Welcome to Issue No. 10 of The California Sports Lawyer® Briefing, a weekly look at the intersection of entertainment, media, sports, business, technology, and law.
Media-rights agreements increasingly determine more than where audiences can watch a game. They can control an event’s location, scheduling, distribution, financial opportunities, and whether the event happens at all.
This week’s column and podcast analyze how overlapping media rights, industry consolidation, and contractual complexity can prevent valuable sports opportunities from moving forward.
This week’s column analyzes the competing media-rights claims that contributed to the cancellation of the planned Duke–Michigan neutral-site basketball game.
Duke and the ACC believed they could place the game on Amazon Prime Video with ESPN’s approval. The Big Ten and Fox maintained that the rights belonged to them under an agreement governing neutral-site games between the conferences. The dispute demonstrates how contracts designed to protect valuable media rights can also eliminate events, revenue, exposure, and opportunities.
“If the contracts and relationships do not provide opportunities for that growth, they miss the chance to provide entertainment, competition, and frankly more revenue.”
— From When Media Rights Decide Whether the Game Gets Played by Jeremy M. Evans
This week’s California Sports Lawyer® Podcast expands the discussion surrounding the canceled Duke–Michigan game and the increasing control that media-rights agreements exercise across sports.
The episode explores:
How competing conference and network rights contributed to the game’s cancellation
Why media rights can control location, scheduling, distribution, and whether an event proceeds
How media consolidation affects competition, negotiating leverage, and access to content
The expanding role of sports agencies at the intersection of talent, capital, investment, and strategy
Why future agreements need clearer provisions governing neutral-site games, conference territories, competing platforms, approvals, and dispute resolution
“The true value in sports media is a mix between tradition and new opportunities.”
— Inside this episode of the California Sports Lawyer® Podcast
Duke and Michigan canceled their planned December 21 neutral-site basketball game after the parties could not resolve competing media-rights claims.
Duke developed a three-game neutral-site package with Amazon Prime Video with the approval of the ACC and ESPN.
The Big Ten and Fox maintained that they controlled the rights to the Duke–Michigan rematch under an agreement governing neutral-site games between the conferences.
Schools, athletes, venues, sponsors, and fans can bear the consequences of media-rights disputes even when they are not parties to the controlling agreements.
Clearer contractual provisions could preserve valuable rights while providing the flexibility needed to create compelling matchups and new sports traditions.
Media rights are valuable because the underlying games attract audiences, sponsors, and distribution partners. When the exercise of those rights prevents the game from taking place, the contracts may protect exclusivity while destroying the opportunity that gave the rights value.
Monday marked the 14th anniversary of California Sports Lawyer®. Since its founding, the practice has continued to grow across sports, entertainment, media, business, technology, and law. Thank you to the clients, colleagues, family, friends, students, readers, and listeners who have supported the work and contributed to its development.
Issue No. 10 also marks another step in the continued development of The California Sports Lawyer® Briefing. Thank you to the friends, colleagues, readers, listeners, students, clients, and industry professionals who continue to support and engage with the publication.
Continued work remains underway across California Sports Lawyer®, The CSL Briefing, the California Sports Lawyer® Podcast, speaking engagements, teaching, and related initiatives involving sports, entertainment, media, business, technology, and law.
Thank you for reading.
Until next week.
— Jeremy M. Evans
CEO & Managing Attorney
California Sports Lawyer®
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