Sports & Media Law

Welcome to the Chris Farnell blog. As a sports and media lawyer, you will be providing advice on business agreements, contracts of performance, financial transactions, litigation and employee management and benefits. Lawyers will handle cases on defamation, libel, slander, encroachment on privacy, unsubstantiated allegations or declarations against individuals.

Entertainment law covers radio, music, television, films, art, theatre, books, websites and magazines. Your work will usually consist of providing advice on commercial contracts, intellectual property matters, content standards and employee management. 

Sports lawyers can represent players, clubs, sports agents, regulatory associations or sponsorship companies. Sport is a seriously big business and, as a legal professional in this industry, you will need to be on the ball. You will often have to work on several areas of law; from telecommunications, finance and intellectual property, to negligence and privacy.

The working atmosphere in most places where media and sports law is practised is very informal, modern and friendly. This does not mean that work is not to be taken seriously though, as cases and deals will usually involve huge sums of money. Despite this, sports and media lawyers tend to receive smaller salaries than those who work in large firms where corporate, banking and finance rule the roost. Nevertheless, it is still a very attractive area of law.

Chris Farnell provides quick, creative and simple solutions to clients’ problems and thoroughly know the ins and outs of the sporting area you are involved in. Find out more about Chris Farnell on his IPS Law website  here. Connect with Chris Farnell Lawyer on Linkedin here. Alternatively, you can read the latest Chris Farnell Charlton news here.

Esports

Welcome to the Chris Farnell blog. The esports gaming industry is expected to continue to grow over the next few years and consequently, as seen with the sports industry and gambling, so is the demand for esports betting services. This enthusiasm for esports betting services is occurring. Just as with traditional sports, fans follow teams, watch matches and even attend cup finals, cheering on their favourite stars from around the world and the professionalisation of esports continues to accelerate at a blistering pace. 

In 2020, European giants Fanatic secured a $10m investment before going on to successfully close a £2m crowdfunding round. Similarly, fellow UK team Excel Esports continued their professional evolution by securing a groundbreaking partnership with a non-endemic sponsor, BT.  

Excel also brought in new leadership, including the former director of global marketing at Adidas, to help further their aim of becoming a leading household brand. However, it is not only esports teams that are looking to professionalise. As demonstrated by the number of disputes, there’s been a real increase in esports players seeking to protect themselves by appointing their own legal advisors.

Sports regulators also around the world seem to be gearing up for a year of introducing tougher rules.

For instance, following high-public defeats for the English Football League and Uefa in landmark judgments opposite Derby County and Manchester City respectively, we are likely to see changes to the regulatory regime that football clubs are subject to. 

In particular, this could mean the introduction of salary caps in the Championship to replace the existing financial fair play rules. 

Fans of several clubs will be hoping that the regulators take a sensible approach to enforcement, though, ultimately recognising diminution in value of club’s assets and revenues that were completely unforeseen and have impacted even the best run clubs. 

We are also likely to see the imposition of stronger rules, including caps on fees, for agents. 

Such measures will be hotly contested, though, and ironically, in light of Brexit, may be stopped in their tracks by legislation that originates from Brussels. 

booming demand for esports betting services has created commercial opportunities for players in the esports industry. Indeed, the esports betting industry appears to be primed for quick growth. However, the extent of this growth will depend on, among other things, how consumers, legislators, and industry stakeholders work together to ensure that the various stakeholders’ concerns and perspectives are adequately represented. We will continue to monitor how the esports betting industry continues to adapt and grow.

Check back soon for more!

Chris Farnell has experience advising on sports matters. You can follow Chris Farnell Lawyer on Twitter, where we frequently share our recent advice on sports law. Visit the Chris Farnell IPS Law website here for the latest big sports issues here. You might be interested reading the Chris Farnell Charlton news here.