sheppard mullin
our Sports Industry Team
Caitlin Clark Nearing Eight-Figure Contract
Just a few days after former Iowa guard Caitlin Clark was drafted first by the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, watched by more than two million people, the 22-year-old is nearing an eight-figure endorsement deal with Nike, according to The Athletic. The deal would come with her own signature shoe, per the report. But her anticipated contract with Nike will dwarf her WNBA contract that’s scheduled to pay her $338,056 over four years. Clark will earn a base salary of $76,535 as a rookie. It’s a number that was negotiated long before Clark turned pro as part of the WNBA’s collectively bargained rookie wage scale.
Caitlin Clark Reportedly Nearing Eight-Figure Contract with Nike
NBA Players to Split $34 Million
NHL Approves $1.2B Coyotes Sale
Jontay Porter’s NBA Ban for Gambling
FedEx Terminates Stadium Naming Rights Agreement
MLB Championship Series Without Top Teams
Sports Team Leaders
Partner | Los Angeles
213.617.4252
dsunkin@sheppardmullin.com
David Sunkin
Partner | San Francisco
415.774.3287
banderson@sheppardmullin.com
Brian Anderson
Sheppard Mullin's Sports Industry Team is uniquely positioned to address the complex and dynamic needs of our sports industry clientele. Our sports practice offers the expertise necessary to provide full service legal counsel to owners, teams, leagues, governing bodies, facility operators, key rights holders, advertising companies, sponsors and others involved in sports-related transactions or disputes.
Learn More
A weekly summary of the key trends and stories in sports business.
Go Deeper
Players on NBA playoff teams will divvy up $33.7 million this season, with each team receiving a chunk based on how far their teams go. The team payouts will range from $452,708-roughly $30,000 per player based on a 15-player roster-to potentially $12.1 million ($804,000 per player) for the NBA champion.
NBA Players to Split $34 Million for 2024 Playoff Bonuses
Go Deeper
NHL owners voted Thursday afternoon to approve the $1.2 billion sale of the Arizona Coyotes to the owners of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The vote concludes one of the most unique team sales in modern U.S. sports. Led by billionaire Ryan Smith and his wife Ashley, Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) is buying the Coyotes’ player and hockey operations departments, according to sources who were granted anonymity because the details are private. Those assets will be rolled into what is being considered a new NHL franchise, which does not yet have a name and will begin play in the SEG-owned Delta Center next season.
NHL Approves $1.2B Coyotes Sale to Utah’s Ryan and Ashley Smith
Go Deeper
The NBA Wednesday announced that Toronto Raptors Jontay Porter is permanently disqualified for allegedly betting on NBA games, disclosing confidential information to sports bettors and taking himself out of a game to influence bets on his own performance. The ban poses far-reaching legal ramifications for Porter, the NBA, the NBPA and the lawfulness of proposition wagers on how players perform.
Jontay Porter’s NBA Ban for Gambling Carries Legal Implications
Go Deeper
FedEx has chosen to withdraw from its stadium naming rights agreement with the NFL’s Washington Commanders. FedEx had the option to do so if there was a change in the NFL team’s ownership. The team was purchased by Josh Harris from Dan Snyder in July. The team was expected to receive approximately $15 million from FedEx over the next two years, but now they must find a new sponsor, a process they have been engaged in for the past two months.
FedEx Terminates Stadium Naming Rights Agreement with Washington Commanders Ahead of Schedule
Go Deeper
Of the four remaining contenders for the championship, only Houston won their division; the other three all dispatched heavy favorites in the Division Series. Regardless of whether it’s good for baseball to have the best regular-season teams eliminated two rounds before the World Series, the MLB postseason structure is working exactly the way it was designed.
Second Year of New MLB Postseason Format Leaves Championship Series Without Top Teams
Read More
Share on LinkedIn
Download Current Issue
Subscribe
Previous Issue
sports page
Weekly Trivia Question
Weekly Trivia Question
Which team won the first NBA Championship?
Weekly Trivia Question
Answer
Philadelphia Warriors (1946-47)
REveal Answer
Which team won the first NBA Championship?
Weekly Trivia Question
In which organization are teams individually owned and belong to governing bodies which promote and relegate teams to different leagues based on performance?
Weekly Trivia Question
a. National Football League (American Football)
b. English Premier League (Soccer)
c. Major League Soccer (Soccer)
d. Serie National de Beisbol (Cuba) (Baseball)
Correct!
b. English Premier League (Soccer)
Hide Answer
Incorrect
try Again
Hide Answer
In which organization are teams individually owned and belong to governing bodies which promote and relegate teams to different leagues based on performance?
Weekly Trivia Question
a. National Football League (American Football)
b. English Premier League (Soccer)
c. Major League Soccer (Soccer)
d. Serie National de Beisbol (Cuba) (Baseball)
Correct!
b. English Premier League (Soccer)
Hide Answer
Incorrect
try Again