ABSTRACT
Governance most individual sport leagues, tours, and players’ associations organize and operate their own licensing programs, as do some intercollegiate athletic departments. Sport organizations place a high value on protecting their images and marks because they established a strong sense of brand identity, loyalty, and commitment from their fans, which organizations work for decades to develop and to strengthen. Protected images and marks are an important source of revenue, which is generated directly through the fees and royalties paid for their use and indirectly by strengthening the loyalty of a paying fan base. The licensing programs in professional sport leagues are administered by a for profit branch of the organization generally referred to as a properties division. These divisions approve licensees, police trademark infringement, and distribute licensing revenues equally among league franchises. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
