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Navigating the Union of Sports, Business, and the Law Agenda

Agenda

8 am: Registration and Continental Breakfast

9 am: Welcome Remarks

  • Dr. Neil Ruiz, Executive Director, Center for Law, Economics and Finance

9:10 am: Dean’s Welcome

  • Blake D. Morant, Dean and Robert Kramer Research Professor of Law, GW Law

9:25 am: Sponsor Message

  • Michael D. Veley, Director and Chair, Department of Sport Management, David B. Falk College of Sport & Human Dynamics

9:45 am: Keynote Address | Video

  • William Poster, former President of General Dynamics-CSCC and Founder, Chairman, and CEO of multiple companies spanning five continents

10:45 am: Panel 1 – The Key to Creating A Successful Brand: The Relationship Between Intellectual Property Law and Sports

What do trademarks, copyrights, media rights, broadcasting rights, publicity rights, marketing, and advertising all have in common? Each are common intellectual property tools that sports agents and attorneys utilize to create, protect, and grow their clients brands. Strategic brand management allows consumers to easily identify and distinguish products, perceive the economic value associated with the product in question, and build large and diverse fan bases. Essentially, a successful branding and marketing campaign are crucial to creating economically viable businesses in the current crowded sports market. This panel will focus on the relationship between intellectual property law and sports, the tools to creating a successful brand, and why it is so crucial for professional athletes to protect their brands.

Moderator: 

  • Michael D. Hausfeld, Chairman, Hausfeld

Panelists:

  • Lonnie Cooper, President and CEO, CSE Agency
  • Michael Duda, Founder and Managing Partner, Bullish Inc.
  • Mark Levin, Founder and CEO, GiftConnect

  • Jeff Moorad, former CEO and minority owner of Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres

Noon: Lunch

Lunch will be provided for pickup on the second floor of the Auditorium. Students from GW Law will direct attendees to seating areas in several nearby locations. After lunch, please return to the Auditorium for the second half of the program.

12:45 pm: Sports Management 101: Breaking Into the Sports Business World

Is it your dream to work with athletes in the future? Do you want to combine the worlds of sports and business in your career? Do you see yourself as the next Jerry McGuire? Come to this interactive panel and learn how these current agents and sports management professionals got their start in the sports industry and what they do on a daily basis. There will be time for questions at the end so please come prepared.

Moderator:

  • David Falk, Founder and CEO, Falk Associates Management Enterprises

Panelists:

  • Danielle Cantor, Partner and Executive Vice President, Falk Associates Management Enterprises
  • Lonnie Cooper, President and CEO, CSE Agency
  • David Mincberg, Director of Scouting, The Memphis Grizzlies
  • Sandy Montag, President and CEO, The Montag Group

2 pm: Panel 2 – The Future of Gambling in Professional Sports

The past few years have seen a windfall of litigation surround the legality of gaming in professional sports. The reason for this uptick stems from the changing landscape of sports betting. Sports betting was traditionally something done at horse races, casinos, or bets between friends. The expansion of the Internet and smart phones provided a new platform for sports betting to take shape. Daily fantasy leagues, sports betting websites, and apps for smart phones have emerged allowing users to wager their money on numerous games or events from the comfort of their home. This panel will focus on the changing landscape of sports betting as it transitions to a more online enterprise as well as the legality of online sports betting.

Moderator:

  • A.J. Perez, Sports Reporter, USA Today

​Panelists:

  • A. Jeff Ifrah, Founding Member, Ifrah Law
  • Sara Rayme, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, American Gaming Association
  • Ian Peacock, Co-Founder and CEO, Bait
  • Dr. John Wolohan, Professor of Sports Management, Syracuse University

3:15 pm: Panel 3 – Sports Analytics and Marketing

In all of the fanfare that MoneyBall rightfully receives, focusing on the use of analytics on the player evaluation and performance side of the sports industry, it is sometimes forgotten that big data and analytics has also provided a revolution on the business side for sports teams and leagues.  From ticket pricing and attendance modeling, to sales strategies and CRM, to evaluating trends in television and media usage, sports analytics has opened a new frontier in the industry.  This panel focuses on the innovations that have occurred in relation to understanding consumer behavior, providing better experiences at the stadium for fans, and finding ways to maximize profits for sports teams and leagues, the evolution of sports business analytics to its current methods and research, and will speculate on where big data and sports analytics are heading in the future of the industry.

Moderator:

  • Dennis Deninger, Professor of Practice, Syracuse University

Panelists:

  • Dr. Rodney Paul, Professor of Sport Management, Syracuse University
  • Ben Alamar, Director, ESPN Sports Analytics
  • Don Carson, President & CEO, FanPaaS
  • Dr. Shane Sanders, Associate Professor of Sports Analytics, Syracuse University

4:30 pm: Panel 4 – New Technologies

The sport industry is always in a constant state of change but perhaps new frontiers have never closed in faster than with the merger of social media, video gaming, fantasy sport (i.e., fantasy leagues) and augmented/virtual reality. If famous commentary from the past suggested the “Revolution will be Televised”, today’s sport participant and fan knows that a revolution is taking place and happening on multiple fronts and varied platforms. This afternoon’s panel will take advantage of three experts who are active in articulating just what is happening in professional and participatory sport. This panel is likely to suggest a number of provocative and future-facing opinions that may make traditionalists in the audience uncomfortable.

Moderator:

  • Rick Burton, David Falk Professor of Sport Management, Syracuse University

Panelists:

  • Jeff Rubin, CEO, Sidearm Sports
  • Dr. Joey Gawrysiak, Assistant Professor of Sport Management, Shenandoah University
  • Dennis Deninger, Professor of Practice, Syracuse University
  • Dr. Brendan Dwyer, Director of Research and Distance Learning, Center for Sport Leadership, Virginia Commonwealth University

5:45 pm: Closing Remarks

  • Dr. Neil Ruiz, Center for Law, Economics and Finance

5:50 pm: Networking Reception

Please join us for a reception on the second floor of the Auditorium.