There is no single body of rules and regulations that constitutes “sports law.” Rather, the sports industry is affected by an intricate web of legal and regulatory considerations that vary from one jurisdiction to another. The issues facing those involved in the world of sports range from the financing and operation of arenas and sports complexes to the governance of sporting organizations and regulatory bodies; from negotiating media rights contracts to handling legal strategy under intense media scrutiny; from product liability and health and safety controls to antitrust/competition concerns; and from sporting dispute resolution and mediation to complex commercial litigation. At Sidley, we understand the specific legal needs of those involved in sports and are able to draw from the broad knowledge base and deep experience of our global team to meet those needs. We operate a multidisciplinary sports practice comprised of advisers across our global network of offices with specialized experience, allowing us to provide legal advice on both domestic and cross-border issues tailored to meet each client’s individual needs.
Our experience relevant to the sports sector spans a broad spectrum of practice areas and disciplines, including antitrust/competition, intellectual property and media rights law, corporate and sports governance, international arbitration and sporting dispute resolution, commercial litigation, employment, immigration, bankruptcy and corporate reorganization, bank financing and commercial lending, data protection and privacy, international trade, mergers and acquisitions, project finance, real estate and tax law.