NIL, Emerging Leagues, and the Business of Sports with Brian Michael Cooper

Brian Michael Cooper has operated across nearly every corner of the sports industry: big law, player representation, G League president, XFL team president, senior college athletics administrator, head of an emerging league, and now sports M&A attorney and professor. 

He shares what those experiences taught him about how teams, leagues, and media partners really operate, including a sharp look at the rapid professionalization of college athletics. Brian breaks down the ripple effects of NIL, the Alston decision, and the House settlement, why more schools must now think like pro properties, and what this shift means for non-revenue and Olympic sports. He also flags the risk he sees in the growing world of unregulated NIL “managers” and agent standards.

Zooming out, Brian explores emerging leagues (especially in women’s sports), the influx of institutional capital, guidance on choosing markets, and building indispensable fan relationships. We wrap up with the tech trends he’s watching, the uncertain future of predictive markets, and their overlap with sports betting.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How NIL, Alston, and the House settlement are forcing college athletic departments to rethink their entire revenue mix
• The upside and danger in today’s NIL marketplace, including Brian’s concern about college athletes signing long-term deals at 10–20%
• Why Brian thinks the growth ceiling of women’s and emerging sports leagues is still far from being reached 
• New tech trends, like touchless concessions and biometric entry that remove friction from the live experience

Resources and Links:

Connect with Brian Michael Cooper on LinkedIn.

Learn more about GreenbergTraurig.

Learn more about Next League on our website and LinkedIn. We are leading sports organizations into the digital future.