University of Florida Levin College of Law Sports Law Symposium

On Friday, January 23, the Entertainment and Sports Law Society at the University of Florida Levin College of Law will be hosting what should be an excellent sports law symposium. I'm honored to be speaking at it. Here are some more details:

Speakers

Marc Edelman - Sports law attorney, author, and professor
Max Eppel - Founder, Max Eppel Soccer Agency LLC (MESA)
Joshua Golka - Sports Attorney and Consultant at Law Office of Joshua P. Golka
Jeffrey Harrison - Antitrust, Contracts Law, Copyright, & Economics Professor at UF Law
David Higdon - Sports business management consultant and communications specialist/member U.S. Tennis Association National Committee on Collegiate Tennis
Thomas Hurst - Agency and Partnership, Contracts, Corporations, Securities Regulation, Sports Law Professor at UF Law
Marc Isenberg - Author of "Money Players: A Guide to Success in Sports, Business & Life for Current and Future Pro Athletes"
Michael McCann - Professor at Vermont Law School. Legal Expert and SI.com Columnist at Sports Illustrated
John Meindl - Founder & President of SPORTSBRANDEDMEDIA, INC.
Roger Mussa - Wealth Advisor & Retirement Planner at Morgan Stanley Investment Management
Nick Ohanesian - Resident Officer for the Jacksonville Resident Office of the National Labor Relations Board. UF law professor.
David Peart - Founder & CEO at Spike Consulting Group
Kelly Perdew - CEO Rotohog, Winner of Season 2 “The Apprentice”, Author “Take Command”
Jeff Reel - Vice President & Assistant General Counsel for ATP Tour, Inc
David Snyder - Co-Founder at Search & Social, LLC
Glenn Toby - Owner at Team Management and Founder at The Book Bank Foundation Inc
Matthew Watkins - NFLPA Certified Advisor and Football Division Director at Dynasty Athlete Representation
Gary Wimsett Jr. - UF law alum. Practices health and corporate law with Flanagan & Marchewka, LLP
Adam Zimmerman - Executive Vice President Marketing Services at Career Sports & Entertainment. UF Alum.

Discussion Topics/Speakers

Recruiting

Moderator: Thomas Hurst

Panelists: Joshua Golka, Marc Isenberg, Max Eppel

• The future of athletes leaving to play overseas (the Brandon Jennings experiment).
• Recruiting baseball players from Japan, South Korea, Dominican Republic, etc. New countries in the future?
• Illegal contact with collegiate athletes. How to recruit legally according to the UAAA and SPARTA.
• Registering with state boards. Is it necessary and/or worth it?
• Highschool baseball players on the top of their game. Go to college or straight to the pros?
• AAU basketball. The prevalence of runners.
• The difference between being an agent and an advisor.
• How tools like YouTube and Facebook have changed the game of recruiting.

Negotiation

Moderator: Gary Wimsett Jr.

Panelists: David Peart, Glenn Toby, Jeff Reel

• Will the struggling economy affect free-agent signings in the future?
• How to properly value your clients in a negotiation.
• Tactics in a negotiation setting.
• Will the NFL ever turn to a slotting system a la the NBA?
• The value of holding out.
• Marketing deals, promotion, sponsorship and licensing agreements.
• Should a player ever negotiate his own contract (i.e. Daunte Culpepper)?

Labor Issues

Moderator: Nick Ohanesian

Panelists: Marc Edelman, Michael McCann, Matthew Watkins

• Arbitration strategies for team/player.
• Collusion issues (i.e. - Barry Bonds).
• The tough job for the next NFLPA Executive Director.
• Will we ever see a salary cap in baseball?
• Positives and negatives of the NFL Franchise Tag.

Future of Sports Business

Moderator: Jeffrey Harrison

Panelists: David Snyder, Roger Mussa, Adam Zimmerman, John Meindl, David Higdon, Kelly Perdew

• Convergence of sports and entertainment.
• Agencies offering a multitude of services including legal related services, thus binding them to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct.
• New kinds of endorsements and marketing opportunities in a digital world.
• Will more women enter this male-dominated field?
• How will the internet affect the sports business landscape?
• Is wealth management becoming a necessary service for sports agents to provide?
• Blogs, social networking, YouTube. How can somebody in the sports business world use these tools to get ahead of the pack?
• More conglomeration? What will become of CAA, IMG, Blue Equity, Octagon?

For more information on attending, click here. Additional information can be found on Sports Agent Blog, which is run by Society President Darren Heitner and others.