraftKings, FanDuel Become NBA's Co-Official Sports Betting Partners
November 4, 2021 via NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced multi-year expanded partnerships making DraftKings and FanDuel Group co-official sports betting partners of the NBA.
Film & TV
Why Star Athletes Like LeBron James and Kevin Durant Are Jumping Into Hollywood as Producers
November 5, 2021 via TheWrap
Today’s sports superstars are no longer satisfied to limit their off-the-field endeavors to endorsing products or dabbling in guest appearances and cameo roles. Athletes are finding more creative freedom — and bigger dollars — as producers and content creators.
FOX Sports Scores Media Rights to UEFA European Championship in Landmark Deal
November 4, 2021 via 21st Century Fox Press Releases
FOX Sports solidifies its position as America’s home of global national team soccer as the network today announces a milestone agreement with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).
Providence Film Group, a Valiant Eagle, Inc. Subsidiary (OTC:PSRU) Enters Into Landmark Film Development Agreement With New Republic Pictures and Renowned American Film Producer, Brian Oliver
November 4, 2021 via Yahoo Finance - Top Stories
Valiant Eagle, Inc. is extremely proud to share with investors that the company has entered into a groundbreaking film development deal with the iconic New Republic Pictures and its founder, the renowned film producer, Brian Oliver.
Music Biz
Word Collections Partners With Songwriters Guild of America to Help Retain Performer Copyrights
November 9, 2021 via AllAccess
Digital rights and royalty collection agency World Collections, launched last year by Tunecore and Audiam founder Jeff Price, representing the spoken word copyrights of George Carlin, Robin Williams, Richard Pryor, Muhammed Ali and more, has partnered with the Songwriters Guild Of America.
What is the Future of Travis Scott’s Endorsement Deals After the Astroworld Tragedy?
November 8, 2021 via Quartz News
Brands may reconsider their business deals with Travis Scott following the Astroworld tragedy.
Celebrity Net Worth: David Bowie's Music Catalogue Attracts Bids of $200 Million
November 6, 2021 via National Newspaper
Hot on the heels of Tina Turner’s $50 million extensive rights deal with music publisher BMG come a slew of million-dollar music catalogue sales – but posthumous this time. In dollar terms, the list is headed by David Bowie, whose legendary songwriting collection has “attracted bids of around $200 million”, according to the Financial Times.
How Hits by Drake, Ye & More Get Released Before Songwriter Pay Splits are Settled
November 5, 2021 via Billboard
Billboard explains the common practice of songwriters' exact ownership and royalty percentages getting figured out months after the work is publicly released.
Chart-Topping Pop Hitmakers Adam Levine and Blackbear Join Ascap Family
November 4, 2021 via MarketWatch - All Company Press Releases News & Commentary
Two of today's foremost hitmakers, Maroon 5's Adam Levine and singer, songwriter and producer blackbear, have signed with ASCAP.
HYBE and Universal Music Group Announce First-Ever HYBE X Geffen Global Girl Group Audition
November 4, 2021 via Markets Insider - Top Stories
HYBE and Universal Music Group (UMG) have officially kicked off their historic joint venture by announcing the first-ever HYBE x Geffen Global Girl Group Audition.
Lil Peep's Mom Denied Separate, Speedier Trial for $4 Million 'Owed' From Label
November 3, 2021 via Greenwich Time
Judge rules mom Liza Womack, executor of Lil Peep's estate, must pursue business and wrongful death claims against First Access Entertainment at the same time Nancy Dillon provided by Lil Peep 's mother lost her bid Wednesday to break up her lawsuit against her late son's record label.
Bruce Springsteen Is Reportedly Negotiating a Multimillion-Dollar Catalog Sale With Sony Music
November 3, 2021 via Digital Music News
Earlier this week, reports suggested that the David Bowie estate was in talks to sell the “Space Oddity” creator’s songwriting catalog for $200 million. Now, Bruce Springsteen is reportedly looking to liquidate the entirety of his own catalog in a deal with Sony Music.
Catalog Jam: Springsteen and Bowie Join the Music Great Sales Bonanza
November 3, 2021 via Forbes – Business (subscription may be required)
Both are still squarely at the rumour stage, but Bruce Springsteen and the estate of David Bowie could be the latest names to join the great music catalog sales bonanza as prices tear through the roof.
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
Happy Hippos NFT is Out Now: Nicki Minaj Announced on November 8
November 9, 2021 via Yahoo Finance - Top Stories
Nicki Minaj announced Happy Hippos NFT Presale on November 8. The infinity8.io marketplace needs no further introduction though.
BEASY Partners With Toldright to Provide Digital Asset Creation Services to Athletes, Musicians and Creators of all Types
November 9, 2021 via Yahoo Finance - Top Stories
Beasy, LLC Blockchain Made Easy (dba BEASY) announced on November 9 that it has agreed to a multi-year partnership with toldright, a first-of-its-kind production resource company.
New Plan to Tax Blockchain Ecosystem in the Works Amid Wide Adoption of NFT
November 8, 2021 via Business Standard Today's Newspaper
With the wide adoption of NFTs in the country, the government is again examining the proposal to tax the blockchain ecosystem, which includes cryptocurrencies and such digital tokens.
A First of its Kind Music Rights NFT SaaS Platform & Metaverse on the Blockchain
November 5, 2021 via MarketWatch - All Company Press Releases News & Commentary
Aiming to change transparency in the music industry, a decentralized approach for music sync licensing, sample clearance, music streaming and downloads with royalty collection tools is coming.
Real Madrid and LAVA Deliver First-Ever Smart Ticket NFT Experiences on Flow That Transform Fan Engagement for Real Madrid's 600 Million Global Fans
November 3, 2021 via PR Newswire - Finance News
On November 3, LAVATM announced that it has enabled the Real Madrid Football Club to issue smart ticket NFTs on Flow that can be collected and traded by fans all over the world.
NFT STARS, the Leading NFT Radio Station is Poised to Change the Music Industry Once and for All
November 3, 2021 via Yahoo Finance - Top Stories
The Australian NFT marketplace NFT STARS prepares for the launch of an innovative product called NFT Radio, which promises to be a big breakthrough in the music industry. NFT Radio is the first ever radio station to stream unique content 24/7 and sell all the audio related content as NFTs.
Makaveli Album 25th Anniversary Commemorated With Dynamic NFT Collection
November 2, 2021 via Business Wire - Technology News
Riskie Forever, renowned creator of the iconic album cover art of “The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory”, steps onto the digital collectibles stage in partnership with Zelus.
PrincipalHe represents a wide array of entrepreneurs, investors, entertainers, athletes, producers, writers, media production and distribution companies and emerging and established CPG brands and businesses on intellectual ...
RSS Feed
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on LinkedInOur Team
The Sports, Arts & Entertainment group at Foster Garvey provides full service legal representation on sports, entertainment and business matters, including handling transactions related to brand management, licensing, joint ventures, venture capital, private equity, technology, the Internet and new media.
Read More
