Adam Sullins is Co-Chair of the firm's Entertainment, Sports & Media Industry Group and represents sports teams, owners and investors, media companies, corporate sponsors, as well as leagues, players associations, governing bodies, and athletes on a full spectrum of matters across the sports industry.
With many years of sports industry experience, Mr. Sullins regularly advises on:
- Acquisition and sale of ownership stakes in sports franchises (including expansion efforts) and other companies
- Broadcast and new media deals
- Corporate sponsorship, endorsement, and other commercial deals
- Strategic ventures
- Licensing
- League ownership rules and regulations
- esports transactions
Mr. Sullins’ recent experience includes representing clients in the following areas:
Sports Media
- The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in its eight-year, US$8.8 billion multimedia rights agreement with CBS Sports and Turner Broadcasting for the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship
- Facebook in its acquisition of sports distribution rights across the globe and related matters, including for events such as UEFA Champions League, CONMEBOL Copa Libertadores, La Liga, and ICC cricket events
- Sinclair Broadcasting Company in its:
- Formation of a joint venture (Marquee Sports Network) with the Chicago Cubs, and license by the network of broadcast rights to Cubs games and programming
- Acquisition of YES Network, along with Amazon, the New York Yankees, and other equity partners
- Univision Communications on various types of sports matters, including its exclusive Spanish language broadcast rights for FIFA, UEFA, USSF, MLS, CONCACAF, and various other sports properties
- Tencent Holdings Limited in its agreement to become the exclusive official digital partner of the NBA in China, as well as on various other agreements including with FIBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, and ESPN
- The International Olympic Committee in connection with the US$4.38 billion licensing of broadcast and new media rights in the United States, and in connection with various media, sponsorship, and other matters*
- Caesars Entertainment in its commercial partnership with ESPN to develop, produce, and distribute sports betting, news, and entertainment content, as well as to build a production studio at The Linq Hotel in Las Vegas
- Arizona Diamondbacks on its multi-year broadcast and media agreement with Fox Sports and related matters
- Guggenheim Securities, LLC (Los Angeles Dodgers) on the formation and launch of SportsNet LA, the regional sports network*
- Anaheim Ducks on its multi-year broadcast and media agreement with Fox Sports
- Dallas Stars on its multi-year broadcast and media agreement with Fox Sports*
- Warner Bros. in its agreement with NBA superstar LeBron James and his SpringHill Entertainment company covering original digital content, including with respect to the “Uninterrupted” platform
- NBA superstar Kobe Bryant in a wide-ranging deal with China’s Alibaba Group and Sina Sports
- National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in its national media rights deal with A&E Networks
- The Stronach Group on multi-year agreements for broadcast and media agreements to the Preakness Triple Crown and other premier horse racing events and related programming on NBC and NBC Sports Network
- NextVR in its agreements to produce and distribute virtual-reality coverage of various sporting events with parties such as the NBA, NFL, and Fox Sports
- Greenfly, Inc., a provider of online engagement apps, in various licensing agreements with Nike, Manchester City Football Club, Liverpool Football Club, Paris Saint-Germain Football Club, the NBA, NBC Sports, and others
- NFL Players Incorporated in connection with various digital media, broadcast, and television production endeavors
- The Jockey Club on its multi-year agreement with Fox Sports for broadcast and media rights to certain horse racing events and related programming to be broadcast on Fox Sports 1*
- World Surf League on its multi-year television broadcast and digital streaming agreements with ESPN and YouTube*
- Hollywood producer/director Mike Tollin on the formation and launch of Mandalay Sports Media, a joint venture with Mandalay Entertainment Group*
Sports Mergers & Acquisitions
Mr. Sullins has represented franchise owners and prospective owners in equity ownership transactions involving:
- Atlanta Hawks (NBA)
- Charlotte Hornets (NBA)
- Memphis Grizzlies (NBA)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA)
- Philadelphia 76ers (NBA)
- Boston Red Sox (MLB)
- Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB)
- Miami Marlins (MLB)
- San Diego Padres (MLB)
- DC United (MLS)
- Chicago Fire (MLS)
- Houston Dynamo (MLS)
- Los Angeles Football Club (MLS)
- New York City FC (MLS)
- Seattle Sounders (MLS)
- Liverpool FC (EPL)
- Manchester City FC
- Swansea City (EPL)
- AS Saint Etienne (Ligue 1)
- Endeavor in its acquisition of On Location Experiences, a provider of ticketing, hospitality, live event production and travel management services to the sports and entertainment industries
- NFL Players Incorporated, the commercial arm of the NFLPA, in the formation of a joint venture with Redbird Capital
- NWSL in a transaction involving investment in the league by A&E Networks, including the formation of a new strategic joint venture
- Atairos Group in its acquisition of Learfield Communications, a provider of integrated marketing solutions in college sports
esports
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Counter Logic Gaming in its sale of a controlling interest to The Madison Square Garden Company
- A corporate sponsor in its jersey sponsorship deal for an Overwatch League team
- A premier global streamer in a large-scale sponsorship deal
Corporate Sponsorships
-
Los Angeles Football Club franchise on a broad spectrum of matters including its stadium naming rights deal
- Banco Santander in connection with its corporate sponsorship of premier international sporting events
- Tencent Holdings Limited in connection with its global sponsorship deal with FIBA
- NWSL in its league-wide corporate sponsorship agreement with A&E Networks
- Caesars Entertainment in various sponsorship and hospitality deals with sports leagues and NFL, MLB, and MLS teams
- The fantasy sports service DraftKings, Inc. in its broadcast commercial agreements with ESPN, Fox, and the NFL Network
- A confidential client in its jersey and other wide-reaching corporate sponsorship deal with an NBA team
*Matter handled prior to joining Latham