In this episode of the California Sports Lawyer® Podcast, host Jeremy Evans is joined by veteran broadcast journalist, moderator, and content creator Dave Briggs. Currently a co-host of Connecting America and Sanity with Alisyn & Dave, Dave has spent more than 25 years across Fox News, CNN, NBC Sports, Turner Sports, Yahoo Finance, and Cheddar Business News. His career has included seven Olympic Games, a dozen Super Bowls, March Madness, and an appearance as an ATN news anchor in HBO’s Succession.

Jeremy and Dave discuss the business behind television news and sports programming, including how corporate priorities, editorial decisions, audience expectations, and economic incentives influence what viewers see on screen. They also consider what Succession captured about corporate media, editorial pressure, and the relationship between news and business.

The conversation examines the movement of sports rights among broadcast networks, cable channels, streaming services, and direct-to-consumer platforms. Jeremy and Dave explore where leverage is shifting and the next major legal and business fault lines in college athletics following NIL, athlete compensation, and revenue sharing.

Jeremy and Dave also discuss how artificial intelligence can improve journalism and sports production while preserving human judgment, transparency, privacy, and consent. As media professionals increasingly become independent creators, they examine how ownership of intellectual property, audience data, sponsorship rights, and distribution can give talent greater control over their careers and businesses.

(Season 8, Episode 33).

Listen in as award-winning attorney and industry leader Jeremy Evans navigates the fine print on the biggest topics and most interesting legal angles in entertainment, media, and sports law. The top entertainment, media, and sports podcast is streaming on all major platforms!

Listen to the Episode.

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the CEO and Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing companies, creators, and talent in transactional matters across entertainment, media, sports, and intellectual property, with a focus on dealmaking. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.

About Bleav:

Bleav is a premier audio and video network that produces, distributes, and sells sports and lifestyle content. With more than 500 shows, Bleav reaches audiences across major podcast platforms, YouTube, social media, regional sports television networks, streaming video services, and FAST TV. The network helps hosts distribute and monetize their programs while connecting fans with a diverse range of sports and lifestyle content.

Copyright © 2026. California Sports Lawyer®. All Rights Reserved.

In this week’s column, California Sports Lawyer® CEO and Managing Attorney Jeremy M. Evans discusses how Nielsen’s new co-viewing technology could reshape audience measurement, advertising, sponsorships, and media-rights deals in sports broadcasting.

Accurate data also helps establish contract terms and determine whether those terms have been satisfied when payment depends on viewership performance.

You can read the full column below. (Past columns can be found, here).

~

When audiences watch sports, most of what is being experienced is localized. Meaning, people tend to watch live sports with friends, colleagues, or other fans. Sometimes, a live sports broadcast is watched alone, in a restaurant, with family, on a traditional cable channel, through a streaming platform, or even through a live television service like YouTube TV or on social media.

What has become harder to track is the number of people watching when groups are involved. Whether it is two people or fifty, current tracking systems are not always accurate, and they definitely do not identify all the viewers who are watching. One might be thinking: Who cares?

Well, people watching a live entertainment broadcast or any type of programming should care because, generally, the more people who watch, the more money is spent on advertising to reach those audiences. In a sense, more people watching means easier access and lower prices. Exclusivity usually means higher prices, fewer people watching, and more barriers to entry.

Nielsen is one of the top companies measuring audience viewership. In an age when people often watch content on multiple devices and across a variety of streaming, broadcast, and social media platforms, there is an even greater need for accurate viewership data. Viewership numbers also help during awards season in entertainment, media, and sports. Accurate data also helps establish contract terms and determine whether those terms have been satisfied when payment depends on viewership performance.

Nielsen’s new co-viewing technology uses proprietary wrist-worn devices resembling smartwatches to capture audio from television programming and passively determine what panelists are watching without requiring them to log in formally. Nielsen incorporates that information into its Big Data + Panel system, which combines representative household panels with data from set-top boxes, smart televisions, and participating streaming services. In a pilot involving major live events, the technology produced an average 4.19% increase in measured viewers. Nielsen is not creating a new audience. It is using technology to count viewers who are already present but are often invisible to the traditional ratings system.

A 4.19% increase may sound modest, but the number becomes meaningful when applied to a major sports broadcast. An audience previously measured at 10 million viewers could include approximately 419,000 additional viewers. At that scale, better measurement can affect advertising rates, audience guarantees, sponsorship value, and the price paid for media rights. When billions of dollars are committed to sports broadcasting, the difference between the audience being present and the audience being counted matters.

The technology does not solve every measurement problem. Nielsen’s wearable devices are used by panelists inside the home, meaning that audiences watching in restaurants, bars, stadiums, and other public spaces still present separate measurement challenges. Viewing through social media and emerging platforms can also produce different types of data. The goal is not to rely on one perfect number, but to understand how the number was produced, what it includes, and what may still be missing.

This means that lawyers, talent, and businesses should be aware of this technology and make sure the terms they are agreeing to or trying to secure actually make sense for them and their goals. This is where an audit provision in the agreement could help enforce the terms and conditions. Everyone should applaud the availability of better technology to show viewership numbers, as it means better deals and a better understanding of the marketplace. Everyone should equally give pause to the privacy of individuals.

One of the benefits of Nielsen’s panel-based ratings system is that participation is voluntary. People can choose to participate or not. On the other hand, some marketing and advertising tools can be deemed mandatory or essential tools. Be aware of the settings on your devices and adjust them accordingly. In the meantime, the new data will help dealmakers make more deals.

~

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the CEO and Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing companies, creators, and talent in transactional matters across entertainment, media, sports, and intellectual property, with a focus on dealmaking. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.

Copyright © 2026. California Sports Lawyer®. All Rights Reserved.

Jeremy M. Evans, CEO of California Sports Lawyer®, will moderate “NIL at Five: Revenue Sharing, Regulation, and the Future of College Sports” during the American Bar Association Forum on Entertainment & Sports Industries’ Lights, Camera, ATL: ESI Fall Conference in Atlanta.

Five years into the NIL era, the panel will assess the current state of collegiate athlete revenue sharing and endorsement compensation markets. The discussion will also address NCAA and federal government efforts to regulate athlete compensation, the impact of the House v. NCAA settlement on college sports, and what the next five years may hold for intercollegiate athletics.

Panelists

• Don Remy — Former NCAA Chief Operating Officer and Legal Executive
• Kordell Caldwell — Partner, Baker Donelson
• Bruce B. Siegal — Of Counsel, Greenspoon Marder LLP

Moderator

• Jeremy M. Evans — CEO, California Sports Lawyer®

Conference Details

• Conference: Lights, Camera, ATL: ESI Fall Conference
• Dates: October 7–9, 2026
• Venue: Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead
• Location: Atlanta, Georgia
• Presented by: American Bar Association Forum on Entertainment & Sports Industries

Event link: View the conference information and register.

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.

Jeremy M. Evans will join Chad Eberhardt for “When the Rules Change: Negotiating the Next Deal,” presented by the San Diego County Bar Association’s Entertainment & Sports Section.

As professional sports continue to evolve, attorneys and agents must negotiate player and coaching agreements while accounting for uncertainty in governing rules. The panel will address sports contracts, collective bargaining, NIL, risk management, anticipated rule changes, and strategies for protecting clients in a changing legal and business environment.

Panelists

• Chad Eberhardt — MLBPA Certified Agent, Eberhardt Law Group
• Jeremy M. Evans — CEO and Managing Attorney, California Sports Lawyer®

Moderator

• Matthew Spolsky — Attorney, Clark Hill

Event Details

• Date: Thursday, August 27, 2026
• Time: 5:30–7:00 PM
• Credit: Non-CLE
• Location: Clark Hill LLP, 350 Tenth Ave, Suite 1200, San Diego, CA 92101
• Presented by: San Diego County Bar Association Entertainment & Sports Section
• Sponsor and host: Clark Hill LLP

Event link: View the event details and register.

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.

Jeremy M. Evans, CEO of California Sports Lawyer® and Past President of the California Lawyers Association, will speak at the California Lawyers Association 2026 Annual Meeting in San Diego.

The General Session, “Decision-Making in Sports and the Law: Who Calls the Plays and Why It Matters,” will bring together senior leaders whose careers span law, executive leadership, and strategic growth in major sports organizations.

The panel will discuss how legal analysis shapes high-stakes choices, including franchise leadership, commercial partnerships, governance, compliance, and organizational direction in a rapidly changing sports landscape.

Panelists

• Terezka Zabka — General Counsel, Vice President, San Diego Padres
• Ryan Perry — General Counsel, San Diego FC
• Jeremy M. Evans — CEO, California Sports Lawyer®; Past President, California Lawyers Association

Moderator

• Brent Turman — Shareholder, Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P.C.

Session Details

• Date: Friday, October 23, 2026
• Time: 12:30–1:30 PM PDT
• Location: Pacific Ballroom A/B, Sheraton San Diego Resort
• Credit: 1.0 Hour MCLE

Event link: View the Annual Meeting program and register.

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.

Jeremy M. Evans, CEO and Managing Attorney of California Sports Lawyer®, will speak at the 36th Annual Entertainment Law Institute, presented by The University of Texas School of Law and UT Law CLE.

His session, “Ethics at the Intersection: Attorney vs. Agent and Manager Roles in Sports & Entertainment,” will examine the ethical tensions and overlapping responsibilities that can arise when attorneys, agents, and managers advise clients in the sports and entertainment industries.

The presentation will address conflicts of interest, fiduciary duties, regulatory considerations, and practical approaches to structuring professional relationships, navigating dual roles, and maintaining compliance in a dynamic dealmaking environment.

Event Details

• Date: Thursday, September 10, 2026
• Time: 8:30 AM
• Location: AT&T Hotel and Conference Center, Austin, Texas
• Program: 36th Annual Entertainment Law Institute
• Presenter: Jeremy M. Evans, CEO and Managing Attorney, California Sports Lawyer®

Event link: View the program and register.

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.  

In this episode of the California Sports Lawyer® Podcast, host Jeremy Evans examines why the next media empire will be built around live experiences. As digital content and streaming technology create an abundance of media, live entertainment remains scarce, increasing the value of experiences that combine intellectual property, technology, venues, ticketing, and direct audience participation.

Jeremy discusses how Sphere’s The Wizard of Oz and MARI’s proposed acquisition of ATG Entertainment reflect the convergence of content, production, physical distribution, ticketing, and audience relationships. The episode also explores how artificial intelligence and immersive technology can transform existing intellectual property, how live experiences generate revenue beyond ticket sales, and why content libraries may become the foundation for the future of live entertainment.

As entertainment, media, sports, intellectual property, technology, and law continue converging, companies that can repeatedly transform intellectual property into live experiences across venues and markets may be positioned to build enduring media businesses. Success will depend on legal and business structures addressing talent and intellectual property rights, technology licenses, music, approvals, venue terms, sponsorships, ticketing data, territories, and future formats. 

(Season 8, Episode 32).

Listen in as award-winning attorney and industry leader Jeremy Evans navigates the fine print on the biggest topics and most interesting legal angles in entertainment, media, and sports law. The top entertainment, media, and sports podcast is streaming on all major platforms!

You can listen to the podcast, HERE. 

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.  

About Bleav:

Bleav (pronounced believe) is a sports and entertainment studio and nationwide sports network. From athletes who played for the teams to passionate experts on topics you want to hear, Bleav is the #1 podcast network for professionals and fans. With 500 shows, 800 hosts with a combined 50M followers, 1000 hours of original content per month, and networks covering NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAAF, NCAAB, SEC, NHL, soccer, pop culture and more, Bleav is your destination for creators and fans of sports, teams and topics. Every Team. Every Topic. Everywhere! We Bleav in our teams, topics, and professionals. #DoYouBleav!?

Copyright © 2026.  California Sports Lawyer®.  All Rights Reserved.

In this week’s column, California Sports Lawyer® CEO and Managing Attorney Jeremy M. Evans discusses why the next media empires will be built around live experiences.

[L]ive entertainment remains a scarce resource that requires live human talent and/or human participants.

You can read the full column below. (Past columns can be found, here).

~

The explosion of digital content and streaming technology means that there is an abundance of media to consume. Music, television series, and films are available immediately with plastic or metal controllers, phones, and opposable thumbs. However, live entertainment remains a scarce resource that requires live human talent and/or human participants. Media companies that build around live experiences, concerts, and engagements with the use of performances and technology such as generative artificial intelligence (“AI”) will likely find success.

The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada, has famously taken The Wizard of Oz and turned it into a multisensory experience to take existing intellectual property (“IP”) and add real special effects with falling Styrofoam apples, smells, shaking seats, and bursts of air to simulate wind. Coupled with the digital effects and AI, Oz makes for an experience that is unlike any other. The show has been a massive, repeatable success that does not necessarily need live talent, just an audience enjoying an existing film in a new format. It is the equivalent of a drive-in movie, but within a protected environment with increased access to the elements in the film. Sphere Entertainment reports that the experience welcomed more than 3.6 million guests and generated more than $450 million in ticket sales during its first year. The format is repeatable without requiring live talent, relying instead on audiences experiencing established IP in a new way.

There is also Iron Mike Legacy: The Mike Tyson Immersive Experience, which is scheduled to open at Flamingo Las Vegas in fall 2026. The licensed Mike Tyson IP will give participants an opportunity to experience Tyson’s life and career through augmented reality, virtual reality, holograms, projection mapping, and other immersive technologies. Although holographic elements have appeared at concerts and awards shows before, this project applies immersive technology throughout a standalone attraction. In providing legal counsel on the project, the author saw firsthand how many rights, technologies, and commercial relationships must align to create a scalable live experience.

There is also MARI, a global events and experiences company founded in 2025 by Ari Emanuel, which agreed to acquire ATG Entertainment from Providence Equity Partners, subject to regulatory approval. Emanuel co-founded Endeavor and is now executive chair and CEO of TKO Group, whose businesses include UFC, WWE, PBR, IMG, and On Location. Mark Shapiro, a principal investor and board member of MARI, is TKO’s president and chief operating officer and previously held senior leadership positions at ESPN, Six Flags, and Endeavor. ATG owns, operates, or programs approximately 70 venues while also producing theatrical works and operating ticketing businesses, giving MARI the potential to connect live programming, production, physical distribution, ticketing, and direct audience relationships.

The point is not that live events will overtake digital content. Many people spend more time on their phones scrolling social media and otherwise engaging online than they do living in the real live world, but live events provide an alternative and mix of options. There is an additional layer that combines a digital experience with a live event.

The intricacy of live events is that it extends beyond watching a series or film or even streaming music for enjoyment. In other words, the economics for live events extend beyond buying a subscription or buying a ticket. The venue for a live event can provide premium access, hospitality, merchandise, sponsorships, licensing, content extensions, customer data, and international replication. Live events are a complement and diversification of content options not a mutually exclusive decision. For example, just because someone watches a series or film does not mean the same person will skip a concert or live event or experience.

The dealmaking involved with live entertainment, especially as it mixes with technology, is that IP can scale very quickly. Counsel may need to secure talent and IP rights, archival materials for screen time and experiences, technology licenses, music, approvals, venue terms, sponsorship categories, ticketing data, territories, and future formats. The legal and business architecture can determine whether an experience can expand into additional venues and markets. Combining existing and derivative IP with live entertainment, AI, and other technologies can create nearly unlimited possibilities.

The next media empires and those with long-tail economic prospects are those with great IP and streaming libraries. The content library and ownership or licensing of IP will be the foundation on which the future of live entertainment is built. The winners will be companies that can repeatedly transform intellectual property into live experiences across venues and markets.

~

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.

Copyright © 2026. California Sports Lawyer®. All Rights Reserved.

In this episode of the California Sports Lawyer® Podcast, host Jeremy Evans analyzes how the Protect College Sports Act could significantly reshape college athletics. With the legislation placed on the U.S. Senate’s September calendar, its national standards could determine how schools, conferences, athletes, and governing associations approach compensation, eligibility, competition, and education.

Jeremy discusses why support from the Big Ten and SEC matters, how limited antitrust protection could strengthen the enforcement of uniform rules, and why the Act may provide much-needed stability across college sports. The episode also explores name, image, and likeness (NIL) compensation, revenue sharing, transfers, athlete eligibility, agent conduct, health and educational protections, athlete representation, and collective bargaining.

As sports, education, business, labor, and law continue converging, the Protect College Sports Act could establish the most consequential national framework of the NIL era. Its ultimate effectiveness would still depend on courts defining legal boundaries, conferences and schools applying workable standards, and athletes having a meaningful voice. An act of Congress may not resolve every issue, but it could fundamentally change how college sports are governed and conducted. 

(Season 8, Episode 31).

Listen in as award-winning attorney and industry leader Jeremy Evans navigates the fine print on the biggest topics and most interesting legal angles in entertainment, media, and sports law. The top entertainment, media, and sports podcast is streaming on all major platforms!

You can listen to the podcast, HERE.

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.  

About Bleav:

Bleav (pronounced believe) is a sports and entertainment studio and nationwide sports network. From athletes who played for the teams to passionate experts on topics you want to hear, Bleav is the #1 podcast network for professionals and fans. With 500 shows, 800 hosts with a combined 50M followers, 1000 hours of original content per month, and networks covering NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAAF, NCAAB, SEC, NHL, soccer, pop culture and more, Bleav is your destination for creators and fans of sports, teams and topics. Every Team. Every Topic. Everywhere! We Bleav in our teams, topics, and professionals. #DoYouBleav!?

Copyright © 2026.  California Sports Lawyer®.  All Rights Reserved.

In this week’s column, California Sports Lawyer® CEO and Managing Attorney Jeremy M. Evans discusses the Protect College Sports Act, which was placed on the U.S. Senate’s September calendar and may well help determine the future of college sports.

College sports are fun to watch, but have become difficult to comprehend.

You can read the full column below. (Past columns can be found, here).

~

College sports are fun to watch, but have become difficult to comprehend. As much as people will applaud college athletes being paid while going to school and playing a sport, there is a growing concern that without guardrails and with continued greed, college sports will continue their push toward professionalism. College sports were built for amateurism, but now operate with professional-sports money.

The principles of free markets and capitalism are not mutually exclusive with the introduction of regulation. Markets need assurance, policy, and enforcement that the markets will remain open, free, and that the parties involved play by the rules. College sports and in particular men’s basketball and football in Division I are no different. There need to be assurances, policies, and enforcement mechanisms for paid college sports to remain competitive and resemble something familiar to fans, coaches, and athletes alike.

While the U.S. Congress is working on the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act, it is on the calendar for September. The Act’s journey has been a difficult one and nearly died like many of its predecessor college legislative bills. Whether the Act ultimately passes remains uncertain, but some financial terms for athletes and schools have already been established. The FBS season begins August 29, with North Carolina and TCU playing in Dublin, Ireland.

In another “bipartisan” effort, the SEC and Big Ten Conferences announced recently that they support the Protect College Sports Act. The two biggest and most powerful college conferences in the United States placing their support behind the Protect College Sports Act after much negotiation and compromise is major news. The Protect College Sports Act would establish national rules governing name, image, and likeness (NIL) compensation, revenue sharing, athlete eligibility, transfers, agent conduct, and health and educational protections. It would also provide schools, conferences, and athletic associations with limited antitrust protection and greater authority to enforce those uniform rules.

On its surface, the Act would seemingly address many of the concerns facing men’s college basketball and football: transfer portal issues, cash to pay for players, and limitations on eligibility to prevent 27-year-olds from playing 19-year-olds in college for example (not to mention the lack of pursuing an educational goal while enrolled in school). It also helps that the Act addresses the antitrust issues facing the NCAA and its member institutions anytime they try to regulate the sport. Somewhere down the line, colleges also need to address the acceptance of large payouts in head coaching contracts and a plan of action when it comes to conference realignment.

However, an Act of Congress will not be the end. While Congress debates and votes on the merits of legislative change to college sports, there is a simultaneous effort to unionize athletes outside of Congress. Players at Stanford University, which is located in Palo Alto, California, and competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), have formed the first college player-led chapter of the College Football Players Association. Private efforts to organize college sports are driven by the idea that college athletes deserve a seat at the proverbial negotiation table. One issue in this is that college sports are not professional sports and the life of a college athlete is sometimes roughly one to four years long in terms of playing time. On the other hand, the expansion of NIL compensation and pay-to-play has intensified unionization efforts.

The courts also play a role and often have in college sports governance. The NCAA Division I Cabinet adopted a new age-based eligibility model in June 2026, often called the “5-for-5” rule, that generally provides a continuous five-year eligibility period beginning with full-time college enrollment or the academic year following an athlete’s 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. A federal judge then ordered the NCAA to provide an additional year of eligibility to certain Division I athletes who began competing during the 2022–23 academic year and otherwise would have exhausted their eligibility. The judge later clarified that the order does not permit athletes who signed professional contracts to return to college or eliminate other NCAA rules governing professional participation and transfers.

For college sports to shape its own future, it is going to need Congress and the Protect College Sports Act. It will also need courts to define legal boundaries, conferences and schools to enforce workable rules, and athletes to have a meaningful voice in the process. However, this author would stop short of endorsing unionization for athletes whose college careers are brief and whose primary purpose remains obtaining an education.

Coaches and fans must be willing to support a system that protects competition, education, and opportunity. Otherwise, the piecemeal approach that has defined the NIL era will continue. College sports need one understandable rulebook for playing the game, conducting business, and obtaining an education.

~

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.

Copyright © 2026. California Sports Lawyer®. All Rights Reserved.

In this episode of the California Sports Lawyer® Podcast, host Jeremy Evans analyzes seven truths about baseball and competitive balance following the Los Angeles Dodgers’ acquisition of Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers. The trade renewed questions about payroll disparities, competitive parity, and whether limiting successful teams would actually produce a healthier and more competitive sport.

Jeremy discusses why spending helps but does not guarantee championships, how trades and player development require organizations to assume risk, and why salary caps primarily provide owners with greater cost certainty. The episode also explores salary floors, the Competitive Balance Tax, revenue sharing, tanking, franchise valuations, and whether every team should be required to reinvest a reasonable percentage of its revenue in player salaries, development, coaching, facilities, venue improvements, and the fan experience.

As baseball, business, labor, and law continue converging, competitive balance requires more than restricting what ambitious teams may spend. Players deserve to participate in the growth they help create, while owners deserve reasonable cost certainty and the opportunity to earn a return on their investments. The stronger approach encourages responsible investment throughout the league without limiting ambition at the top or tolerating inaction at the bottom.

(Season 8, Episode 30).

Listen in as award-winning attorney and industry leader Jeremy Evans navigates the fine print on the biggest topics and most interesting legal angles in entertainment, media, and sports law. The top entertainment, media, and sports podcast is streaming on all major platforms!

You can listen to the podcast, HERE.

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.

About Bleav:

Bleav (pronounced believe) is a sports and entertainment studio and nationwide sports network. From athletes who played for the teams to passionate experts on topics you want to hear, Bleav is the #1 podcast network for professionals and fans. With 500 shows, 800 hosts with a combined 50M followers, 1000 hours of original content per month, and networks covering NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAAF, NCAAB, SEC, NHL, soccer, pop culture and more, Bleav is your destination for creators and fans of sports, teams and topics. Every Team. Every Topic. Everywhere! We Bleav in our teams, topics, and professionals. #DoYouBleav!?

Copyright © 2026. California Sports Lawyer®. All Rights Reserved.

In this week’s column, California Sports Lawyer® CEO and Managing Attorney Jeremy M. Evans analyzes seven truths about baseball and competitive balance, including why spending helps but does not guarantee championships and why responsible investment may serve the game better than a salary cap.

In sports, as in life, people matter. Championships and victories are won by and with people.

You can read the full column below. (Past columns can be found, here).

~

The trade of ace pitcher Tarik Skubal from the Detroit Tigers to the Los Angeles Dodgers late Saturday night caused a stir among fans, commentators, and baseball executives. At the time of the trade, the Dodgers were tied with the Milwaukee Brewers for the most wins in baseball, with 69, and pursuing a third consecutive World Series championship.

The Skubal trade is a useful case study, but the larger question is not whether one supports or opposes the Dodgers. It is whether limiting successful teams actually produces a healthier and more competitive sport.

Some commentators argued that sending the best starting pitcher available at the Major League Baseball (MLB) trade deadline to the two-time defending World Series champions would increase the likelihood of a work stoppage after this season. Others viewed the move as another example of the Dodgers doing what successful organizations are supposed to do, which is improve their roster whenever an opportunity arises.

Those reactions are noteworthy, but they do not tell the whole story about baseball, the Dodgers, or the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations between MLB and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA). The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires on December 1, 2026, and there was already a significant risk of a work stoppage regardless of what one franchise did or did not do.

The goal of this column is to offer seven truths about life, baseball, and competitive balance. These principles help distinguish between the good, the bad, and the ugly approaches to creating parity. Imagine being in the position of a front-office executive, player, owner, or fan. Perspective is important no matter where one stands.

First, spending money does not win championships, but it helps. If you buy a fast car, it can travel fast if it is healthy, working mechanically, and operated by a capable driver. The car must also follow the rules of the road. Sports work in much the same way. A large payroll provides greater opportunities, but it does not guarantee success. Ask the New York Yankees, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, or other high-spending teams whether payroll guaranteed them a World Series championship in any particular season. Nothing is guaranteed.

Second, payroll does not determine every outcome, particularly during a short postseason series. Baseball is circumstantial and often a game of inches. The Toronto Blue Jays took the Dodgers to the brink of defeat in the 2025 World Series. But for some late heroics, Canada might have celebrated a World Series victory and flown the flag proudly.

Third, imagine if movie studios and streamers tried to convince SAG-AFTRA and its members that a salary cap was necessary to produce better movies or spread competitive balance among the largest and smallest companies. “That studio is too big and too successful,” they might argue. The proposal would sound ludicrous.

Sports leagues are different because their franchises depend on one another to produce games, seasons, and championships. However, entertainment companies still compete for audiences, awards, talent, distribution, and revenue. Competition should be rewarded when it succeeds, not penalized merely because one participant has performed better than others. Suppressing salaries is rarely good economic policy, particularly when the business continues generating greater revenue and franchise value.

Fourth, regulation is not the answer to every dispute. Sometimes teams need to make better decisions and demonstrate a greater commitment to competing. This is one reason the relegation system in European soccer is effective. It imposes direct consequences on teams that consistently fail to perform on the field.

Teams receiving shared league revenue should be expected to invest those resources and demonstrate a credible effort to compete. Policies discouraging tanking should be implemented aggressively. Teams should not be rewarded for deliberately falling in the standings to improve their position in a draft or obtain another competitive benefit.

Baseball’s Competitive Balance Tax already penalizes the highest-spending teams, with proceeds supporting player benefits and other league purposes. The more difficult question is whether low-spending teams should also face consequences when they repeatedly fail to invest in competitive rosters.

The MLBPA has proposed a “Competitive Integrity Tax” for teams that fail to satisfy minimum payroll benchmarks. The proposal would also require teams to use revenue-sharing funds to improve their competitiveness. That approach focuses on encouraging investment rather than suppressing the salaries paid by successful organizations.

Fifth, a policy worth considering is a minimum payroll requirement for teams that consistently produce losing seasons. A low-spending team that remains competitive should not be punished merely for operating efficiently. The consequences should be directed toward teams that repeatedly combine low spending with poor performance and limited investment in improvement.

MLB has proposed both a salary cap and a salary floor in its current bargaining position. A floor may encourage teams to invest more in players, but it should not be used to justify a cap that restricts what ambitious teams may spend. A salary cap would primarily benefit owners by limiting labor costs and making future expenses more predictable. That cost certainty can improve operating margins and support higher franchise valuations because prospective buyers and investors can forecast expenses and returns with greater confidence. However, winning can also increase franchise value by strengthening attendance, viewership, sponsorships, merchandise sales, and long-term brand loyalty. Limiting investment before teams have fully pursued those opportunities may therefore be premature and unwise.

A more balanced policy would require every franchise to reinvest a reasonable percentage of its revenue in the competitive product. That investment could include major-league player salaries, player development, coaching, training facilities, venue improvements, and the fan experience. High-revenue teams should not be permitted to use a salary cap merely to retain a greater share of their revenue, just as low-revenue or revenue-sharing teams should not be permitted to collect league funds without making a credible effort to compete. Teams might spend less under a salary cap and become more profitable, but many of them would still fail to win.

This approach is not inherently pro-player or pro-owner. Players deserve to participate in the growth they help create, while owners deserve reasonable cost certainty and the opportunity to earn a return on their investments. Baseball benefits when both sides invest in the quality, stability, and future of the game. The better policy is to encourage responsible investment across the league without unnecessarily limiting ambition at the top or tolerating inaction at the bottom.

Relegation will almost certainly never happen in the United States because owners, league commissioners, and other governing bodies would resist it. American sports franchises also maintain enormous valuations partly because owners know which league their teams will compete in for the foreseeable future. A meaningful minimum payroll requirement could create some of the incentives associated with relegation without threatening that structural stability.

Sixth, trades often do not work as expected. Prospects sometimes overperform, as Yordan Alvarez did after being traded by the Dodgers, while others never develop into successful major-league players. Experienced players sometimes improve a team, and sometimes they fail. Every decision involves risk. Teams that consistently fail to act are often left behind wondering what happened.

Seventh, baseball more than any other sport requires a balance of long-term investments in prospects, player development, trades, and major-league payroll. Baseball has the longest regular season among the major American professional sports, the most games, the second-largest active rosters after the National Football League, numerous draft rounds, and the most extensive affiliated developmental system.

When this author took the bar exam, a mentor said, “The bar exam is a fair but difficult test. You must be good at many things at once.” That principle is also true in sports, especially baseball. A front office must be good at many things at once.

When surveying unsuccessful teams, the culprit is rarely that another team spent too much. One team may have spent too little or refused to assume reasonable risks. Another may have failed to draft, trade for, or develop talent. One may have ineffective ownership, while another may be constrained by its venue, market, or lease.

In sports, as in life, people matter. Championships and victories are won by and with people. Sports are meant to be competitive. Increasingly, however, competitive failures are blamed on successful organizations when many of those failures can be addressed through better investment, decision-making, and risk-taking. Access to capital alone does not explain competitive success. Access to talented executives, and the willingness to let them compete, often does.

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About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.

Copyright © 2026. California Sports Lawyer®. All Rights Reserved.

In this episode of the California Sports Lawyer® Podcast, host Jeremy Evans analyzes how increasingly complex media-rights agreements can determine where games are played, how they are distributed, and whether they happen at all. The canceled Duke–Michigan basketball game demonstrates how competing contractual claims can prevent a valuable sports opportunity from moving forward.

Jeremy discusses why Duke and the ACC believed they could place the game on Amazon Prime Video with ESPN’s approval, while the Big Ten and Fox maintained that the rights belonged to them under an agreement governing neutral-site games between the conferences. The episode also explores media consolidation, the expanding role of sports agencies at the intersection of talent, investment, capital, and strategy, and the consequences that rights disputes create for schools, athletes, venues, sponsors, and fans.

As sports, media, business, technology, and law continue converging, media rights increasingly represent both valuable commercial assets and instruments of control. Future agreements must protect those rights while preserving enough flexibility to create compelling matchups, generate revenue, develop new traditions, and ensure that the underlying games can still be played. 

(Season 8, Episode 29).

Listen in as award-winning attorney and industry leader Jeremy Evans navigates the fine print on the biggest topics and most interesting legal angles in entertainment, media, and sports law. The top entertainment, media, and sports podcast is streaming on all major platforms!

You can listen to the podcast, HERE.

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.  

About Bleav:

Bleav (pronounced believe) is a sports and entertainment studio and nationwide sports network. From athletes who played for the teams to passionate experts on topics you want to hear, Bleav is the #1 podcast network for professionals and fans. With 500 shows, 800 hosts with a combined 50M followers, 1000 hours of original content per month, and networks covering NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAAF, NCAAB, SEC, NHL, soccer, pop culture and more, Bleav is your destination for creators and fans of sports, teams and topics. Every Team. Every Topic. Everywhere! We Bleav in our teams, topics, and professionals. #DoYouBleav!?

Copyright © 2026.  California Sports Lawyer®.  All Rights Reserved.

In this week’s column, California Sports Lawyer® CEO and Managing Attorney Jeremy M. Evans analyzes how increasingly complex media-rights agreements can determine where games are played, how they are distributed, and whether they happen at all.

If the contracts and relationships do not provide opportunities for that growth, they miss the chance to provide entertainment, competition, and frankly more revenue.

You can read the full column below. (Past columns can be found, here).

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As the sports world consolidates with mergers, acquisitions, and the ability to stream and watch games and highlights immediately on social media and other platforms, there is a growing concern that contracts and terms have gotten too complicated. Too complicated to allow for the flexibility of creating new traditions and excitement. Too complicated because they can erase tradition in college sports when teams are separated by contractual terms, obligations, and conference realignment.

The now-canceled Duke–Michigan basketball game is reminiscent of the proposed conference realignment that could have moved six Big 12 schools into the Pac-10 in 2010. Television rights involving the University of Texas were among the complications that helped prevent that realignment. In both situations, media arrangements limited an otherwise valuable sports opportunity. Duke and the ACC believed they could place the game on Amazon with ESPN’s approval, while the Big Ten and Fox maintained that the rights belonged to them under an agreement governing neutral-site games between the conferences.

The divide-and-conquer approach to dealmaking has expanded platform options and, in some circumstances, lowered the cost of watching games, but also increased the need for more platform subscriptions if one wants to watch live sports. These developments have been made possible by improvements in technology, streaming, and the ability to bring that technology to scale. However, owning broadcast rights also increasingly means controlling location, scheduling, distribution, and whether an event can proceed. Rights disputes can eliminate events, revenue, exposure, and opportunities before a court or arbitrator ever determines who was correct.

It has been interesting to watch the beneficiaries of media consolidation. Unfortunately for the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, which makes sense from a distribution and competition standpoint, the transaction follows the Disney–21st Century Fox, Comcast–NBCUniversal, Amazon–MGM, AT&T–Time Warner, WarnerMedia–Discovery, CBS–Viacom, and Skydance–Paramount deals. Although Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery are smaller than some of their largest competitors even when combined, their proposed combination is encountering significant resistance from California’s attorney general. California’s attorney general is applying an outdated view of competition to a media marketplace increasingly dominated by larger and better-capitalized technology companies.

It is also interesting to see how major agencies like CAA have moved beyond representing talent into larger transactions where they increasingly operate as dealmakers, investment advisers, and connectors between sports properties and capital. After all, agency clients benefit from new content and business opportunities, so agencies have an incentive to help bring those deals to completion. Schools, athletes, venues, sponsors, and fans bear the consequences even though they may not be parties to the controlling media agreements.

Future sports-media contracts need clearer provisions addressing neutral-site games, conference territories, competing platforms, approvals, and dispute resolution. Networks, streamers, conferences, and universities need to be more concerned with flexibility so that their fan bases and college athletes can enjoy the entertainment that sports provide. The true value in sports media is a mix between tradition and new 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.

~

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.

Copyright © 2026. California Sports Lawyer®. All Rights Reserved.

In this episode of the California Sports Lawyer® Podcast, host Jeremy Evans examines whether the extraordinary attention generated by the 2026 FIFA World Cup can produce lasting growth for American soccer. With the tournament complete, leagues, clubs, networks, sponsors, and development programs now face the challenge of converting temporary interest into sustained fandom, investment, and player-development opportunities.

Jeremy discusses how Major League Soccer, MLS NEXT Pro, the USL Championship, local clubs, youth programs, and development academies can build on the tournament’s momentum. The episode explores the importance of attendance, viewership, sponsorships, merchandise sales, coaching, facilities, advertising, and clearer pathways from youth and college soccer to professional and international competition.

As sports, media, business, technology, and player development continue converging, the long-term impact of the World Cup will be measured by what happens after the final match. American soccer must now demonstrate that it can retain the audience, investment, and cultural relevance created by the tournament while building sustainable sports businesses and expanding the American talent pool.

(Season 8, Episode 28).

Listen in as award-winning attorney and industry leader Jeremy Evans navigates the fine print on the biggest topics and most interesting legal angles in entertainment, media, and sports law. The top entertainment, media, and sports podcast is streaming on all major platforms!

You can listen to the podcast, HERE.

About Jeremy M. Evans:

Jeremy M. Evans is the Chief Entrepreneur Officer, Founder & Managing Attorney at California Sports Lawyer®, representing entertainment, media, and sports clients in contractual, intellectual property, and dealmaking matters. An award-winning attorney and industry leader, Evans is based in Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California. He can be reached at Jeremy@CSLlegal.com. www.CSLlegal.com.

About Bleav:

Bleav (pronounced believe) is a sports and entertainment studio and nationwide sports network. From athletes who played for the teams to passionate experts on topics you want to hear, Bleav is the #1 podcast network for professionals and fans. With 500 shows, 800 hosts with a combined 50M followers, 1000 hours of original content per month, and networks covering NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAAF, NCAAB, SEC, NHL, soccer, pop culture and more, Bleav is your destination for creators and fans of sports, teams and topics. Every Team. Every Topic. Everywhere! We Bleav in our teams, topics, and professionals. #DoYouBleav!?

Copyright © 2026. California Sports Lawyer®. All Rights Reserved.