Welcome back to the final "Sports & Entertainment Spotlight" of 2021 (cue the fireworks, standing ovations, Champagne-popping, etc.)! If there's one thing I have learned about New Year's Eve in my 30-something trips around the sun, it's that the pomp and circumstance (I feel like that would be a great name for a hip-hop duo) never quite live up to the hype. Sure, watching the ball drop in Times Square sounds great in theory until you realize you're standing around in the cold for hours on end, without a restroom in sight, while listening to mediocre lip-synched performances (that's to say nothing of the additional challenges from the pandemic). For a truly enjoyable evening, low expectations are the name of the game. So, it is in that vein that I write this entry. Were you hoping for a countdown of the top sports and entertainment law stories of 2021? I hope not! Perhaps some sort of retrospective of notable events? Not going to happen! An Auld Lang Syne-themed post along the same lines as last week's "Jingle Bells" rendition? Surely you jest! No, my friends, this year I will keep it low-key and leave you with gratitude for your readership in 2021 and best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year.
With extra creative juices stored up for 2022, maybe I'll try something a little more ambitious for next NYE. Whatever it is, at least I'll know that I will have set the bar low…
Endorsement Deals, Sponsorships & Investments
How Hong Kong Boy Band Mirror Led a Canto-Pop Revival in 2021 and
Used Their Fame to Endorse Brands from Gucci to Cartier and
Burberry
December 26, 2021 via Asia Newsday
Canto-pop boy band Mirror can reflect on 2021 as a year of success.
The group rose to fame in 2018 after its 12 members competed in
ViuTV's reality talent show Good Night Show – King
Maker.
Teampaper Announces Revolutionary Team-Based NIL
Project With CFP and Bowl-Bound Football Players
December 23, 2021 via MENAFN - Top Stories
VC-backed creator company is teaming up with Cincinnati, Alabama,
Oklahoma and other top schools to make NIL more stable and
sustainable for NCAA athletes.
Inside Tiktok Star Addison Rae's
Multimillion-Dollar Business, From a Rich Netflix Deal to Her Item
Beauty Joint Venture
December 22, 2021 via Business Insider Italy
In just two years, Addison Rae has gone from TikTok star to
mainstream celebrity. She's capitalized on that with a beauty
line, Netflix and Spotify deals and a slew of endorsements.
International College Athletes Studying in the U.S. Will Miss Out
on Lucrative Endorsement Deals
December 24, 2021 via Fortune
UConn forward Dorka Juhasz, like many of her teammates, was excited
when she heard college athletes would be allowed to make money
through celebrity endorsements and other means. The problem?
Juhasz, who is from Hungary, is among the more than 12 percent of
college athletes in the United States from a foreign country
— including more than 3,000 Division I athletes — the
vast majority of whom are at school on F-1 student visas, according
to the NCAA.
Athletes That Got Major Deals in 2021
December 28, 2021 via Nairametrics
2021 has seen more sports stars attract more sponsorships as brands
look to leverage on their popularity to reach and target even more
fans, as sports tries to return to full-scale.
Sports
How John Madden Became the ‘Larger-Than-Life'
Face of a Gaming Empire
December 29, 2021 via NY Times (subscription may be
required)
Madden, who died Tuesday, December 28, helped bring to life a
series of football video games that has generated $7 billion in
revenue since 1988.
Stricter Canadian Rules Complicate NHL Push Through
Pandemic
December 28, 2021 via Fox News - Latest News
Sixteen months after choosing Canada as the safest place to
complete its season, the NHL now faces a series of hurdles north of
the border that complicate its bid to power through the pandemic
all over again.
NBA Shortens Isolation Period for Players Who Test Positive for
COVID
December 28, 2021 via Bloomberg – News (subscription may
be required)
NBA players who test positive for COVID-19 now have a quicker path
to return to play, after the league completed a significant update
to its health and safety protocols on Monday, December 27.
NCAA Clears Way for Rutgers to Replace A&M in Gator
Bowl
December 23, 2021 via Bloomberg – News (subscription may
be required)
Rutgers will replace Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl against Wake
Forest after an NCAA committee decided Thursday, December 23, to
adhere to an existing policy for making teams with 5-7 records bowl
eligible.
Music Biz
Unions and Musicians Poised to Settle Royalty Lawsuit for $8
Million
December 28, 2021 via Lawyers and Settlements
On November 8, the District Court for the Central District of
California gave preliminary approval to a proposal that will end a
2018 lawsuit between studio musicians and their unions.
Brit Beat: the Top 10 U.K. Music Industry Stories of 2021, From
Adele's Comeback to Streaming Battles and Brexit
Woes
December 22, 2021 via Register Citizen
It's been another tumultuous year for the U.K. music
business. Some issues were hangovers from 2020 – the
seemingly endless COVID crisis and the related ongoing live-sector
meltdown – but there were also plenty of new angles to get to
grips with.
When 'The Boss' is Worth $500 Million, it's Time for
Stars to Sell Their Back Catalogs
December 22, 2021 via GPB News
Bruce Springsteen's entire back catalog – including
songwriting and recordings – reportedly cost Sony Music Group
north of $500 million.
Film & TV
ESPN Has $400 Million in College Football Playoff Ads at Risk From
COVID
December 28, 2021 via Bloomberg – News (subscription
may be required)
The spike in COVID-19 cases imperils as much as $400 million in
college football playoff advertising for Walt Disney Co.'s
ESPN sports network because of the growing risk games may be
canceled, Bloomberg Intelligence estimated in a note Tuesday,
December 28.
Barstool Sports Planning for Unique Coverage of Arizona
Bowl
December 27, 2021 via Sports Business
Journal
For the first time in over 40 years, a major college football bowl
game will not air on traditional television and instead will go
direct to consumers, and free, via digital, social media and the
Internet.
Polish President Vetoes Media Law Slammed by Us
December 27, 2021 via International Business Times - Top
Stories
Following pressure from the EU and US, Polish President Andrzej
Duda vetoed a media ownership law that critics said was aimed at
silencing the US-owned news channel TVN24.
New ESPN+ Deal Benefits NAU Directly Through Recruiting, Other
Areas
December 24, 2021 via AZ Daily Sun News
With the move to ESPN+, the Big Sky Conference has the ability to
showcase its games across the nation. By broadening the scope of
viewership and exposure, the conference can cast a wider net in
recruiting high school players to come play for Big Sky
schools.
Sky Studios Strikes Documentary Deal With Dorothy St.
Pictures
December 23, 2021 via Hollywood Reporter
The British banner has been behind films such as the Bruce Lee doc
'Be Water' while the company's director/producer Becky
Read produced 'Three Identical Strangers'. Sky Studios, the
production arm of Comcast 's European pay-TV giant Sky, has
inked a development deal with U.K.-based banner Dorothy St.
Pictures.
Sony Pictures and Zee Close to Forming a Powerful Merged
Company
December 22, 2021 via The Drum
In what could be a major defining development, two of the leading
Indian content players – Sony Pictures Networks India Private
Limited (SPN) and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel) –
have signed an agreement to merge, which would help them better
compete with the world's largest streaming players.
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
MetaBirkins Creator Says He Received a Cease & Desist
from Hermès, Claims Fair Use
December 28, 2021 via The Fashion Law (subscription may be
required)
Hermès appears to have made good on its claims about NFTs
that were marketed as MetaBirkins without its authorization.
Creator Mason Rothschild revealed in an open letter to
Hermès that he posted on his Instagram account on December
22 that he received a cease-and-desist letter from the French
luxury goods brand.
Stan Lee Fans Alert! You Can Now Purchase 'Chakra the
Invincible' NFT Collection
December 28, 2021 via Business Today
There is good news for Stan Lee fans, they can now purchase NFTs
inspired by the legend's first international superhero
creations – Chakra the Invincible.
Ozzy Osbourne Announces First NFT Collection,
'Cryptobatz'
December 27, 2021 via Blabbermouth
Ozzy Osbourne has announced his first foray into the crypto
industry with the launch of Cryptobatz, a collection of 9,666 NFTs.
The collection is a nod to his infamous bat-biting incident.
Sacramento Kings to Sell NFTs Tied to Real-World
Rewards
December 23, 2021 via Sportico – Business (subscription
may be required)
The Sacramento Kings are set to launch their latest NFT offering,
as NBA teams continue to experiment with blockchain products.
Inside Melania Trump's Year Since Leaving the White House as
Ex-First Lady Launches NFTs of Her Eyes
December 23, 2021 via The US Sun
Since Donald Trump left the White House in early 2021, his wife
Melania Trump has been conspicuously absent from the public eye.
But behind the scenes, the former First Lady has been working on
projects including charity fundraising, and signs indicate her
husband's potential presidential run may bring her back into
the spotlight.
Steph Curry Released $333 NFT Sneakers You Can ‘Wear'
in the Metaverse and They're Already Sold
Out
December 22, 2021 via Fortune
National Basketball Association player and recent crypto convert
Stephen Curry released a collection of 2,974 NFTs featuring digital
replicas of the shoes he wore when he when he broke the 3-point
scoring record this month, allowing owners to show them off across
three different metaverses.
Martha Stewart Now Has Her Own Christmas
NFTs
December 22, 2021 via Mashed
Renowned chef Martha Stewart took a leap of faith earlier this year
and announced the launch of her first NFTs, according to PR
Newswire. The chef has now announced new NFTs for the holiday
season.
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