Part of what I love about having a Sports Law practice is exactly what makes it difficult to cram everything I want to discuss into each week's installment of the "Spotlight." No, it's not that athletic prowess is not required. Rather, my work is wildly diverse, as it's comprised of many constituent bodies of law. By focusing on just one legal issue, a heap of thought-provoking, topical stories are given short shrift. That is why, to make the Spotlight a little more well-rounded (incidentally, "well-rounded" is exactly why I lacked athletic prowess in my early years), I have decided to retire the "Right of Publicity" section in favor of a broad "Sports" category. This will enable me to cover more ground, and perhaps allow me to sleep at night (my kids have other ideas). With that explanation out of the way, let's take this souped-up knowledge machine for a spin:
- With this week's $8 billion acquisition of sports drink brand BodyArmor, Coca-Cola not only shored up its sports beverage portfolio (which already includes Powerade), but also boosted the portfolios of many stars who invested in the brand. Among them, was the late Kobe Bryant, whose estate reportedly netted a whopping $400 million.
- Trailblazing a path for those who come after him is 17-year-old basketball phenom Mikey Williams who has linked up with athletic apparel brand Puma, becoming the first American high schooler to land a global endorsement deal. From the sound of it, his back to school clothes shopping for his senior year of high school will be all taken care of.
- Electronic dance music mega-group Swedish House Mafia forges a partnership with Swedish household furniture retailer IKEA. Exact compensation details of the deal are undisclosed, but it is rumored (by me) that a portion of it will be paid in meatballs and difficult-to-assemble furniture.
- Quentin Tarantino's name is synonymous with film storytelling from the end, but it may soon be with NFT monetization of "never before seen" clips, repurposing uncut scenes from Pulp Fiction. A Royale with Cheese NFT may soon follow.
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