Darren Heitner

Educator, Athlete Advocate

Profile

Innovatively provide opportunities for individuals (specifically athletes) to attain success in life. Enthusiastically search for the latest information regarding sports law, intellectual property law, and the intersection of sports and technology.

Skills

Negotiation

Scrupulously represent talent with a cooperative style, always keeping clients' interests in mind.

Writing

Publishing articles in law reviews, mainstream media publications, and online blogs.

Mentoring

Speaking at various educational institutions, radio programs, and television shows.

Technical

  • HTML (Dreamweaver)
  • Microsoft Excel
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Microsoft Powerpoint
  • Microsoft Word
  • Various Web2.0 Platforms

Publications

Gaming Law Review and Economics Article

Author

May 2010

The article, The Plight of PASPA: It's Time to Pull the Plug on the Prohibition, argues that the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, which denies 46 states from adopting any type of state-sponsored sports betting scheme, has an outdated purpose and is in violation of the Tenth Amendment and Commerce Clause within the United States Constitution.

Dartmouth Law Journal Article

Author

Feb. 2010

The article, Duties of Sports Agents to Athletes and Statutory Regulation Thereof, argues that student-athletes should have a statutory right to enforce the duties of sports agents, all sports agents should have to be licensed under a federal registration system, and that there is a need for a self-regulatory commission of sports agents to help weed out the unscrupulous agents who do not fulfill their duties in the representation and solicitation of any athlete.

An Athlete's Guide to Agents: Fifth Edition

Contributing Writer

Dec. 2009

An Athlete’s Guide to Agents, Fifth Edition is designed to better prepare athletes and their families to screen, select, and work with an agent. It teaches families about the importance of sports agents and allows athletes and their families to be active participants instead of handing all power away to a sports agent upon signing an agency contract.

Experience

Dynasty Athlete Representation

Chief Executive Officer

2007-Present

Manage the day-to-day operations for the full-service sports and talent agency based in the state of Florida. Progressively implement new promotional strategies, leveraging new media whenever possible. Conveniently initiate conversations with the various leaders in the sports business industry.

SportsAgentBlog.com/EntertainmentAgentBlog.com

Chief Editor

2005-Present

Continuously write and edit a variety of stories related to breaking news, legal issues, business issues, and other topics of concern. Deliberately grow the largest sports and entertainment agent focused blogs on the internet. Perpetually offer quality and creative assistance for all contributors.

National Sports and Entertainment Law Society

Public Relations Director

2009-Present

Responsibly administer the flow of information between the Society and the public. Proactively dispense critical growth options at weekly board meetings.

Jewish Coaches Association

Associate Executive Director

2009-Present

Help handle the internal and external operations for the not for profit organization. Specific focus on public relations and fundraising.

UF Entertainment and Sports Law Society

President

Fall 2008-Spring 2010

Intrinsically serve as the leader for the Society, which has received the Organization of the Year Award for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years. Energetically recruit prominent guest speakers in the sports and entertainment fields. Assertively chair the globally popular UF Sports Law Symposium.

Conference & Symposium Presentations

Flagler College Sport Management Department Conference

Speaker

Apr. 2010

The mission of the conference is to offer Sport Management students the opportunity to expand their educational and practical experiences through the perspective of professionals who have working knowledge of the sport industry.

St. Thomas Entertainment and Sports Law Society Symposium

Panelist

Mar. 2010

Member of the closing panel titled, "Looking for a Client who is Looking for You." The panel's focus was on othe pitfalls an attorney should avoid and ethical areas affected when seeking new talent or courting potential clients. Also a member of the panel titled, "Sports and Social Networking," which focused on the legal influence or implications of Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and other social networking tools on the four major professional leagues.

Nova Southeastern University Sports and Entertainment Law Symposium

Panelist

Feb. 2010

Member of the "Redemption: Athletes Overcoming Their Indiscretions" panel.

2010 UF Sports Law Symposium

Chair

Jan. 2010

Symposium Discussion titled, "Bargaining Collectively." Three panels during the all-day event: 1) MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement, 2) NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, 3) NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement. Secured nineteen moderators and panelists which included sports law attorneys, sports law professors, sports agents, executives at professional teams, and other sports business professionals. In charge of budgeting, promotions, sponsorships, and logistics. Secured Keynote Speaker, Dr. Harvey Schiller (Former Commissioner of the Southeastern Conference) and Closing Speaker, Donald M. Fehr (Former Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association).

2009 Princeton Sports Symposium

Panelist

Dec. 2009

Member of the "Partnership Activation Rising Stars" panel.

Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law

Guest Speaker

Oct. 2009

Speech given to the Sports and Entertainment Law Society.

2009 UF Sports Law Symposium

Chair

Jan. 2009

Four discussion topics for the event: Recruiting, Negotiation, Labor Issues, and Future of Sports Business. Secured nineteen moderators and panelists which included sports law attorneys, sports law professors, sports agents, executives at professional teams, and other sports business professionals. In charge of budgeting, promotions, sponsorships, and logistics. Secured Keynote Speaker, Kevin Sullivan (Former Assistant to President Bush for Communications) and Closing Speaker, Bill Rasmussen (Founder of ESPN).

Education

University of Florida, B.A., magna cum laude/Valedictorian, 2007

University of Florida Levin College of Law, J.D., 2010

Honors & Recognitions

Florida Blue Key Inductee

“Rising Star” in the sports industry by Partnership Activation, Inc.

National Merit Scholarship Finalist

Referenced in the Following Published Law Review Articles

  • Stacey B. Evans, Sports Agents: Ethical Representatives or Overly Aggressive Adversaries?, 17 VILLANOVA SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT LAW JOURNAL 91
  • William Rothstein, The Business of Sports Representation: Agent Evolution in the "Industry", 9 VIRGINIA SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT LAW JOURNAL 19
  • James Halt, Andy Oliver Strikes Out the NCAA's 'No Agent' Rule for College Baseball, 19 JOURNAL OF LEGAL ASPECTS OF SPORT 185
  • Joshua M. Liebman, Tip Your "Cap" to the Player: 2007-2008 Off-Season Reveals NHL's Salary Cap Benefits on Players. 16 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 81


In The News

  • "Sports agents respond to criticism," Maggie Gray, Sports Illustrated Video, July 23, 2010 (discussing improper athlete-agent relationships in NCAA football)
  • "Agents taking heavy hits," Dave Matter, The Columbia Daily Tribune, July 23, 2010 (discussing what the media's focus means for the NCAA)
  • "Laws restricting improper agent contact with NCAA athletes seen as ineffective," Steve Yanda, The Washington Post, July 23, 2010 (discussing the lack of resources for states and the NCAA)
  • "Pimps and predators: Saban, Meyer criticize rogue agents," Jon Solomon, The Birmingham News, July 22, 2010 (discussing the creation of a uniform federal system that oversees agent conduct)
  • "Reggie Bush-USC case opening eyes to NCAA and agents," John Jeansonne, Newsday, July 21, 2010 (discussing agent handouts to student-athletes)
  • "Schools, agents on notice amid NCAA investigations," Noah Trister, Associated Press (numerous publications), July 20, 2010 (discussing NCAA's need to take action on leads)
  • "Agent analyzes UF's potential rules violation," Anthony Chiang, The Independent Florida Alligator, July 20, 2010 (discussing how the University of Florida handled a potential situation)
  • "NCAA turning up heat on agent-player relations with more probes," Stewart Mandel, Sports Illustrated, July 19, 2010 (discussing a prediction that this is just the beginning of allegations)
  • "UNC football probe continues," ABC11 News Chapel Hill, July 16, 2010 (discussing student-athlete interaction with the public and agents)
  • "Jed Williams Talks To Darren Heitner," ACC Sports Journal, July 16, 2010
  • "A Talent for Entertainment," Kara Carnley Murrhee, UF Law Magazine, Spring 2010
  • "RaptorsHQ Talks to Darren Heitner of Sports Agent Blog.com," RaptortsHQ.com, Jun. 15, 2010
  • "End of the line could be near for Hill," Bobby Deren, Rivals.com, Apr. 8, 2010
  • "Darren Heitner: Sports Agent Law Student Blogger Man," BitterLawyer.com, Mar. 16, 2010
  • "Hot Stove TV: Sports Agent Darren Heitner," Tom Reese, HotStove.com, Mar. 10, 2010
  • "Interview with Darren Heitner, Sports Agent," Ryne Gery, Redbird Rants, Feb. 23, 2010
  • "Tebow defends Super Bowl ad amid growing criticism,

" Nathan Crabbe, The Gainesville Sun, Jan. 26, 2010 (discussing Tim Tebow appearing in a religious-based commercial for the Super Bowl)
  • Blogger Bunch, CNN, Atlanta, Georgia, first aired on television Aug. 14, 2009 (discussing Michael Vick playing with the NFL after prison time)
  • "Michael Crabtree's holdout shines light on NFL rookie problem," John P. Lopez, Sports Illustrated, Aug. 13, 2009 (discussing the possibility of changing the rookie salary structure in the NFL)
  • "Q & A With The Sports Agent Part 2," Jon Scott, Scout.com, Jun. 25, 2009 (discussing contract length, bonus money, and gag orders on players)
  • "Q & A With The Sports Agent Part 1," Jon Scott, Scout.com, Jun. 23, 2009 (discussing super agents, getting started in the industry, contract terms, and more)
  • "got2beglued - The Darren Heitner Interview," Carolyn I. Hastings, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Mar. 26, 2009
  • "UF student heads up, co-founds sports managing agency," David Cumming, The Independent Florida Alligator, Nov. 13, 2008
  • "Entrepreneur Success Story: Dynasty Athlete Representation, LLC," Young Money Staff, Young Money Magazine, Nov. 11, 2008
  • "CBB Editorial: The Pedro Alvarez Situation," Brian Foley, The College Baseball Blog, Aug. 27, 2008 (discussing the importance of following the rules set forth in Collective Bargaining Agreements)