Sports & Gaming

We work with teams, sponsors, and cities, including current industry-leading naming rights arrangements for U.S. Bank Stadium (home field for the Minnesota Vikings), Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, TCO Stadium (team corporate headquarters for the Minnesota Vikings and 200-acre mixed-use project), Target Field (home ballpark for the Minnesota Twins) and the complete redevelopment of the Climate Pledge Arena (home of the Seattle Kraken). We have experience with all matters relating to

• Stadium, arena and related facilities
• Office development and ownership
  • Lease and use agreements
  • Design and construction contracts
  • Financing
  • Entitlements
  • Eminent domain
• Sponsorship and monetization
  • Naming rights agreements
  • Sponsorship agreements
  • Intellectual property matters
  • Licensing and merchandising
• Operations
  • Ticketing
  • Suite agreements
  • Special events contracts
  • Concessions
  • Pouring rights
  • Alcohol and food licensing and regulations
  • Parking
  • Transportation
  • Security
  • Technology
  • Zoning
  • Signage/signage districts
  • Environmental
  • Waste disposal
  • Emergency services
  • Interaction with state and local government and law enforcement
  • Disputes and litigation

Our work has included multi-sport worldwide games (including the Pan American Games and Goodwill Games) and International Federation World Championships (including FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships, FINA Swimming World Championships, FIBA Basketball World Championships, IFG Gymnastics World Championships and FIFA World Cup). We have experience with all matters relating to large-scale, world-class sports and entertainment events, including:

• Bidding 
• Planning
• Host analysis and selection
• Funding
• Construction/takedown
• Risk management
• Naming rights
• Sponsorship and monetization
• Operations
• Entertainment booking and production
• Government affairs and regulatory assistance
• Disputes and litigation

Our experience in corporate matters for nonprofit amateur sports organizations and for-profit professional organizations comprises the full range of corporate services, including:

• Governance 
• Restructuring 
• Membership and affiliate registration and management 
• Sales and divestitures 
• Mergers and acquisitions 
• Capitalization and financing 
• Nonprofit and charitable organization issues 
• Antitrust issues 
• League franchise issues

The governance and organizational matters extend to:

• USOPC National Governing Body issues (including compliance with the Amateur Sports Act, National Governing Body remediation, and USOPC audits and USOC dispute resolution)
• NCAA and member institution issues (including compliance with NCAA rules)
• Contract drafting, review, and negotiation for all aspects of a sports organization’s business (including naming rights, sponsorship, ticketing, transportation, venue use agreements, player contracts and arrangements, and corporate, charity and foundation transactions).

We assist clients in identifying, protecting, leveraging, and monetizing their intellectual property assets. We develop global branding strategies and work with clients on implementing those strategies. We handle licensing and marketing matters such as broadcasting rights, sponsorships, naming rights, merchandising, affinity credit cards, contests, promotions and sweepstakes, advertising, ticketing, trademarks and brand management, technology issues and contracts, e-commerce, and website and mobile application issues and contracts (including development, content, e-commerce, and data privacy/data breach matters).

In complex litigation and dispute resolution, we have represented sports leagues, organizations, teams, and figures, both professional and amateur. We represent the NHL and NCAA in concussion litigation, the NFL and NCAA in image and likeness rights, and the NFL and NFL team ownership in antitrust and intellectual property litigation. We handle product liability, antitrust, intellectual property, contract disputes, arbitration and mediation, administrative representation, and dispute and hearing matters before athletic governing bodies. Our representation and experience span from serving as lead liaison counsel for major leagues in multidistrict litigation to advising on risk assessment and prevention.

We represent clients in federal, state, and local government affairs, relations and lobbying, review and drafting of federal, state, and local statutes and ordinances, and interaction with leagues and governing bodies, including Major League Baseball, the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, the minor league governing bodies, USOPC, International Federations, National Governing Bodies, the NCAA, and the other U.S. and international amateur athletic associations.

Our construction lawyers have represented sports franchises, owners, cities, governmental entities, contractors, engineers, and architects concerning numerous professional sports facilities. We have negotiated the construction contracts or other construction matters for arenas for USA Hockey (corporate headquarters), the Colorado Rockies/Arizona Diamondbacks (Salt River Fields Spring Training Complex), the City of Seattle (redevelopment of KeyArena/Seattle Center arena), Minnesota Twins (Target Field), Denver Nuggets (Pepsi Center Arena), Milwaukee Brewers (Miller Park), Memphis Grizzlies (FedEx Forum), Minnesota Wild (Xcel Energy Center), Arizona Diamondbacks (Bank One Ballpark), Minnesota Timberwolves (Target Center), Philadelphia 76ers/Flyers (the Core States Center), Boston Bruins/Celtics (FleetCenter), Washington Capitals/Wizards (MCI Center), the Portland Trailblazers (Rose Garden), the City of Columbia (Spirit Communication Park), and Twin Cities Orthopedics (Twin Cities facilities at Viking Lake).

We advise clients on player contract drafting and review, player relations, employment policies and handbooks, dispute resolution, and wrongful death. We also advise clients on the full spectrum of labor, volunteer and employment issues.

We work with internal and external public relations and media resources to assist clients with general media relations and crisis communication, including strategic planning and implementation, monitoring, and offensive and defensive uses of media and public relations assets and support.