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CIVIC AND GOVERNMENTAL SPORTS ISSUES

For civic and government entities looking to get a team, keep a team, or meet contractual obligations, Thompson Coburn attorneys can work with officials to craft contracts, leases, and deals that boost revenue and craft sound business structures around athletic teams. Investments in professional sports involve millions in public expenditures. Our attorneys can help ensure local and state governments receive the maximum benefit of these business and civic relationships.

Stadium finance

Thompson Coburn maintains a large public finance practices in the Midwest. The firm has more than 30 years of experience in public and private financing projects related to the acquisition, construction, and improvement of most of St. Louis’ professional sports facilities, including Busch Stadium, the Edward Jones Dome and the Scottrade Center.

Our public finance attorneys can act as bond counsel, issuer’s counsel, underwriter’s counsel, special counsel, or represent a credit enhancer in sports venue transactions.

Franchise relocation

Our attorneys have experience with the myriad legal considerations any team faces when considering or attempting a relocation, and have the savvy negotiation skills needed to accomplish a team’s business goals and help it plan for the future.

Real Estate

Working on a national scale, our real estate attorneys represent financial lenders, commercial and institutional owners, and a wide array of businesses in their real estate transactions. We serve clients with real estate holdings from the east coast to the west coast, with a regional emphasis on the Midwest.

Our real estate and environmental attorneys also are adept at guiding clients through state and federal regulations, from capitalizing on federal tax credits and obtaining final permitting for a development project, to interpreting key environmental regulatory schemes.

We frequently collaborate with our public finance, environmental, corporate and tax attorneys to empower us to handle all facets of a real estate transaction. We can also tap into our litigation attorneys for the disposition of construction contract or other business disputes.

Publications

The Clock is Ticking: Iowa Jumps into NIL Race with Proposed NIL Bill, effective July 1, 2021

The NCAA Implements a Four Corners Offense As it Postpones NIL Rule Changes

A look at recent student athlete name, image and likeness legislation

Regulatory Hurdles for Sports Betting in Illinois During COVID-19

As sports teams consider reopening venues, what is their liability due to COVID-19?

How COVID-19 is likely to strain sports and entertainment partnerships

COVID-19: Checking in on its impact on the sports world

A student athlete’s fight against the system

A top hat plan checklist for employers

USPTO launches new proof of use audit program

What the League giveth: St. Louis’ key role in the history of NFL relocation

What I’ve learned about life, law and sports

Drones and sports: A brief overview

Neutral arbitrators in sports: What makes it fair?

But it’s our locker room: What is acceptable behavior in the sports workplace?

Acceptable specimens are key to strong trademark protection

Blog Posts

Trouble afoot: Duke’s ‘Shoe-gate’ highlights current controversies in college basketball

Six years after Penn State, has college athletics really reformed its crisis response?

Photographer hits retailer over photo of player hitting Joey Bats

A look at the legal issues in the transgender bathrooms debate

Caitlyn on the track: Athletics, Title IX, and the transgender community

Department of Justice penalizes Ironman for illegal sweepstakes

How can a university manage an all-powerful college coach?

Now on deck: The law behind sports trading cards promotions

TCLE

The Road from the Final Four

A University’s Guide to Avoid Being a Sports Center Breaking News Headline

Associate
St. Louis

Addressing the intellectual property needs of both large corporate clients and individuals, Thad works extensively on patent protection and other IP related issues for a ...

Addressing the intellectual property needs of both large corporate clients ...

Thad Blenke
Partner
St. Louis

Cherie represents financial institutions and borrowers in various secured and unsecured lending transactions.

Cherie represents financial institutions and borrowers in various secured a...

Cherie Stephens Bock
Partner
Los Angeles

Vicky is a versatile commercial finance attorney who represents banks, investors, and borrowers in a wide variety of financing transactions and investments.

Vicky is a versatile commercial finance attorney who represents banks, inve...

Vicky Gilbert
Senior Counsel
St. Louis

Sara is a trusted legal advisor to public entities, nonprofit borrowers, investment bankers and bankers in a wide variety of public financing and lending transactions.

Sara is a trusted legal advisor to public entities, nonprofit borrowers, in...

Sara Kotthoff
Partner
Chicago

Litigation can be a chess match or a street fight: Rob has the skills and experience needed to navigate either approach.

Litigation can be a chess match or a street fight: Rob has the skills and e...

Rob Lang
Partner
New York

Steve represents financial institutions, businesses and constituencies in federal and state courts throughout the United States in a wide variety of major commercial disp...

Steve represents financial institutions, businesses and constituencies in f...

Steven Mandelsberg
Partner
Washington, D.C.

Ken has spent his entire legal career in the public and private sectors in Washington, DC and has a thorough understanding and appreciation of how lobbying can advance cl...

Ken has spent his entire legal career in the public and private sectors in ...

Ken Salomon
Partner
Chicago

Rhonda is a finance attorney who leads complex, large-scale projects for public- and private-sector clients across the country.

Rhonda is a finance attorney who leads complex, large-scale projects for pu...

Rhonda Thomas
Partner
St. Louis

As chairman of the Firm's Sports Law Group, Bob represents teams, prospective buyers of sports teams, companies interested in sports marketing and civic and government en...

As chairman of the Firm's Sports Law Group, Bob represents teams, prospecti...

Bob Wallace, Jr.