Sports Litigation Alert Current Issue

By Jeff Birren, Senior Writer The Court of Appeals of Indiana recently held that a football player’s training injury claims were barred by the State’s legal barrier to sports negligence claims. It reversed the denial of a motion for summary judgement and directed the...

By Katelyn Kohler, Esq. The Federal Circuit's January 2026 decision in the trademark dispute between Michael P. Chisena and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), joined by Aaron Judge (herein “Opposers”), presents a useful case study in how far...

By Anna Giambelluca, JD College athletics has been transformed through NIL rights, donor collectives, revenue sharing, and transfer freedom, creating a more professional model that more equitably compensates athletes. And it appears this transformation may not stop at...

By Robert J Romano, JD, LLM, St. John’s University, Senior Writer Chidi Ahanotu, a former defensive lineman who played 12 professional seasons in the NFL, upon his retirement in 2025 sought disability benefits under the League’s Bert Bell/Pete Rozelle Player...

A federal judge has dismissed the tort claim of a former NBA player against Pensack Sports, a digital media company that also represents athletes. Specifically, Noah Vonleh alleged Pensack and associated agents engaged in misconduct, fraud, and even forged contracts...

By Yariv Ben-Ari and Jermaine Brookshire, Jr., of Herrick The Federal Aviation Administration’s (“FAA”) proposed 14 C.F.R. Part 108 represents a watershed moment for drone operations in the United States, particularly for professional sports organizations, stadium...

By Ellen J. Staurowsky, Ed.D., Senior Writer and Retired Professor, Sports Media, Ithaca College, staurows@ithaca.edu On February 6, 2026, six women basketball players who were once members of the University of Pittsburgh’s (Pitt’s) team filed individual lawsuits...

By Landis Barber, JD The University of Cincinnati has filed a breach of contract action in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio against its former starting quarterback, Brendan Sorsby. The complaint is the institution’s attempt at...

By Ahmed Chaib Introduction On October 29, 2025, objector–appellant Tyler Phillips filed an appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit challenging the district court’s approval of the proposed class settlement in In re College Athlete names,...

By Katelyn Kohler, Esq. Days before his Olympic debut, Spanish figure skater Tomás-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté faced an athlete’s nightmare. He learned his Minions-themed program, which he performed successfully all season, could not be used at the 2026 Milan Cortina...

By Edward H. Schauder Few moments in sports history have captured the imagination of the public like the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team’s “Miracle on Ice” or the 1969 World Champion New York Mets. Decades later, fans still want to relive those championship moments —...

By Alex Schenck The salaries of Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) players is an issue that the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) for the WNBA will hopefully address.1 In October of 2024, the WNBA players’ union opted out of their current CBA,...

By Elijah Shelton The National Football League (NFL) uses a franchise tag system to allow teams to keep key players who are about to become free agents. Introduced in 1993, this system prevents players from signing with other teams by locking them into a one-year...

The publication will return to its original mission of providing actionable intelligence to those in charge of managing the NIL landscape at their respective institutions. Hackney Publications, the nation's leading publisher of sports law periodicals, announced today...

By Dhwanil Shah In a potentially significant blow to the legal defense of tennis governing bodies, Tennis Australia has become the first defendant to settle with the plaintiffs in the on-going professional tennis antitrust class action (Vasek Pospisil, et al. v. ATP...

By Chris O’Kelley Introduction Filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on January 14, 2026, United States v. Smith, et al. centers on a sports gambling ring that operated during the 2022–2023 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season, and the 2023–2024 and...

Frank Hawkins, a nationally recognized sports executive and attorney with more than three decades of experience advising professional sports organizations and stakeholders at the highest levels, has joined Shumaker’s Sports Law Team. Hawkins brings significant depth...

Ifrah Law has announced the appointment of Kyra Pulliam as Licensing & Compliance Specialist at the firm. Prior to joining the firm, Pulliam served as Senior U.S. Licensing & Regulatory Coordinator at Better Collective, a global sports betting and iGaming...

Partners David DeVillers, Chris Bayh, and Daniel A. Cohen are representing the University of Cincinnati in litigation against former quarterback Brendan Sorsby, seeking to enforce obligations under his NIL agreement. The case highlights the growing importance of...