May 16
by Jeff Fannell in Baseball, Basketball, Career, Hockey, Labor, Labor Issues, Marketing, Media, MLB, NBA, NCAA, Sports, Sports Issues, Uncategorized 0 comments

LEAGUES LOOKING TO CA$H IN ON NEW GAMBLING LAWS

Now that the United States Supreme Court has struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection ACT (PASPA), a federal law that (with a few exceptions) prohibited state-authorized sports gambling, several states are lining up to enact legislation that allows sports wagering within their borders.  And why not?  There is huge money in sports betting.  Last year, Nevada raked in nearly $5 billion in sports wagering.  States like New Jersey, New York and others all want a piece of the action. States are not alone in this regard.  Sports leagues, many of which opposed efforts to get rid of PASPA, also have their hands out looking for a quick buck.  Having sensed that they were losing the PASPA battle, the NBA, NFL, MLB and others came up with the ingenious idea that if the Court were to strike PASPA leagues could cash in on the new legal landscape by imposing “integrity fees” on those states that enact new gambling laws. What are integrity fees?  Some say it’s a nice way of saying “extortion.”  The leagues and governing bodies say integrity fees are necessary to maintain the integrity and public confidence in their respective sports.  The rationale goes like this: once […]
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Oct 19
by Lori Lord in Agents, Baseball, Hockey, Labor Issues, Sports Business, Sports Law 0 comments tags: Conference, Salary Arbitration, Salary Arbitration in Sports, SAS

Don’t Miss the Salary Arbitration in Sports Conference November 19th

On Thursday, November 19th a trio of veteran sports agents will host the inaugural Salary Arbitration in Sports conference at St. John’s University School of Law in Queens. The SAS conference will feature representatives from Major League Baseball, MLBPA, certified agents and former players, all with comprehensive experience in salary arbitration. Students, professionals and sports fans alike are invited to come join us for an in-depth look at this one-of-a-kind process. Hear from salary arbitration experts and industry veterans: Jeff, Fannell of Jeff Fannell & Associates; Rex Gary, Turner Gary-Sports; Mike Nicotera, The Sparta Group; Gregg E. Clifton, Jackson Lewis, P.C.; Rick Shapiro, MLBPA; Paul Mifsud, Labor Relations, MLB; John Ricco, NY Mets; Omar Minaya, MLBPA; and CJ Nitkowski, Former MLB Player; Jay Reisinger, Farrell & Reisinger, LLC; Matthew Swartz, MLB TradeRumors; Jason Belzer, GAME, Inc. and Forbes.com, and more. At the SAS Conference, seasoned participants in the art of salary arbitration will share their insights and experiences through a full day of panel discussions and question-and-answer sessions. The conference is the inspiration of experienced certified sports agents Jeff Fannell of, Mike Nicotera and Rex Gary. FrontOfficeSports.org, one of the Nation’s fastest growing sources for #Sportsbiz insight and education will […]
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Jul 07
by Jeff Fannell in Hockey, Labor Issues, NHL, Sports Business, Sports Issues 0 comments tags: Cleveland, Jock Tax, NHLPA, Tennessee

Hockey Players Settle Jock Tax Dispute

Ask most any lawyer and they will tell you that the only reason they took a course in tax law during law school was either because it was required or because it was a subject on the bar exam. Other than that, the majority of lawyers want little-to-nothing to do with the tax code – municipal, state or federal. Yet, for lawyers practicing in the sports industry, tax considerations crop up often – in the negotiation of player contracts, in player free agency decisions, in stadium and arena development, player and club tax filings and other areas. One controversial area in sports that raises a host of tax implications is the so-called “jock tax.” The jock tax is the income tax levied against visitors to a city or state who earn income in that jurisdiction. Although many professionals travel to other jurisdictions to conduct business (e.g., salespeople, lawyers, entertainers, etc.), athletes are easy targets because their presence in the jurisdiction is publicly known, as is their salary. Thus assigning “duty days” to these athletes for jock tax purposes, is fairly simple to do. Recently, NHL players reached a settlement with the State of Tennessee over the state’s jock tax. The […]
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