Alexis Ohanian Forms LA Golf Club Joined by Serena and Venus Williams
NEW YORK, June 12, 2023 – Leading international law firm Proskauer is pleased to announce it advised TGL in connection with the first of six team ownership groups that will compete in TGL’s inaugural season commencing in January 2024. Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six (776), joined by Serena and Venus Williams, have formed the Los Angeles Golf Club (LAGC), and have acquired the rights to a TGL team representing L.A. after a competitive bid process.
LAGC will be L.A.’s newest sports team and one which will reflect the city’s rich sports culture, thriving technology scene and diverse community. Ohanian is also the principal owner and founding investor of L.A.’s NWSL Angel City FC, which was named Sports Business Journal’s Team of the Year in 2022.
TGL is an innovative golf league developed by sports executive Mike McCarley, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports in partnership with the PGA TOUR that fuses technology and live action with teams of PGA TOUR stars competing in a purpose-built arena in Palm Beach, Fla. across a season of primetime matches starting in January 2024. Technology is a foundational element of TGL, offering fans an innovative, shorter format presentation of team golf, featuring some of the PGA TOUR’s biggest superstars.
“TMRW Sports continues to break new ground in the worlds of sports and technology,” said Rob Freeman, co-head of Proskauer’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications Group and a member of its Sports Law Group. “We are thrilled to continue to partner with TMRW Sports in their growth and success and are excited to welcome LAGC to the TGL league.”
“Proskauer is the premier sports law firm and their vast experience in league and team structures has been incredibly beneficial for us as we’ve begun to add ownership groups for the inaugural season of TGL. We could not have a better partner as we navigate the intricacies of team sales and governance,” said TMRW Sports General Counsel Chris Murvin.
Currently, 12 players are committed to playing in TGL including five of the top 10 players in the world. The initial list of committed players has won 28 major championships, 188 PGA TOUR wins and collectively has ranked as the World No. 1 for 885 weeks.
Proskauer and TMRW Sports have formed a deep relationship since the organization was founded by McCarley, Woods, and McIlroy in 2022. The Firm serves as primary counsel to TGL, including on its formation, corporate structuring, team sales, sponsorship, media, and operations.
The Proskauer team was led by partners Rob Freeman (Sports Law; Technology, Media & Telecommunications) and Grant Darwin (Mergers & Acquisitions) and included associates Sean Wildes and Theresa Smith (Sports Law). It also included partner Amanda Nussbaum and associate Aaron Lee (Tax); partner Kate Napalkova and associate Katrine Magas (Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation); and associates Jay Frankel, Peter Cramer and Jiyoon Kim (Technology, Media & Telecommunications).
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We are 800+ lawyers serving clients from 12 offices located in the leading financial and business centers in the Americas, Europe and Asia. The world’s leading organizations, companies and corporations choose us to be their representatives in their most critical situations. But more, they consider Proskauer a strategic partner to drive their business forward. We work with asset managers, major sports leagues, Fortune 500 companies, entertainment industry legends and other industry-redefining companies.
For more than 55 years, Proskauer has advised the world’s premier sports organizations on their most critical and complex matters. Our lawyers play a pivotal role in the transactions, negotiations and litigations that are at the leading edge of the business of sports.