Bobby Sharma

Special Adviser

Bobby Sharma is a special adviser to the Sports & Entertainment Group at Foley & Lardner LLP. With nearly 20 years of sports, media, and entertainment industry experience, Bobby provides services to organizations, teams, leagues, and other stakeholders across all professional and amateur sports on a range of subjects, such as league development and governance, team sales and acquisitions, media, sponsorship, licensing, data use and privacy, and technology. His work includes a focus on the rapidly evolving business and legal issues in esports and its broad and complex range of stakeholders, including leagues and teams, game publishers, technology and software developers, investors, media distributors, sponsors, and merchandisers.

Bobby is a founding partner of Electronic Sports Group (ESG), a market-leading esports advisory firm which helps investment and business leaders navigate and operate in the burgeoning billion-dollar esports industry. He is also a partner at GACP Sports, a sports-related private equity firm, and the chairman of Blue Devil Holdings, LLC, an international sports, media, and entertainment investment company.

Previously, Bobby served as a senior vice president of the Global Head of Basketball & Strategic Initiatives at IMG and as a vice president and general counsel at the NBA Development League at the National Basketball Association for almost a decade.

Awards and Recognition

  • Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business, Asian American Business Development Center (2014)
  • Basketball Federation of India Legacy Award (2012)
  • Rising Star Executive Award, Media Partners Global (2011)
  • Corporate Counsel Award, South Asian Bar Association of New York (2010)
  • Sports Counsel of the Year Award, Association of Media & Entertainment Counsel (2010)
  • 25 Most Influential South Asian Executives in the Media and Entertainment Industry, Korn/Ferry International (2009)

 

20 July 2023 In the News

Bobby Sharma Discusses the Business of Sport on Money Talks Podcast

Foley & Lardner LLP special adviser Bobby Sharma appeared on The Economist’s Money Talks podcast episode “The business of sport,” offering his insight on how the shift to streaming has impacted the sports broadcasting industry.
17 November 2022 In the News

Foley’s Robert DuPuy and Bobby Sharma Serve as Contributors to The Sports Business Handbook’s Second Edition

Foley & Lardner LLP is pleased to announce that Sports & Entertainment Partner Robert DuPuy and Special Adviser Bobby Sharma served as contributors to The Sports Business Handbook: Insights from 100+ Leaders Who Shaped 50 Years of the Industry.
22 September 2022 Events

Sports Business Handbook Launch Party

Join us on September 22 at Foley’s New York office to celebrate the expanded and revised second edition of Rick Horrow’s "The Sport Business Handbook: Insights from 100+ Leaders Who Shaped 50 Years of the Industry."
14 March 2022 In the News

Bobby Sharma Interviewed on Foley’s Annual Esports Survey; Highlights Trends in the Global Esports Industry

Bobby Sharma, special advisor to Foley’s Sports & Entertainment Group, was featured in a recent episode of the LawInSport podcast covering the deal trends and activity in the global esports industry.
09 March 2022 In the News

Bobby Sharma Quoted on Flurry of Early Deal Activity in Gaming and Esports Industry

Foley & Lardner LLP Special Advisor Bobby Sharma was quoted in a LawInSport article, “How The Microsoft-Activision Deal Could Impact Gaming & Esports.”
17 February 2022 Events

The Future of Esports: Virtual Roundtable

Please join us for a lively virtual discussion on “The Future of Esports” on Thursday, February 17th from 1:00-2:30pm ET. Speakers will include prominent esports and gaming business leaders.