Scarlet Speakers: The Business of Sports and Entertainment in Florida
Join a conversation with a panel of sports and entertainment professionals discussing how COVID-19 has affected those industries in Florida. Topics will include the legal and business side of athletics and entertainment, risk management, adapting to virtual experiences, the role of social media and marketing, and planning for an unknown future.
Panelists:
Michael B. Chavies RC’71, NLAW’74
Cassie McBride SAS’09
Myles Pistorius RC’93
Moderator:
Myron “Mike” Finkelstein, Executive Director, Rutgers’ Global Sports Business program
Special welcome by Peter March, Executive Dean, School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers University–New Brunswick
Chavies is a member of the National Championship Host Committee, was president and chair of the Orange Bowl Committee Board of Directors, and was a board member of Jobs for Miami. He is one of the most prolific and recognized trial lawyers in South Florida, having been lead counsel on or a judge presiding over hundreds of bench and jury trials.
McBride is general counsel for the Jacksonville Jaguars and All Elite Wrestling, LLC. She was associate counsel for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and began her legal career as an intern with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. She also has more than 10 years of media and technology experience as cofounder and president of Spysie Tech, a web development and consulting agency.
Pistorius is in his sixth season as senior vice president and general counsel of the Miami Dolphins. He joined the Dolphins after 15 years at the National Basketball Association, where he was senior vice president of business affairs and content and senior vice president of legal and business affairs.
Bios
Myles Pistorious started his legal career as a corporate associate with the law firm Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett in New York City. He was named senior vice president and general counsel of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium in June 2015. Since joining the Dolphins, he has represented the franchise and stadium on the Hard Rock Stadium naming rights deal, as well as in the Miami Super Bowl Host Committee’s successful bid to host Super Bowl LIV in 2020 and the College Football Playoff Bid Committee’s successful bid to host the 2021 championship game. He joined the Dolphins after 15 years at the National Basketball Association, where he had been senior vice president of business affairs and content and senior vice president of legal and business affairs. He received his law degree from Columbia Law School and a bachelor of arts degree with honors in political science from Rutgers as a James Dickson Carr Scholar in the Rutgers College Honors Program.
At just 26 years old, Cassie (Sadowitz) McBride became the youngest attorney to serve as general counsel for a professional football team. She assisted with the formation of Union Jax and the Union Jax Foundation, the Jaguars’ London-based branches of the franchise that support the growth of American football on a global scale in partnership with the NFL. Prior to joining the Jaguars, she worked as associate counsel for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She began her legal career as an intern with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. McBride also has more than 10 years of media and technology experience, serving as co-founder and president of a web development and consulting agency, Spysie Tech. She received her law degree from California Western School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in journalism and history/political science from Rutgers. She received The Daily Business Review’s 2016 Rising Star Award and was named California Western’s Rising Star for 2018.
Michael Chavies is one of the most prolific and recognized trial lawyers in South Florida, having been lead counsel on and presided as a judge over hundreds of bench and jury trials. His 13 years on the civic bench has uniquely positioned him to try cases in nearly every courtroom, State and Federal, in Florida. Recognized by Law360 in its “Minority Powerbroker” series for his leadership and influence in the legal community, Michael focuses on mentorship and professional development programs aimed at helping minorities advance their legal careers. To that end, he serves on Akerman’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, where he assists in the recruitment and development of new lawyers. In the community, Michael serves as presidentand chair of the Orange Bowl Committee Board of Directors, and served as a board member for Jobs for Miami.