Sports Law Symposium

Attended an all day symposium hosted by the Cleveland State School of Law Sports Law Association.  There were a number of panels, as well as keynote speaker, local sports Agent Mark Termini, who I have had the pleasure of speaking with at length about his experience in the industry and advice.  The following are some of the key takeaways from the speakers.  The first session focused on representation of athletes.  The panel included two agents, an attorney who represents athletes in criminal and school violation matters, and another attorney who is involved with assisting various athletes and organizations with compliance issues.  

The agents discussed the importance of building a brand and utilizing social media in an effective and responsible manner. They also agreed that women have been more effective in using social media. They are more organic and connect better with their audience.  This is seen as a way for female athletes to supplement their income and realize somewhat greater parity with male athletes. The female agent has worked on a number of NIL deals and noted that they have clients who are essentially “benchwarmers” who have utilized NIL to make more of their college career than they would have before NIL. There was also a panel on women in sports. It was very interesting to hear from the panel their very different paths into the sports law world. It was motivating and I will utilize a number of tips they discussed for making myself more marketable.