Please register for each event of the 2021 Harvard Sports Law Symposium
by clicking on the event titles below.
HLS Students: You may attend the Symposium’s events in person.
Day 1 will take place in 102 Malkin (Hauser Hall); Day 2 will take place in Milstein West B, on the second floor of WCC.
Food will be provided.
Please contact the CSEL email ([email protected]) with any questions that you may have.
Day 1: Monday, October 18, 2021
Paul C. Weiler Distinguished Alumni Fireside Chat featuring Mike Zarren, HLS ‘04
Time: 12pm – 1:15pm ET
Professor Peter A. Carfagna, Lecturer on Law and Faculty Advisor of Harvard Law School’s Sports Law Program shall present the 2021 Paul C. Weiler Distinguished Alumni Award to Mike Zarren, HLS ‘04, Vice President of Basketball Operations and Team Counsel for the Boston Celtics, and a longtime sponsor of the Sports Law Clinic. In this fireside chat, Professor Carfagna and Mike will discuss Mike’s career path, the impact of his time at HLS, Mike’s continued involvement with the HLS Sports Law Program, and a variety of pressing legal issues for the Celtics, the NBA, and the sport industry in general.
Panel #1: The Future of the Athlete-Agent Relationship
Time: 1:30pm – 2:30pm ET
The athlete-agent relationship is one of the best-known aspects of professional sports in America. Athletes look to their agents for various services, from representation in contract negotiations to management of finances. As the nature of professional sports continues to evolve, this panel takes a fresh look at where the athlete-agent relationship is headed, and what implications these developments will have for sports law.
- Moderator: Michael McCann, Founding Director of the Sports and Entertainment Law Institute (SELI) and Professor of Law at the University of New Hampshire School of Law and Legal Analyst for Sportico
- Panelists:
- Kim Miale, NFL Agent & General Counsel, Roc Nation Sports
- Allison Galer, Founder & President, Disrupt the Game
- Evan Green, Director of Arbitration & Agent, CAA Baseball
Panel #2: A Collective Effort? The Evolving Landscape of Stadium Financing
Time: 2:45pm – 3:45pm ET
Debates over stadium financing touch on some of the most sensitive aspects of sports’ relationships with communities, from public funding and tax breaks to relocation. Stadiums are simultaneously a home for a team or teams and a major real estate investment. Sports lawyers involved in stadium deals must balance a variegated set of interests, as the participants on this panel will discuss, while keeping an eye toward the future of stadium financing.
- Moderator: David Dapaah-Afriyie, Co-President of the Harvard Committee on Sports and Entertainment Law, Harvard Law School ’22
- Panelists:
- Jeffrey B. Gewirtz, Chief Operating Officer, Executive Vice President, & General Counsel, BSE Global
- Kim Miner, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Worcester Red Sox
- Irwin Raij, Partner and Co-Chair of the Sports Law Practice, O’Melveny and Myers
Day 2: Tuesday, October 19, 2021
Keynote Address: Jeff Schwartz (NBA Agent, Founder & President, Excel Sports Management); Mark Steinberg (Golf Agent & Partner, Excel Sports Management).
Time: 12pm – 1:30pm ET
The Harvard Committee on Sports and Entertainment Law is honored to welcome two speakers for this year’s Keynote Address: Jeff Schwartz and Mark Steinberg. Jeff established Excel Sports Management in 2002 and has since led the way as the business has enjoyed massive success. Mark leads Excel’s professional golf division and is a renowned sports agent, having now represented Tiger Woods for over two decades, among other top golfers. Excel Sports Management is a longtime friend of the Harvard Sports Law Program. Please join as Jeff and Mark discuss their storied working relationship with one another and various legendary athletes, as well as speak to the evolution of professional athlete representation and what it means to be an effective steward of an athlete’s career: From amateur competition to post-retirement from professional competition.
Panel #3: On the Rise? Pro Soccer in the United States
Time: 2:30pm – 3:30pm ET
Soccer is the most popular sport in the world, but it has long been less popular than sports like American football, baseball, and basketball in the United States. However, in recent years, soccer participation and spectatorship in America has dramatically increased and seems poised for continued growth. This panel will reflect on these developments through the lens of sports law and consider how the potential rise of soccer in the U.S. will impact the sports law landscape.
- Moderator: Professor Peter A. Carfagna, Lecturer on Law and Faculty Director of the Harvard Sports Law Program, Harvard Law School
- Panelists:
- Brandon Briggs, Deputy General Counsel, Inter Miami CF
- Douglas Burns, Vice President of Legal Affairs, Major League Soccer
- Chris Deubert, Principal, Law Office of Christopher R. Deubert, Esq.
- Caesar Lopez, Chief Administrative Officer & General Counsel, Orlando City SC
- Justin Papadakis, COO & Chief Real Estate Officer, United Soccer League
2021 Weiler Awards Presentation & Closing Remarks
Time: 3:45pm – 4:15pm ET
For many years, Paul C. Weiler was the face of the Sports Law Program at Harvard Law School and a beloved professor to a host of lawyers who graduated from HLS. Professor Weiler sadly passed away earlier this year.
The Weiler Awards honor Professor Weiler’s outsized contributions to the HLS Sports Law Program, recognizing students for their work with the Program, through participation in HLS’ sports and entertainment law courses, the Harvard Committee on Sports and Entertainment Law, the Journal on Sports and Entertainment Law, and clinical placements through the Sports Law Clinic.
CSEL celebrates the four students who earned a Weiler Award this year:
- Logan P. Duffy ‘22
- Ryan Gribbin-Burket ‘21
- Amira Katherine J. Khazal ‘21
- Mohammad Usman Zia ‘21