Practice Strengths

Baseball
Our association with baseball dates back almost as far as the game itself. After years of personal and professional involvement with the Cleveland Baseball Company, Joe Hostetler was elected club secretary and later appointed legal counsel to the American League. BakerHostetler lawyers drafted the League's charter, and served as its General Counsel until the American and National Leagues ceased to exist as distinct legal entities in January 2000. Since then, we've been Major League Baseball's Washington, DC counsel.

Over the last century, BakerHostetler been a key player in MLB's lineup. We've defended the often controversial antitrust exemption that limits free agency and franchise shifts, encouraging fan loyalty and bringing the civic and economic benefits of MLB to diverse communities. We've protected the ability of municipalities to obtain tax-free stadium financing. And we've represented the league in resolving complex disputes with the players' and umpires' unions.

Today, BakerHostetler is helping MLB address uniquely 21st century issues.

• We led a successful legislative effort to ban Internet gambling on professional sports.
• We assist teams in navigating increasingly complex Immigration restrictions to bring talented players to the U.S.
• And we've also helped Major League Baseball as Congress has exercised its oversight powers to examine the role of steroids in sports.  

Racing
Our lawyers have extensive experience in the auto racing business in virtually all forms of motor racing, including Champ Car, Indy Racing League, Formula I, Grand Am, NASCAR, and other series. Our lawyers represent entities and individuals in all aspects of the auto racing business, including the representation of team owners, drivers, sanctioning bodies, sponsors, and suppliers. Our lawyers have represented sanctioning bodies themselves in business and other legal matters such as our historic work on behalf of Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc., which was the first public offering of a major sports sanctioning organization.

• We represent a number of drivers with respect to negotiating and drafting driver agreements, sponsorship agreements, endorsement contracts, general business advice, intellectual property issues and disputes.
• We have significant experience with assisting international drivers in connection with their opportunities to race in the United States.
• We also represent a number of race teams, including all aspects of their business such as sponsorship arrangements, supplier contracts, entity organization, and driver agreements.
• We have represented promoters of street races in the United States and have represented sponsors in their arrangements with drivers, teams, and sanctioning bodies.
• Our lawyers have also represented drivers, teams, sanctioning bodies, and others in all forms of dispute resolution and regularly consult with individuals and entities involved in all forms of auto racing in the United States.