It’s a new era in college sports, as the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the five biggest athletic conferences have agreed to a $2.77 billion settlement of a class-action lawsuit, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Details are still being worked out, but what it means is schools can pay athletes directly, sharing with them a portion of the lucrative revenue streams for merchandising, TV rights, ticket sales and other deals.
The settlement agreement resolves a case that began in 2020. The lawsuit sought back pay for athletes, as well as a cut of future broadcast revenues.
Today’s settlement is the latest in the slippery slope of the last few years that has erased many of the rules that stood for a century or more for college athletes. While under-the-table payments from boosters has always been a part of the scene for top athletes, it was only recently that the landscape...
Details are still being worked out, but what it means is schools can pay athletes directly, sharing with them a portion of the lucrative revenue streams for merchandising, TV rights, ticket sales and other deals.
The settlement agreement resolves a case that began in 2020. The lawsuit sought back pay for athletes, as well as a cut of future broadcast revenues.
Today’s settlement is the latest in the slippery slope of the last few years that has erased many of the rules that stood for a century or more for college athletes. While under-the-table payments from boosters has always been a part of the scene for top athletes, it was only recently that the landscape...
- 5/24/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
The U.S. Soccer Federation, the governing body for the sport in this country, offers a bold vision on its website, declaring it believes “in the power of soccer to unify our nation… We are stronger together, and together, we are One Nation. One Team.”
The statement may be laudable, but appears ironic given the lack of unity between the organization and members of the women’s national team, a squad that in recent years has included Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Rose Lavelle, and Captain Becky Sauerbrunn, among other outstanding talents. The Oscar-contending documentary Lfg explores the ongoing legal dispute between the women players and the federation over equal pay and equal working conditions for the women’s and men’s teams.
“For us, this film is about what it means to get inside a journey where people are fighting for equality,” says Andrea Nix Fine, who directed the film with Sean Fine.
The statement may be laudable, but appears ironic given the lack of unity between the organization and members of the women’s national team, a squad that in recent years has included Megan Rapinoe, Alex Morgan, Rose Lavelle, and Captain Becky Sauerbrunn, among other outstanding talents. The Oscar-contending documentary Lfg explores the ongoing legal dispute between the women players and the federation over equal pay and equal working conditions for the women’s and men’s teams.
“For us, this film is about what it means to get inside a journey where people are fighting for equality,” says Andrea Nix Fine, who directed the film with Sean Fine.
- 12/3/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix announced the final season of “Dear White People” will launch Sept. 22 and be a musical season.
“The only way to move forward is to throw it back,” a teaser for the season previews. From there a cover of Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” kicks into gear.
The teaser also shows the students getting ready to dance, with snapping of hands and getting into formation to perform Jordan’s 1995 hit. There is an Afro-futuristic and 1990s-inspired dance floor, as the students of the fictional Winchester University look back on their time on campus amid their final year.
“Dear White People,” an extension of the film of the same name by Justin Simien, deals with issues of race, class and sexuality on that college campus. Logan Browning’s Sam White hosts a radio show within the series that is also titled “Dear White People” and is where...
“The only way to move forward is to throw it back,” a teaser for the season previews. From there a cover of Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” kicks into gear.
The teaser also shows the students getting ready to dance, with snapping of hands and getting into formation to perform Jordan’s 1995 hit. There is an Afro-futuristic and 1990s-inspired dance floor, as the students of the fictional Winchester University look back on their time on campus amid their final year.
“Dear White People,” an extension of the film of the same name by Justin Simien, deals with issues of race, class and sexuality on that college campus. Logan Browning’s Sam White hosts a radio show within the series that is also titled “Dear White People” and is where...
- 8/6/2021
- by Jennifer Yuma and Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Like working women everywhere, the players of the U.S. women’s national soccer team are tired — tired of fighting against structural discrimination.
“It’s like Whac-a-Mole — it’s like whack-a-sexist, basically,” team captain and activist Megan Rapinoe says in the new documentary Lfg, which started streaming yesterday on HBO Max. “Every time you get one, something else pops up…. You have to prove that they did it, and then call them out on it, and then continue to police them, and that’s the exhausting part I think. The...
“It’s like Whac-a-Mole — it’s like whack-a-sexist, basically,” team captain and activist Megan Rapinoe says in the new documentary Lfg, which started streaming yesterday on HBO Max. “Every time you get one, something else pops up…. You have to prove that they did it, and then call them out on it, and then continue to police them, and that’s the exhausting part I think. The...
- 6/25/2021
- by Andrea Marks
- Rollingstone.com
‘Lfg’ Review: Bring Out the Vuvuzelas as the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Takes on Its Employer
A handful of players from the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team riff on what the letters Lfg — their rallying cry — stand for exactly. The flow of close-ups in the winning and timely doc “Lfg,” from Jennifer McDonald to Samantha Mewis to Kelley O’Hara to Megan Rapinoe to Becky Sauerbrunn, has the feel of a pre-match kick around. Only, for all their ease, there’s also a focus that epitomizes the four-time World Cup victors.
Now streaming on HBO Max after its Tribeca Festival premiere, directors Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine’s factually compelling, unapologetically smitten film follows the team after they file a lawsuit against their employer, the U.S. Soccer Federation, for equal pay. Along the way (and it’s a long way to pay equity for professional female athletes), the team kicks some balls and some butt on the field, then weathers the coronavirus pandemic,...
Now streaming on HBO Max after its Tribeca Festival premiere, directors Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine’s factually compelling, unapologetically smitten film follows the team after they file a lawsuit against their employer, the U.S. Soccer Federation, for equal pay. Along the way (and it’s a long way to pay equity for professional female athletes), the team kicks some balls and some butt on the field, then weathers the coronavirus pandemic,...
- 6/24/2021
- by Lisa Kennedy
- Variety Film + TV
The interrogative word “why” lingers around acts of discrimination like a foul odor. Why make it more difficult for Black people to vote? Why prevent LGBTQ+ folk from getting married? Why pay women less than men? When institutions (and sometimes individuals) respond to these questions, their answers are usually bloated, unsatisfying and full of patent falsehoods. The truth, after all, is relatively uncomplicated.
Lfg, an absorbing and lucid HBO Max documentary about the U.S. women’s soccer national team’s fight for equal pay, makes that clear in its first half hour: “They refuse to pay the women equally,” Jeffrey Kessler, an ...
Lfg, an absorbing and lucid HBO Max documentary about the U.S. women’s soccer national team’s fight for equal pay, makes that clear in its first half hour: “They refuse to pay the women equally,” Jeffrey Kessler, an ...
- 6/23/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The interrogative word “why” lingers around acts of discrimination like a foul odor. Why make it more difficult for Black people to vote? Why prevent LGBTQ+ folk from getting married? Why pay women less than men? When institutions (and sometimes individuals) respond to these questions, their answers are usually bloated, unsatisfying and full of patent falsehoods. The truth, after all, is relatively uncomplicated.
Lfg, an absorbing and lucid HBO Max documentary about the U.S. women’s soccer national team’s fight for equal pay, makes that clear in its first half hour: “They refuse to pay the women equally,” Jeffrey Kessler, an ...
Lfg, an absorbing and lucid HBO Max documentary about the U.S. women’s soccer national team’s fight for equal pay, makes that clear in its first half hour: “They refuse to pay the women equally,” Jeffrey Kessler, an ...
- 6/23/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
William Morris Endeavor is getting pummeled in its battle with the Writers Guild of America, and it does not appear that a federal judge is going to stop the bleeding.
The uber agency asked Judge André Birotte Jr. last month to order an end to the 20-month writers’ boycott, which has caused agents and clients to flee to other firms. But at a hearing on Friday the judge seemed reluctant to do that, saying that the two sides should settle the dispute on their own.
Unless Birotte intervenes, settling the dispute likely means WME tapping out as quickly as possible. But that will not be easy, as it will require selling off 80% of Endeavor Content while doing as little damage as possible to dozens of TV shows and films in various stages of development. WME wants until the summer of 2022 to do that, and wants to grandfather in existing projects.
The uber agency asked Judge André Birotte Jr. last month to order an end to the 20-month writers’ boycott, which has caused agents and clients to flee to other firms. But at a hearing on Friday the judge seemed reluctant to do that, saying that the two sides should settle the dispute on their own.
Unless Birotte intervenes, settling the dispute likely means WME tapping out as quickly as possible. But that will not be easy, as it will require selling off 80% of Endeavor Content while doing as little damage as possible to dozens of TV shows and films in various stages of development. WME wants until the summer of 2022 to do that, and wants to grandfather in existing projects.
- 12/22/2020
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
A federal judge on Friday urged WME and the Writers Guild of America to set aside their “egos” and come to an agreement that would end the 20-month writers’ boycott.
WME has asked U.S. District Court Judge Andre Birotte to order an end to the boycott, which the agency argues is an illegal abuse of the guild’s power as a labor organization. Birotte seemed reluctant to do that, and used the hearing mostly to urge the two sides to settle the case, noting that real people are suffering the consequences.
“When I see all this back and forth, I have to ask the question: ‘C’mon folks, get together, get this done,'” Birotte said.
WME is the sole major agency that has yet to reach an agreement with the union. The agency has said it is willing to accept the WGA’s terms, which require it to...
WME has asked U.S. District Court Judge Andre Birotte to order an end to the boycott, which the agency argues is an illegal abuse of the guild’s power as a labor organization. Birotte seemed reluctant to do that, and used the hearing mostly to urge the two sides to settle the case, noting that real people are suffering the consequences.
“When I see all this back and forth, I have to ask the question: ‘C’mon folks, get together, get this done,'” Birotte said.
WME is the sole major agency that has yet to reach an agreement with the union. The agency has said it is willing to accept the WGA’s terms, which require it to...
- 12/18/2020
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Update: Judge Birotte has denied the WGA’s motion to delay the hearing to February. The hearing will be held Dec. 18 as originally scheduled.
CAA’s managing partner conceded on Friday that the Writers Guild of America’s boycott “worked,” and urged a judge to help bring the 19-month standoff to an end.
In a declaration filed in court, Bryan Lourd urged the court not to postpone an upcoming hearing on the agency’s motion for an injunction, saying that would only cause further damage to the agency.
“The WGA’s illegal boycott has worked,” he said. “As each day goes by, CAA faces additional permanent losses of clients and defections of talent agents. Each new loss magnifies the impact of the prior losses on CAA’s business, posing an existential threat to CAA’s representation of writers and showrunners if the boycott does not end now.”
WME also asked...
CAA’s managing partner conceded on Friday that the Writers Guild of America’s boycott “worked,” and urged a judge to help bring the 19-month standoff to an end.
In a declaration filed in court, Bryan Lourd urged the court not to postpone an upcoming hearing on the agency’s motion for an injunction, saying that would only cause further damage to the agency.
“The WGA’s illegal boycott has worked,” he said. “As each day goes by, CAA faces additional permanent losses of clients and defections of talent agents. Each new loss magnifies the impact of the prior losses on CAA’s business, posing an existential threat to CAA’s representation of writers and showrunners if the boycott does not end now.”
WME also asked...
- 11/20/2020
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Update, 2:45 Pm Pt: Updated to include response from WGA West
William Morris Endeavor has joined Creative Artists Agency in seeking a court injunction against the Writers Guild of America, asking a federal judge to force the WGA to end their 19-month-long boycott over packaging fees and affiliate production outlets.
In April 2019, WGA was granted approval by their members to issue an order to terminate representation with all agencies that accepted packaging fees, or payments sent by a studio to agents in exchange for packaging talent on a project. The guild called the fees a conflict of interest and also criticized WME and CAA’s ownership of affiliate production outlets like Wiip.
While CAA, WME and WGA are still locked in a legal conflict, the guild has signed franchise agreements with every other Hollywood agency — including major agencies UTA and ICM Partners — that will phase out packaging fees by summer...
William Morris Endeavor has joined Creative Artists Agency in seeking a court injunction against the Writers Guild of America, asking a federal judge to force the WGA to end their 19-month-long boycott over packaging fees and affiliate production outlets.
In April 2019, WGA was granted approval by their members to issue an order to terminate representation with all agencies that accepted packaging fees, or payments sent by a studio to agents in exchange for packaging talent on a project. The guild called the fees a conflict of interest and also criticized WME and CAA’s ownership of affiliate production outlets like Wiip.
While CAA, WME and WGA are still locked in a legal conflict, the guild has signed franchise agreements with every other Hollywood agency — including major agencies UTA and ICM Partners — that will phase out packaging fees by summer...
- 11/18/2020
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Updated with Ari Greenburg declaration details: WME followed CAA’s lead Wednesday, asking a federal judge to issue a preliminary injunction that would force the Writers Guild to drop its group boycott against the agency. The move comes the day after CAA filed a similar request in their long-running legal battle with the guild over packaging fees and production affiliates.
The dispute arose in April 2019 when the WGA ordered its members to fire their agents who refused to sign the guild’s Code of Conduct, which banned packaging fees and agency affiliations with related production companies. Since then, every major agency except CAA and WME have signed a modified code that phases out packaging fees and reduces ownership interests of production companies to just 20%.
In a declaration accompanying today’s filing, WME president Ari Greenburg railed against the WGA for holding talent agents to a different standard than talent managers,...
The dispute arose in April 2019 when the WGA ordered its members to fire their agents who refused to sign the guild’s Code of Conduct, which banned packaging fees and agency affiliations with related production companies. Since then, every major agency except CAA and WME have signed a modified code that phases out packaging fees and reduces ownership interests of production companies to just 20%.
In a declaration accompanying today’s filing, WME president Ari Greenburg railed against the WGA for holding talent agents to a different standard than talent managers,...
- 11/18/2020
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
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