Entertainment, Sports, and Media Crisis Management and Strategic Response

All crises — whether arising from a corporate emergency, a catastrophic event, or negative publicity — require a coordinated response on an expedited timeline. Sidley has a proven track record of helping leaders in entertainment, sports, and media (ESM) effectively respond to the myriad issues in conjunction with crises requiring quick action, strategic insight, and litigation know-how critical to protecting our clients’ businesses and reputations. Working closely with our clients in both responding to and handling ESM industry crises, we provide tailored solutions to address the circumstances of all situations.

Ranked among top five firms globally for crisis management.
2025 Chambers Crisis & Risk Management

Our ESM Crisis Management team has deep experience with highly sensitive government and internal investigations, defamation and privacy-related cases, M&A transactions, capital raisings, financings, cutting-edge distribution deals, tax matters, high-profile patent litigation, copyright and trademark disputes, restructurings, and regulatory matters. We use an industry-focused approach, drawing upon the significant, relevant experience of our lawyers across practice areas to deploy swift, well-planned crisis responses.

Major companies, studios, and independent production companies, television networks, athletes, sports leagues and teams, and their boards, seek our thoughtful, seamless counsel when faced with multifaceted crises.

Harnessing our firm’s global resources, Sidley is able to quickly assemble the right team for complex transactional, regulatory, and litigation matters. Our work for ESM clients involves regulatory disputes with state and federal overseers; investigations into allegations of misconduct or fraud; and mission-critical litigation and appeals, including matters before the Supreme Court.

Ranked among the best in California Media & Entertainment: Transactional/Litigation and in Nationwide Sports Law
Chambers USA 2025

Why Sidley?

We have decades of experience serving as the “first response” team in the face of ESM industry crises to establish and manage both the initial and long-term legal strategies and assist with remediation efforts.

Our lawyers represent a broad spectrum of domestic and international clients in the entertainment, sports, and media space.

Our work includes:

• Internal investigations, including whistleblower complaints
• Responses to investigations by the Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), state Attorneys General, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and other governmental agencies worldwide
• Advising boards and audit and special committees
• Counseling clients on copyright and trademark matters, including secondary trademark liability, and on false advertising concerns
• Counseling on compliance, governance, litigation risks, and potential exposure arising from alleged misconduct, investigative findings, and negative publicity 
• Cybersecurity breach incident response and prevention
• Congressional inquiry or subpoena response
• Managing legal, policy, political, or public relations considerations related to an investigation
• Advice regarding workouts or restructurings for companies where intellectual property is a key asset
• Securities disclosure issues
• Sexual misconduct and other employment-related allegations

“The team has strong connectivity to key stakeholders in sports, especially leagues, and deep transaction experience to inform structuring and strategy. ”
Chambers USA 2025: Sports Law  – USA – Nationwide

How We Add Value

Sidley’s ESM Crisis Management team understands the level of trust that is required to handle the challenges that arise on the onset, during, and after a crisis. Our lawyers know how to balance internal and external effects, relationship dynamics, and optics.

We will collaborate with you to help frame the narrative, recognizing that your reputation is paramount, and media attention will only continue. Steps often include mapping out a strategy based on clear objectives considering all stakeholders; managing immediate and longer-term communications, including internal and external strategies; preserving and gathering factual evidence; interacting with regulators and other government agencies proactively and in response to inquiries; and coordinating all of the moving pieces so that you can focus on achieving your business goals. 

“The team understands commercial imperatives and consistently delivers practical advice.”
Chambers USA 2025: California – Media & Entertainment: Litigation

“The firm is responsive and available and moves mountains when we need them to be moved.”
Chambers USA 2025: California – Media & Entertainment: Transactional

Our lawyers have represented:

• We are representing the Rose Bowl Operating Company (“RBOC”) and the City of Pasadena (the “City”) in a high-intensity crisis management situation involving UCLA Football’s threatened departure from the Rose Bowl Stadium. The stadium is one of the most famous in sports history, hosting the storied “Rose Bowl Game®,” and serving as UCLA Football’s home for over four decades. After RBOC and the City learned that UCLA was negotiating a relocation to SoFi Stadium as soon as next season, Sidley sued UCLA on behalf of its clients, later amending the complaint to add defendants affiliated with SoFi. On February 5, 2026, Sidley secured a key victory when the court denied UCLA and the SoFi Defendants’ motion to compel arbitration and stay the case. Litigation is ongoing. 
• A media company in a highly sensitive lawsuit involving allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct that garnered significant media attention. 
• The world’s leading online chess platform, in a series of high-profile defamation matters stemming from allegations of cheating and misconduct involving elite chess players. These disputes drew global media attention and raised novel questions at the intersection of defamation law, digital platform responsibility, and competitive integrity. 
• An international retailer regarding an investigation stemming from allegations by the media that one of their suppliers engaged in slave labor, underpays its workers, and requires them to work in unsafe conditions that are linked to health problems.
• A former senior officer of a National Football League (NFL) team in a high-profile NFL investigation into the organization’s culture, policies, and allegations of workplace misconduct, including allegations of sexual harassment from 15 female former employees — a scandal that has garnered significant media attention.
• A major social media platform and its subsidiaries in multiple matters, including successful defense and resolution of litigation and pre-litigation matters in courts across the country involving allegations of contributory or vicarious copyright and trademark infringement. 
• Representing global broadcast giant beIN Media Group in a historic victory with the State of Qatar in an unprecedented World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia following the beoutQ/Arabsat mass-piracy of world sport broadcasting. This is one of the most high-profile and politically charged investment treaty arbitrations ever. Sidley successfully challenged Saudi Arabia’s failure to protect IP rights as violating multiple provisions of the WTO Agreement. Several prominent former social media company executives in DOJ, SEC, and FTC investigations into the acquisition of the company, and a congressional investigation and testimony before the U.S. House Oversight and Accountability Committee into allegations of social media censorship.
• An entertainment conglomerate and its subsidiary in major copyright ownership cases across multiple jurisdictions involving iconic characters. 
• Ohio State University Head Football Coach Urban Meyer related to an investigation into allegations arising from athletic department issues. 

Click here for a pdf of our Entertainment, Sports, and Media Crisis Management and Strategic Response brochure.