On this episode of the How to Play the Game Podcast, Darren Heitner is joined by NFL agent David Canter, who just recently sold his sports agency to acquirer GSE Worldwide. Topics include: (1) When David got his start in the sports agency world and what caused him to want to represent pro athletes; (2) How the business of representing professional athletes has changed since David started practicing as an agent; (3) Why now was the right time to sell his agency; (4) What stood our about GSE Worldwide among other potential acquirers; (5) The process of being targeted as a possible acquisition fr ..read more

Chase Garrett and Drew Butler joined the How to Play the Game Podcast to break down the first month of name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights for college athletes and highlight how their company, Icon Source, has played a role in the explosion of athlete deals during the first four weeks. They highlighted how their platform now has over 10,000 athletes and thousands of brands, connecting to engage in potential NIL deals such as the landmark agreement negotiated between Haley and Hanna Cavinder (the Cavinder Twins) and Boost Mobile. They expect gold medalist Suni Lee to have great opportunities ..read more

Scott O'Neil, CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, takes a break from celebrating the Philadelphia 76ers cruising into the 2nd round of the NBA Playoffs to discuss the release of a brand new book called, BE WHERE YOUR FEET ARE. The conversation wasn't about the 76ers success, but instead whether the team is learning as much this year at the top of the Eastern Conference as what the franchise learned when it only won 10 games in a single season. O'Neil explained that he primarily wrote the book to help create the next generation of leaders. He found that the Instagram life we live in ..read more

In this latest episode of the How to Play the Game podcast, host Darren Heitner (@DarrenHeitner) is joined by Jock MKT co-founder Dave Isman (@DaveIsman). They discuss Jock MKT's differentiation from other types of more traditional fantasy sports products (buying shares in players and being able to live trade those shares in the marketplace), the company's recent $10 million Series A round of funding, the strategy of working with individual influencers and content creators in the fantasy sports space for onboarding new users, Jock MKT's position on the hierarchy of fantasy sports companies, la ..read more

On the latest episode of the How to Play the Game podcast, I spoke with New York Mets starting pitcher Taijuan Walker about his own experience dabbling in the world of NFT auctions. Walker very recently completed a five-day auction of a one-of-one digital card that sold for 2.35 Ether, or roughly $4,000. He says that the experience was rewarding and that he is looking into hosting more auctions in the future. Like what you hear? Rate us high and share this episode. Follow Darren Heitner on Twitter/IG: @DarrenHeitner ..read more

In this latest edition of How to Play the Game podcast, Darren Heitner interviews Jason Howarth, vice president at Panini America. They discuss Panini America's commitment to digital trading cards and building on the blockchain, how he views the rise of non-fungible tokens (NFT) like NBA Top Shot, what makes him most optimistic about further growth in his space, and much more. Follow Darren on Twitter/IG: @DarrenHeitner On Clubhouse: @heitner And make sure to like/rate/share this podcast if you enjoy ..read more

Former National Football League vice president Casey Schwab left the union in 2020 to create Altius Sports Partners. Since then, his company has signed LSU, Texas, and the University of South Carolina to assist the schools with preparations for when college athletes will earn the right to make money off of their names, images, and likenesses. In this interview, I talk to Casey about the challenges in building a business from scratch with the need to sign up institutional clients, and what the future holds for college athletes to take advance of their names, images, and likenesses for commercia ..read more

When Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a 14-year, $340 million deal with the San Diego Padres, he was happy, his family was happy, his agents were happy, and so was a guy named Michael Schwimer. He is the founder of Big League Advance, which gave Tatis Jr. money when he was in the Minors in exchange for equity in his future playing contracts. It will pay off for Schwimer and his investors. How did Schwimer come up with the concept for the company? How much money does it have at its disposal? How many players has it signed? Why doesn't the Major League Baseball Players Association like the business mod ..read more

Today’s episode is my participation on a recent Sports Law and Negotiations Panel at the Sports Industry Networking & Career (SINC) Conference. I discussed how COVID-19 has affected my practice and Sports Law in general; my biggest piece of advice for someone looking to break into Sports Law; what I think will be a hot subject area in Sports Law moving forward; and the status of name, image, and likeness laws throughout the United States. Enjoy and let me know what you think. Tweet me or follow me on IG at @darrenheitner Connect with me on Clubhouse @heitner ..read more

What is NBA Top Shot? What are NFTs (non-fungible tokens)? What is digital art? All of these questions and more are answered by guest Justin Herzig, owner of $400,000 worth of Top Shots and co-founder of the Own The Moment podcast. Justin answers a lot of important questions about the craze surrounding Top Shot, NFTs, and digital art, including what exactly the user owns, concerns about market manipulation, issues surrounding a market that may be driven by quick profits as opposed to true collectors, and much more ..read more