Olympic Athlete's Endorsements Are Jeopardized By Injury

Case Overview

This case involves an Olympic gold medalist who was rear-ended by a drunk driver causing her to suffer a mild head injury. The athlete recovered well from her injury but continued to experience limited physical ability. The athlete held a world record in her sport but because of the injury, she missed out on several opportunities to compete in events and set additional records. The athlete also had several endorsements and sponsorships that she believed were in jeopardy because of her inability to perform at her previous level. An expert in professional sports partnerships, endorsements, and contracts was sought to to opine on potential damages.

Questions to the Sports Injury expert and their responses

Please describe your experience with athletes in cases like the one described above.

I have represented individual coaches, cyclists, soccer players, softball players, break dancers, e-gamers, football players, wrestlers, and many more athletes. I do not think the question is really about the type of athlete, but the types of endorsement agreements, which I have done a great deal of over my career.

What information would you need in order to evaluate if this incident may affect the athlete's sponsorships and endorsements?

The information I would need in order to determine how this accident would alter any sponsorships or endorsements would include the contracts, the companies involved, the races, the organizations the athlete is a member of, and the athlete's past earnings. I would also look at the company's earnings and their return on investment. For example, if the athlete won X competition and appeared in 4 articles in publications with X circulation, what is the value to the company for such? This is just one example. Social media is another example that could apply.

About the expert

This highly experienced and highly regarded sports contract attorney and agent has over 25 years of experience representing athletes and their best interests. She received her BS in business management from the University of Maryland and then went on to receive her JD from American University. She began her career as a research and legal assistant and then became an attorney at a DC firm. Starting in 1989, she began working as an attorney and certified NFL Player Representative. She represented over 30 players at that time and was the first woman ever to represent NFL players. This expert then became the owner of her own company for 12 years representing all types of athletes including the Gold Medal Women's Soccer Team in 1995 and the Gold Medal Women's Softball team in 1996. She has also worked with some of the highest level performers in skateboarding and launched the United Skateboarders Association in 2001. Currently, she works as an educator touching upon sports and entertainment law and entrepreneurship in her university classes. Among her other accomplishments, she has authored chapters in publications such as Practicing Law Institute, American Bar Association, and Women's Sports Illustrated. This expert has been featured on channels like CBS, NBC, ABC, ESPN, and CNN as an expert, has been an invited speaker on NPR, and has been an invited speaker at venues such as ESPN, Deloitte, Harvard, and USTA.

E-199267

Specialties:

Sports Injury

Olympic Athlete’s Endorsements Are Jeopardized By Injury