Jeff Fannell » Sports business

Jun 19

by Jeff Fannell in Uncategorized 0 comments tags: College, Scholarship, Sports business, sports law, student support

Scholarship Update

Back in January, I posted about my desire to create an academic scholarship as a way to express my gratitude for all of the help and the blessings I have received over the course of my studies and my career. Several people were kind enough to reach out to offer advice and guidance. Now, less than six months later, I am overjoyed to announce the creation of the Fannell Family Scholarship at my law school alma mater, St. John’s University School of Law in Queens, NY. Through a pledge of $50,000, combined with a dollar-for-dollar match from the Brennan Family Scholarship Matching Program once the pledge threshold is met, we will have a $100,000 endowed scholarship at St. John’s Law that will provide one or more partial scholarships each year to an African-American student with a demonstrated interest in labor and employment law. One of the beauties of the endowed scholarship is that once created, the capital is preserved, providing financial assistance to generations of students in perpetuity. I am thrilled at the opportunity, through the scholarship, to help others as others have helped me. My sincere thanks to Philip Maroney, Advancement Officer at St. John’s, for […]

Jan 30

by Jeff Fannell in Uncategorized 0 comments tags: College, Scholarship, Sports business, sports law, Students, Support

Looking to lend a hand

We all are products of our experiences and how we choose to navigate them. In my case, dropping out of college is one of several indelible marks on my soul. I was one of those “most likely to succeed” cats coming out of high school, so dropping out of college a few months later was an unexpected re-write. Remaining a college drop-out for the next eight years was humbling and sometimes disorienting, as I watched former high school classmates repeatedly lap me on the career track. When I got an opportunity to go back to college, thanks to the intervention of a dear family friend, I made the most of it and graduated with honors. When that same family friend encouraged me to apply to law school, I turned a deaf ear. With a wife and two children to care for, I needed to get out of the classroom and into the job market – or so I thought. After a year of rejections and disappointments, I bit the bullet, took the LSAT and applied to law school. By now, we had three children, so the family demands were increasing. I applied to only one law school – St. John’s Law in Queens, NY. It was the […]

Jul 28

by Lori Lord in People, Sports Business 0 comments tags: Aspiring, Inspiring, NSLC, Sports business, Student Leaders, Students, Youth

Jeff Fannell Inspiring Young Minds at NSLC

This past Friday (July 24, 2015) Jeff Fannell, Founder and President of Fannell & Associates talked to a packed room of eager, emerging sports business leaders at Fordham University. Watch here for a quick recap of an awesome session: Fannell at Inspiring Young Leaders at National Student Leadership Conference

Mar 08

by Jeff Fannell in Baseball, Labor Issues, MLB, Sports Business 12 comments tags: Baseball, Major League Baseball, Salary Arbitration, Sports business

Salary Arbitration 101: Part Three

It now comes down to this. For the player, it’s been years of competing and succeeding at the highest level and accumulating enough service time to become (or stay) eligible for salary arbitration. For the majority of clubs, it’s been years of developing the player and seeing him grow and contribute to the organization. For the advocates on both sides of the table, it’s been months of research and analysis of statistics and the challenging task of reducing it all to a 100-page presentation. Salary arbitration is a unique process. It is not “arbitration” in the traditional sense of the word. There are no court reporters to take testimony, there is no swearing-in of witnesses, there are no post-hearing briefs or oral arguments and, perhaps most notable of all, there are no written decisions from the arbitrators. Salary arbitration cases are presented before a panel of three arbitrators, all of whom are among the top labor arbitrators in the country. Why labor? Because the relationship between the Players Association and the Clubs is grounded in labor law and governed by a collective bargaining agreement. When not hearing salary arbitration cases over the first three weeks of February, the panel […]

Dec 10

by Jeff Fannell in Career, Sports, Sports Business 0 comments tags: Advice, Career, Sports, Sports business, Sports Careers, Sports management

Get in the Game Part 5: Tips for Breaking into a Career in Sports

For nearly 15 years I have been blessed to work as a lawyer in professional sports. From 2000 through 2010, I was a labor attorney for the Major League Baseball Players Association. In November 2010, I started my own consulting practice where I continue to work in sports in various capacities. In addition to working on contract issues and other matters for some of the top agents and players in Major League Baseball, I have also assisted the National Hockey League Players’ Association in grievance arbitration and salary arbitration and have worked on a number of high profile sports-related projects. I count myself fortunate for all of the opportunities and experiences that have and continue to come my way. Now, I’d like to help you and others fulfill their dream of building a career in sports. In my fifth and final installment of this series we discuss Tip #5… Tip #5: Get Plugged In If you want to get into the sports industry make the rounds. Develop contacts by joining sports groups and associations. Attend panel discussions, awards ceremonies, trade shows and other events. In addition to paying attention to the scores and highlights, read the sports business pages. Look […]

Nov 26

by Jeff Fannell in Career, Sports, Sports Business 0 comments tags: Advice, Career, Sports, Sports business, Sports Careers, Sports management

Get in the Game Part 3: Tips for Breaking into a career in Sports

For nearly 15 years I have been blessed to work as a lawyer in professional sports. From 2000 through 2010, I was a labor attorney for the Major League Baseball Players Association. In November 2010, I started my own consulting practice where I continue to work in sports in various capacities. In addition to working on contract issues and other matters for some of the top agents and players in Major League Baseball, I have also assisted the National Hockey League Players’ Association in grievance arbitration and salary arbitration and have worked on a number of high profile sports-related projects. I count myself fortunate for all of the opportunities and experiences that have and continue to come my way. Now, I’d like to help you and others fulfill their dream of building a career in sports. See part three of my five part series below…. Tip #3: Develop Relevant Skills When applying for your dream job, make sure you bring the necessary skills and experiences to the table. If you can’t give away free lemonade on the hottest day of the year, then maybe that sales job is not for you. If writing is not your thing, then that public […]

Nov 18

by Jeff Fannell in Career, Sports, Sports Business 0 comments tags: Advice, Career, Get in the game, Sports, Sports business, Sports Careers, Sports management

Get in the Game Part 2: Tips for Breaking into a career in Sports

For nearly 15 years I have been blessed to work as a lawyer in professional sports. From 2000 through 2010, I was a labor attorney for the Major League Baseball Players Association. In November 2010, I started my own consulting practice where I continue to work in sports in various capacities. In addition to working on contract issues and other matters for some of the top agents and players in Major League Baseball, I have also assisted the National Hockey League Players’ Association in grievance arbitration and salary arbitration and have worked on a number of high profile sports-related projects. I count myself fortunate for all of the opportunities and experiences that have and continue to come my way. Now, I’d like to help you and others fulfill their dream of building a career in sports. See this week’s second installment of my five part series of tips to help you GET IN THE GAME! Tip #2: Be More Than A Fan Over the years, I have interviewed a number of students and young professionals desiring to enter the sports industry. As a lawyer working in professional sports, I cannot tell you how many times some eager applicant told me how much they […]

Nov 12

by Jeff Fannell in Career, Sports, Sports Business 0 comments tags: Advice, Breaking through, Career, Sports business, Sports Careers, Sports management

Get in the Game: Tips for Breaking into a Career in Sports

For nearly 15 years I have been blessed to work as a lawyer in professional sports. From 2000 through 2010, I was a labor attorney for the Major League Baseball Players Association. In November 2010, I started my own consulting practice where I continue to work in sports in various capacities. In addition to working on contract issues and other matters for some of the top agents and players in Major League Baseball, I have also assisted the National Hockey League Players’ Association in grievance arbitration and salary arbitration and have worked on a number of high profile sports-related projects. I count myself fortunate for all of the opportunities and experiences that have and continue to come my way. Now, I’d like to help you and others fulfill their dream of building a career in sports. What follows is the first installment of a five part series of a few tips that I believe will help you be more effective in finding the sports job of your dreams. Without question, working in the sports industry can be extremely exciting and rewarding. It also can be challenging and very competitive. With a little hard work, ingenuity and helpful guidance, you can break […]