Legal Challenges Arise in Protecting Sports’ Brands

By Michelle Cooke   As with any form of entertainment, a fan base is key to the success of sports teams. Fan dedication to a team will pack a stadiums game after game and pay for high priced box seats, and lead to the construction of luxury stadiums. Fan dedication to players generates lucrative contracts, jersey and other merchandise sales, and coveted endorsements. It is the fan’s emotional tie to a team that transcends time, losing streaks, changes in coaches and players, and geogra