Leaders to WatchSports & Entertainment
Sport is having an unusually legal year. A World Cup lands on North American soil, college athletics is rebuilding its enforcement arm from scratch after House, sports betting is consolidating under fifty different regulators, and live entertainment is operating under an antitrust remedy. Every one of those storylines runs through a lawyer. This edition recognizes thirty-three of them, from the general counsel of the NFL to the first in-house lawyer the ACC ever hired.
First-chair legal responsibility, or a mandate broad enough to shape how the organization takes risk. Titles were taken verbatim from the organization’s own filing or page.
The work in front of them right now is consequential: a competition rewrite, a regulatory build, a transaction, a new venue, a new league.
Every entry traces to a league, team, company or regulator source. Aggregator listings were discarded on sight, and four candidates were held back rather than published unverified.
Ted Ullyot
Became the NFL’s top lawyer on May 1, 2025, succeeding longtime general counsel Jeff Pash. Previously general counsel of Facebook.
Amanda Oliver
Named to NASCAR’s executive leadership team under new CEO Steve O’Donnell in April 2026.
Anastasia Danias Schmidt
MLS’s top lawyer, overseeing expansion, club transactions, governance, labor and litigation. Previously SVP and deputy general counsel at the NFL.
Carlos Kuri
Oversees U.S. Soccer’s legal function, from federation and member compliance to appeals, contracts and litigation, alongside a corporate development mandate.
Jeff Perconte
Promoted to general counsel of the MLBPA in March 2026, succeeding Matt Nussbaum, and leads the union’s legal department.
Jessica Presnall
Named the SEC’s chief legal officer and general counsel in November 2025. Arrived from the Big 12, where she was chief operating officer and general counsel.
Anil Gollahalli
Big Ten legal chief since 2022, overseeing legal, governance, risk and NCAA matters, and integral to the conference’s expansion and media rights agreements.
Pearlynn Houck
The ACC’s first in-house general counsel, hired in 2023. Manages conference legal and risk matters and serves as Secretary to the Board of Directors.
John Bramlette
First head of operations and deputy general counsel at the College Sports Commission, helping build the post-House enforcement body and advising on revenue sharing, NIL and roster rules.
Kenneth R. David
Joined the Mets on December 1, 2025 as general counsel and a member of the executive leadership team, overseeing legal across business and baseball operations. Previously a senior partner at Kasowitz.
Eunice Nakamura
Promoted to executive vice president and general counsel of the Rangers in April 2026, after joining the club as senior vice president and general counsel in February 2025. Previously general counsel and chief legal officer of Susan G. Komen.
Kamaal Jones
Joined the Orioles in January 2025 from Monumental Sports & Entertainment and oversees all in-house legal and compliance for the club.
Bryan Warner
Leads the legal function at MSG Sports, the company behind the New York Knicks and New York Rangers, since October 2024. Previously deputy general counsel and company secretary at Budweiser Brewing Company APAC.
Christine Masse
Named chief legal officer for the combined Sounders and Reign business enterprise in October 2024. Previously a 25-year partner at Miller Nash.
Lauren Strackbine
Senior vice president and general counsel of the Sharks, leading the club’s legal function across business and hockey operations.
Jagjoth BhullarIn network
Deputy general counsel for the Sharks, covering the legal work behind an NHL club’s business and hockey operations.
R. Stanton Dodge
DraftKings’ legal chief since November 2017, spanning the company’s expansion across legalized U.S. sports betting.
Joshua Jessen
BetMGM’s chief legal officer since November 2022, hired as deputy general counsel earlier that year and elevated within months. Previously a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in privacy, cybersecurity and data innovation.
Alex Smith
Chief legal officer of Fanatics Betting and Gaming since March 2026, promoted after four years building the sportsbook’s legal, regulatory and compliance function from its earliest days. Previously regulatory counsel at FanDuel, an associate at Skadden, and a U.S. Army artillery officer.
Chris Rogers
Holds a combined strategy and legal mandate at PENN, which relaunched its online sportsbook as theScore Bet in December 2025.
Francisco Arias II
Named UFC general counsel in July 2025, after business and legal affairs roles in television and film.
Jeremy KolmanIn network
Vice president and deputy general counsel at BetMGM, the sports betting and iGaming venture of MGM Resorts and Entain.
Allen Lo
Chief legal officer of both MSG Entertainment and Sphere Entertainment since March 2026, after intellectual property leadership roles at Meta and Google.
Jessica Natali
Chief legal officer for Live Nation’s U.S. Concerts business since 2021, after leading the company’s mergers, acquisitions and strategic investments. Twelve years with Live Nation, previously a corporate and securities associate at DLA Piper.
Julie DeCecco
Executive vice president and general counsel of Vail Resorts since February 2024, after seven years as the company’s deputy general counsel. Previously vice president and associate general counsel at DaVita.
Shazmah Hakim
Named Oak View Group’s chief legal officer in April 2026, after serving as chief legal officer of Remington Lodging and Hospitality.
Jon Olsen
Promoted from deputy general counsel to general counsel in May 2026, following Topgolf’s separation from Topgolf Callaway Brands.
Christa D’Alimonte
Former Paramount Global executive vice president, general counsel and secretary. Joined the agency now known as THE·TEAM as chief legal officer in October 2025.
John Raleigh
Leads legal and M&A at Learfield, a leading media and technology company in college athletics.
Janet Nova
RedBird’s first general counsel, previously the NFL’s deputy general counsel for media and league business affairs.
Michael BelsleyIn network
Partner and chief legal officer at Arctos, one of the first investment firms built around minority stakes in professional sports franchises.
Michael C. MillerIn network
Legal and administrative chief at Sportradar, the sports data and technology company behind much of the betting and broadcast ecosystem.
Felipe M. MendezIn network
Runs legal and administration for the Seattle host committee of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, one of sixteen host cities across North America.
This list lives on inside the series.
Every leader recognized here becomes eligible for a full editorial feature, a long-form conversation about how they built the function, what they got wrong, and what they would tell the lawyer coming up behind them.
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