K&C Sports & Entertainment Law Weekly Roundup (July 21, 2023)

Sports:

• Football
  • National Football League’s owners unanimously voted during a special session to approve the $6.05 billion sale of the NFL’s Washington Commanders from Dan Snyder and his family to a group led by Josh Harris, clearing the final hurdle to complete the sale – NFL owners approve $6.05B sale of Commanders to Harris group – ESPN
  • However, shortly after announcing the approval of the sale of the Commanders, the NFL announced that it fined Daniel Snyder $60 million (for reference, that’s less than 1% of the sale price) connected to allegations of misconduct and financial improprieties made by former team employees – NFL fines former Commanders owner Dan Snyder $60M for workplace misconduct – The Athletic
• College Sports:
  • A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators shared a draft piece of legislation that aims to create a uniform national law for how college athletes can make money through streams such as name, image, and likeness (NIL) and push many schools to provide more health care benefits for athletes – Senators offer latest bill aimed at college sports, NIL reform – ESPN
  • Meanwhile, on the state level, lawmakers in some states, including Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Texas, have enacted measures designed to educate student-athletes about the potential for predatory deals over their NIL rights or to require agents to be licensed. Yet other state bills have hit roadblocks – NCAA Athletes Left Exposed as Efforts to Tighten NIL Rules Stall (bloomberglaw.com)
  • Northwestern University will initiate two external reviews into its athletic department in the wake of investigations into hazing and bullying that resulted in the firing of football coach Pat Fitzgerald and baseball coach Jim Foster – Northwestern to launch two reviews amid hazing investigations – ESPN
• Soccer:
  • S. Soccer Athletes Council—which represents the interests of athletes within the U.S. Soccer Federation—sent a letter sent to the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives imploring Congressional officials to act on what it perceives to be the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s shortcomings, saying the Center’s policies put athletes in harm’s way, and calling on Congress to take action – U.S. Soccer council calls on Congress for SafeSport changes – ESPN
• Baseball:
  • A bankruptcy judge in Texas approved Diamond Sports Group’s request to shed its contract with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks, prompting MLB to step in, beginning with the team’s games this week – MLB taking over broadcasts of Arizona Diamondbacks games – ESPN
• Golf
  • The New York Times argued to a California federal judge that the golf world merger of Saudi-backed LIV Golf, PGA Tour, and DP World Tour undermines the claim that unsealing documents in their legal fight will harm competition, saying the redacted material was “central to how the case would unfold” – NYT Says LIV, PGA Tour Merger Belies Effort To Seal Docs – Law360

Entertainment:

• A California appellate court upheld The Walt Disney Co.’s win in a screenwriter’s suit claiming that the bulk of the 2016 animated film “Zootopia” stole ideas he pitched to Disney, finding that there’s no evidence the film’s creators had access to the screenwriter’s ideas – Disney Remains Victorious In Writer’s ‘Zootopia’ Rip-Off Case – Law360
• SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America West alleged in separate unfair labor practice charges that NBCUniversal violated federal labor law by interfering with the ongoing actors and writers strike, claiming the studio made workers picket in unsafe, heavily trafficked streets – SAG-AFTRA, WGA Claim NBCUniversal Violated Labor Law – Law360