Zachary A. Flagel

Associate

Zachary Flagel is a commercial litigation and sports attorney with Foley & Lardner LLP. He is a member of the firm’s Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice Group and Sports & Entertainment Group.

A budding expert in the field of sports law, Zack has published two law review articles and received distinguished awards from the Sports Lawyers Association (SLA) and the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR). His research has been featured in media outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, and Sports Illustrated.

A graduate of Duke Law, Zack founded the Future of College Sports Initiative, a Zoom series featuring interviews with Senators Cory Booker and Chris Murphy, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, ESPN’s Jay Bilas, and several other high-profile authorities in sports governance.

Prior to joining Foley, Zack spent summers working for Wasserman Media Group, the U.S. Senate, and the Atlanta Braves.  He also spent a year studying Economics and Policy at the London School of Economics, where he served as president of his class of 325 international students.

Presentations and Publications

  • Author, “Challenging the MLB Draft’s Grand Labor Slam: A Universal Proposal for an Amateur Ballplayer’s Choice of Team,” Sports Law Association Student Writing Competition (2019)
  • Co-Author, “The Faulty Law and Economics of the “Baseball Rule,” 60 William & Mary Law Review 62 (2018)
  • Co-Author, “Getting in the Game: The Demographics of Professional Sports Team In-House Legal Counsel,” 7:1 Mississippi Sports Law Review 23 (2018)
  • Contributor, American Bar Association, Recent Developments in Sports Law (2019 and 2020)
28 May 2024 Foley Viewpoints

The end-around: A new model of statewide online sports betting through tribal compacts

In June, a federal court of appeals in Washington, D.C., authored a decision that could drastically alter the future of sports betting across the nation.  In West Flagler Associates Ltd. v. Haaland, the court concluded
Casino Table Games
12 December 2023 Foley Viewpoints

Nationwide Online Sports Betting Tracker

08 March 2023 Foley Viewpoints

The NIL Presumption: Is the Newest NCAA Measure a Boon for Enforcement or the Next Front for Legal Challenge?

The Name, Image, and Likeness era of college sports has brought headlines, rumors, and dollar signs, but little in the way of NCAA enforcement.
04 November 2022 Foley Viewpoints

NCAA updated guidance on institutional involvement in NIL: An explainer

On Oct. 26, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors released updated name, image and likeness regulatory guidance titled “NCAA Division I Institutional Involvement in Student Athlete NIL Activities.”
29 August 2022 Foley Viewpoints

Collegiate group licensing: A new frontier in the NIL wild west

The first year of the “NIL era” of college sports saw popular attention focused on the rise of the individual, as star student athletes began to command eye-popping fees to license their personal likenesses in any number of ways.
05 May 2022 Foley Viewpoints

In-stadium sportsbooks: The next trend in the growing retail and mobile sports industry

In January, the Washington Nationals opened the BetMGM Sportsbook at Nationals Park, becoming the first active brick-and-mortar retail sportsbook at a Major League Baseball ballpark. This development marks a growing trend among professional sports teams to offer fans the opportunity to participate in sports betting in and around their stadiums.