Full Name
Charles Baker
Job Title
Partner and Co-Chair, Entertainment, Sports & Media
Company
Sidley Austin LLP
Speaker Bio
Charles Baker co-chairs Sidley’s Entertainment, Sports and Media industry group. Chuck represents investors in professional sports businesses and teams and advises on sports and entertainment transactions.
With decades of experience in the sports industry, Chuck has represented sports franchise purchases across multiple leagues, including the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer (MLS), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Hockey League (NHL), the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Liga MX, and multiple European football leagues. He also recently advised on the acquisition of minority interests in the Charlotte Hornets, the US$6.05B purchase of the Washington Commanders, and in the Los Angeles Lakers. Chuck also represented the owners of the Angel City FC and KC Current soccer franchises in their expansion into the NWSL. Recently he represented Genius Sports in its multiyear strategic partnerships with the NFL and the Canadian Football League (CFL), and represented fuboTV in its acquisition of France’s number-one live TV streaming company, Molotov SAS.
Chuck has been highly recognized in the field of sports and entertainment law by multiple national publications. Most recently, he was listed in Who’s Who Legal: Sports & Gaming 2023, and The National Law Journal named him to its 2022 list of “Sports/Gaming/Entertainment Law Trailblazers.” Sports Business Journal also named him to their 2021 “Power Players” list, and Law360 added him to their 2020 “Sports & Betting MVPs.” In 2019, Chuck was named to The American Lawyer’s “Dealmakers of the Year” and Variety profiled him in “Dealmakers Elite New York” in 2018 and 2017. His extensive knowledge and experience have consistently earned him recognition by Chambers USA for Sports Law in USA – Nationwide (2011–2023), where he has been described as a “very smart and astute transactional lawyer” and a “very strong practitioner” who is “well connected, incredibly bright and just able to get the deal closed” with “tremendous experience and know-how in the sports space.”
Chuck is an active board member for the March of Dimes and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He is also an adjunct professor and advisory board member of the University of Miami School of Law’s Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M degree program and a distinguished lecturer at NYU’s Tisch Institute for Sports Management, Media, and Business. Chuck was also a staff associate for former Senator Bill Bradley.
Prior to joining Sidley, Chuck was a partner at another international law firm, where he served as the co-chair of its Sports Industry Group.
With decades of experience in the sports industry, Chuck has represented sports franchise purchases across multiple leagues, including the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), Major League Soccer (MLS), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Hockey League (NHL), the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), Liga MX, and multiple European football leagues. He also recently advised on the acquisition of minority interests in the Charlotte Hornets, the US$6.05B purchase of the Washington Commanders, and in the Los Angeles Lakers. Chuck also represented the owners of the Angel City FC and KC Current soccer franchises in their expansion into the NWSL. Recently he represented Genius Sports in its multiyear strategic partnerships with the NFL and the Canadian Football League (CFL), and represented fuboTV in its acquisition of France’s number-one live TV streaming company, Molotov SAS.
Chuck has been highly recognized in the field of sports and entertainment law by multiple national publications. Most recently, he was listed in Who’s Who Legal: Sports & Gaming 2023, and The National Law Journal named him to its 2022 list of “Sports/Gaming/Entertainment Law Trailblazers.” Sports Business Journal also named him to their 2021 “Power Players” list, and Law360 added him to their 2020 “Sports & Betting MVPs.” In 2019, Chuck was named to The American Lawyer’s “Dealmakers of the Year” and Variety profiled him in “Dealmakers Elite New York” in 2018 and 2017. His extensive knowledge and experience have consistently earned him recognition by Chambers USA for Sports Law in USA – Nationwide (2011–2023), where he has been described as a “very smart and astute transactional lawyer” and a “very strong practitioner” who is “well connected, incredibly bright and just able to get the deal closed” with “tremendous experience and know-how in the sports space.”
Chuck is an active board member for the March of Dimes and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He is also an adjunct professor and advisory board member of the University of Miami School of Law’s Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M degree program and a distinguished lecturer at NYU’s Tisch Institute for Sports Management, Media, and Business. Chuck was also a staff associate for former Senator Bill Bradley.
Prior to joining Sidley, Chuck was a partner at another international law firm, where he served as the co-chair of its Sports Industry Group.
Speaking At