There is a distinction between a sports lawyer and all other types of practitioners. It requires a deep understanding of the nuances that largely affect athletes, their representatives, and companies providing products and services in the space. It also necessitates an acknowledgment of and ability to effectively communicate and craft relationships with power brokers who may provide financial services, accounting, managerial services, or the like in the specific space.
How to Play the Game, by Miami-based attorney and sports agent Darren Heitner, is the go-to source for anyone interested in getting into the field of sports law. It discusses the laws that govern the sports industry, from contract drafting and negotiation to antitrust issues, intellectual property matters, and labor law concerns. It also discusses the role of players' associations, the power of sports commissioners, sports betting regulations, and more.
But what makes it truly unique are the real-life case studies involving recognized professional and college sports figures as well as anecdotes from Darren's own experiences as a sports attorney, agent, and media spokesperson for college and professional sports industries. In addition, an appendix contains examples of legal documents--including professional contracts--with which any sports attorney/agent needs to be familiar. In short, if you want to play the game, you need to read How to Play the Game.
Praise for the First Edition of How to Play the Game
"The subject matter related to Sports Law is immense. Much in the way International Law is hard to nail down, as virtually every area of law is present in the context of International Law, Sports Law is similar and encompasses many practice areas including, but not limited to, contract, tort, estate planning, intellectual property, labor and employment law, anti-trust, family law, criminal law, litigation, negotiation . . . and the list goes on. If you are looking for a summary of all of these practice areas in about 200 pages, I wish you luck finding it. If you are looking for a survey of topics relevant to your Sports Law practice, with small case studies to provide practical examples of issues you may encounter, then Darren has provided just that for you in his book How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know. One builds a Sports Law practice, or any law practice, one brick at a time. This book is one brick, use it, and others, to build a strong foundation for your practice."
--Attorney Alexander Scott Dennison
"Mr. Heitner has set the bar with his work. This book is without a doubt the definitive go to piece in the industry. The in-depth knowledge, analysis and factual statements are 100% on-point. Every university with a Sports and/or Entertainment Law/ Management program should make How to Play the Game a mandatory read."
--Travis Bell, Founder and CEO of The Seven Bridges Group
Heitner, Darren: -
Darren Heitner is the Founder/CEO of Dynasty Dealings, LLC, Professor of Sport Agency Management at Indiana University Bloomington, Co-Founder of Collegiate Sports Advisors (CSA), Contributor at FORBES, and Founder/Chief Editor of Sports Agent Blog, a leading niche industry publication. He is an attorney with Wolfe Law Miami, P.A. who is licensed to practice on the state and federal level, and focuses on sports, entertainment, and intellectual property litigation and transactional work.
In 2010, Darren was named to Miami, Florida's Power 30 Under 30 in the Sports category along with the MLB's Hanley Ramirez, NBA's Udonis Haslem, and NFL's Ronnie Brown. In 2011, Darren was named to SportsPro Media's 10 NEXT, which honors ten stars of the sports business industry under the age of 30 that have achieved a level of success that is truly rare at such a young age. In 2012, Darren was chosen as a Florida Legal Elite Up and Comer for 2012 (top attorneys in Florida under 40 years of age) and was named to Sports Launch Magazine's Thirty Under 30 Award winners in sports business. In 2013, Darren was chosen as a Rising Star by a Daily Business Review panel of judges and was among the 40 young attorneys with the highest ratings.
Darren has a Bachelors of Arts from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from the same institution.
