Abigail Watts-FitzGerald discusses her role as a go-to attorney for sports entities.
Q: How did you wind up a go-to attorney for sports entities? A: It started because a lot of these sports-related entities are nonprofits. The Orange Bowl Committee, for example, came to my prior law firm and said, "We need somebody with corporate law as well as nonprofit experience." I was the only one who happened to have both.
Q: Are there legal considerations specific to nonprofits? A: The IRS is looking with a great deal more thoughtfulness at these events, and unrelated business income tax is a big concern for a lot of nonprofits. You have to be careful. You can have quote-unquote sponsors, but you can't provide them excess benefits that are deemed to be advertising. When you provide advertising or certain exclusivity rights to your sponsors, then it's deemed to be unrelated to your charitable purpose and you get hit with income tax.
Q: Do you ever feel fully prepared for a major sporting event? A: Fortunately, we're very good at getting a lot of things done ahead of time, but there are issues that come up. Last year, an Orange Bowl sponsor that wanted to do a circus theme showed up on game day with a truckload of monkeys and camels. We couldn't let them in. We've got 72,000 fans, marching bands and Air Force jets going by at the speed of sound. This is not a petting zoo environment, and we could not take the risk of somebody getting injured.
Q: How has the fan experience changed since the 1980s? A: The TV networks drive everything now. The Orange Bowl used to put on very elaborate halftime shows, which were broadcast. Now, there's actually less of that, because during halftime the networks would rather capture their TV audience by showing game highlights.
Q: Would your law colleagues trade places with you, given the chance? A: All the guys in the office are jealous, because it is a lot of fun.
