At one point, according to a 32-page federal complaint, an NFL executive told a referee to join Frozen on Broadway and learn to sing “Let It Go.” Not as a joke. As feedback. That allegation appears in a lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York by former NFL official Robin DeLorenzo, who worked in the league from April 2022 through February 2025. It is one of several details included in a complaint that spans twelve claims under federal and state law, all centered o

The United States is celebrating the 250 th anniversary of American independence with a year-long “America 250” slate of events. This past January, President Donal Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to work with IndyCar, America’s premier open-wheel auto racing series, to stage a street race in Washington D.C. Dubbed the “Freedom 250,” the event would feature sponsor-laden Indy cars racing past the Capitol and the National Mall as a marquee centerpiec

Introduction The sports industry is no stranger to legal analysis, particularly in recent years. Professional and amateur sports teams have undergone significant changes that raise complex legal questions involving athlete compensation, league administration, and intellectual property. One of the more complex legal issues, however, lies outside sports organizations themselves, at the intersection of legislation and corporate activity. Sports betting and its many variations

I. Introduction In January 2025, a New York-based derivatives exchange called KalshiEX LLC began listing binary contracts tied to the outcomes of NFL, NBA, NHL, and NCAA games. The contracts worked exactly like sports bets: a user paid a price between one cent and ninety-nine cents for a “yes” or “no” position on whether a team would win, and received a dollar if correct. But Kalshi did not hold a gaming license in any state. It did not operate under any state’s responsible-

1. Introduction The regulation of sports betting and how sports-related prediction markets fit in is important because gambling harms consumers by placing them in a position of a mathematically guaranteed disadvantage. Common law tests for gambling fail to capture gambling’s distinct harmful nature by only considering the relative aspects of skill and chance within an activity, but state gambling statutes in the places where gambling is most prevalent better account for t

This past NFL offseason was as electric and unprecedented as we've seen in recent history — from center Tyler Linderbaum resetting the market with his new $81 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders, to outside linebacker Trey Hendrickson and his $112 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens. Better yet, the deal that was heard around the league but was too good to be true: the Raiders sending Maxx Crosby to the Ravens in exchange for two first-round draft picks. "Done

Professional sports teams have a long history of deficiencies in their trademark filings and registrations. This was on full display when the Utah NHL franchise’s early flirtation with the name “Utah Yetis,” which created immediate conflicts with the well-established YETI outdoor goods company. While Cleveland rebranded from the Indians to Guardians, they ran into a trademark dispute. A men’s roller derby team in Cleveland had been using the name “Cleveland Guardians” and sel

Nike is defending its revived Total 90 soccer line against trademark infringement claims brought by a smaller company that obtained federal registration for the mark after Nike’s earlier registration lapsed. Central to the dispute is whether Nike’s longstanding but allegedly limited recent use of the mark preserves its common-law rights despite the lapse of its federal registration. The court denied the plaintiff’s motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) and, follow

Over the past few weeks, the league fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for conduct it deemed detrimental to the league. In Indiana’s case, the issue centered on player participation in a February 3 loss to Utah. Indiana held out three starters (Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Aaron Nesmith) on the second night of a back-to-back. Following an investigation that included review by an independent physician, the NBA concluded that the players could h

As reported last night by Atlanta Falcons Reporter Marc Raimondi , Falcons Defensive End James Pearce Jr., was arrested Saturday on multiple felony charges. Those felonies include: two counts of Aggravated Battery with a Deadly Weapon, one count of Aggravated Stalking, one count of Fleeing to Elude, one count of Aggravated Battery on Law Enforcement and one count of Resisting an Officer without Violence. The Defendant is currently in jail awaiting his first appearance where a

Although it’s been almost two months since the Georgia High School Association’s (GHSA) football state championship games wrapped up, there’s been one program around which conversations haven’t ceased: the Gainesville Red Elephants. Although the Red Elephants’ 2025 campaign ended in disappointment after falling short in the title game, they took a fascinating, peculiar, and often dominant path to get there, and potentially set some significant precedents along the way. Gai

Philadelphia 76ers player Paul George has been suspended for 25 games, the National Basketball Association (“NBA”) announced on Saturday, January 31st. In a statement made to ESPN, George admitted to taking "improper medication" to treat his mental health issues. In the same statement, he issued an apology to “the Sixers organization, my teammates and the Philly fans for my poor decision-making during this process.” This suspension will cost him more than $ 11.7 million