Sidley represented Sports Data Labs (SDL), a leading provider of technologies for athletes to collect, control, and monetize their personal data, in its landmark partnership with FIFPRO, the global players union for professional football. The 10-year exclusive deal will enable SDL to offer its athlete performance platform, under the FIFPRO Technologies brand, to more than 66,000 players worldwide, giving them access to a range of services and opportunities to optimize their performance, health, and data rights.
Sidley worked on the complex legal and commercial aspects of the partnership, which also involved FIFPRO taking an equity stake in SDL alongside other prominent investors, such as the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) and Cleveland Clinic. The team leveraged its cross-border and cross-practice experience in sports, technology, data privacy, intellectual property, corporate, and regulatory matters to help SDL achieve its strategic vision of becoming the foundational platform for the player data ecosystem in global football and beyond.
The Sidley team was led by co-chair of Entertainment, Sports and Media industry group Chuck Baker and partner Rusty Weiss (Technology and Life Sciences Transactions), and includes partners Francesca Blythe (Privacy and Cybersecurity), Adam Runcorn (Private Equity), E. Kyle Barnett (Technology and Life Sciences Transactions), counsel Sheri Porath Rockwell, and senior managing associate Steve W. McInerney (Privacy and Cybersecurity).
