Steven Bank

UCLA Law professor.

Most tweets are about sports law or tax/business law. Tweets/replies are not legal advice

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

I know it will surprise everyone to learn that FIFA's hosting contracts entitle the organization to all concession fees

[Adam Crafton @AdamCrafton_]

Exclusive @TheAthleticFC

FIFA make last-gasp change to World Cup stadium rules: BANNING fans from bringing refillable plastic bottles, so fans must buy water in stadia

As of May, empty bottles permitted so fans could refill amid heat concerns. Not now

https://t.co/OuyjvgPoxN

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

Mark Noorzai, the principal owner of Oaks Sports Holding, tried to start a stand-alone lower division club in the area before when he submitted an application to NISA for a new club starting in 2023.

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

It looks like Ventura County FC's operators, Oaks Sports Holding Group, might be ending their relationship with the Galaxy in MLSNP and starting a new team in USL League One. Could be MLSNP's new private equity investors reduce the benefits for independent operators

[Simon Evans @sgevans]

Hearing the USL included five new clubs in its application to U.S. Soccer for (continued) sanctioning for the 2027 season. USL Championship: Atletico Dallas; USL League One: Sporting Cascades FC (Eugene), Port St. Lucie SC, Fort Lauderdale United FC, Ventura County Pro Soccer (name tbd)

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

Enjoyed speaking with @LauriePerez for the video segment of this piece on the World Cup safety plans for Los Angeles and how it might impact fan experience/attendance

[CBS LA @CBSLosAngeles]

Los Angeles County leaders outline 2026 FIFA World Cup safety plans https://t.co/YR0QwgzZIk

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

MLS needs to loan some of these goals to FIFA for the World Cup

[Major League Soccer @MLS]

8 GOALS IN THE FIRST HALF!?!

GET TO APPLE TV OR FOX NOW.

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

@pgklee According to reports, the US Attorney wanted to proceed with the case, but the SG (who represented Trump in USA v. Trump) ordered him to drop it. Not unusual for the SG to be involved in opposing a cert petition, but unusual to order them to dismiss the original indictment

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

A reminder that the indictments were abruptly dropped against those convicted FIFA corruption scandal defendants mere days after Trump was awarded the FIFA Peace Prize.

[Ken Bensinger @kenbensinger]

Two additional defendants had been appealing to the Supreme Court when the DOJ abruptly moved to drop their indictments in December. Now Judge Chen is reviewing that motion next week and Marin's estate and 3 other defendants want their indictments dropped too.

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

@pgklee Why didn't they move to vacate the indictment earlier, even before the 2nd Circuit decided the case? We don't know. What changed at the DOJ, specifically during this period in late fall 2025? We can only speculate.

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

@pgklee No mind reading or conspiracy theory. It's unusual to defend and win the reversal and then drop it when nothing changed legally and it risked upsetting other FIFA convictions, especially given the timing, but maybe that's just a coincidence.

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

@pgklee You have a bit more confidence in the independence of the current DOJ from the executive's personal interests and whims than most legal observers these days, but it would be nice if you were right.

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

@pgklee Even if there's an innocent explanation, the timeline creates the appearance of impropriety, which is why FIFA shouldn't have done the peace prize gimmick in the first place

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

@pgklee It's possible, but the timeline matches the narrative. FIFA announced the creation of a peace prize a few days after DOJ filed a motion to extend time to respond to the writ and FIFA's award of the prize was filed a few days before the brief was filed asking for dismissal

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

NASL can file for a rehearing en banc with the full 2nd Circuit or press on with an appeal to the Supreme Court. Both are long shots, but that hasn't stopped this litigation, which began in 2017, before. 2/2

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

NASL lost its appeal of the jury verdict against it in its antitrust lawsuit against US Soccer and MLS. The court ruled that NASL's claim that it was erroneously required to prove a relevant market had been waived. 1/2

[Michael McCann @McCannSportsLaw]

U.S. Soccer and Major League Soccer score a win against NASL at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, as the federal appeals court upholds last year's jury trial win in a $500 million antitrust case.

@Sportico has the details and analysis:

https://t.co/1t7eucnh4c.

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

@wcparker_829 More travel if you don't schedule two game trips (which is contrary to the safety rationale), the need for more staff (trainers, etc) b/c of overlapping seasons, the need for more fields/practice space

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

A 2-semester season is consistent with the US Soccer/NextGen White Paper recommendation for college soccer, but it omits a regionalized structure. That's the next step in making college soccer sustainable. Otherwise, the cost of 2 semesters will lead to programs being cut.

[NCAA News @NCAA_PR]

Committee adopts 2-semester playing season for DI men’s soccer.
https://t.co/jznRxJSURX

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

This is a strong argument for a Fall-Spring season, but how will this work in big, geographically-distanced, conferences? If you play 2 games in 3 days to save money on road trips, safety is still compromised. If you don't, expenses are unsustainable. Something has to give.

[College Soccer Truth ™ @ImCollegeSoccer]

3 games in 9 days and in some conferences it’s 4 games in 10 days with the current model……

…do you think that’s in the best interest of the kids?

It’s not!

20-22 games over 3 months is NOT in the best interest of the student athlete physically or mentally.

#CSTruth

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

It buys you a short-term international slot while you are waiting for another one to come open

[Corner Of The Galaxy @GalaxyPodcast]

I can imagine scenarios that let you wrangle things around for a short period of time. Might also buy you time during the Transfer window to bring someone in and then get somone out before he returns.

No cap relief, but the senior roster spot is opened.

#LAGalaxy #MLS

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

In other words, D1 non-revenue sports = Low D1 or D2/D3, where activity fees/tuition pays most sports costs. Ironically, this model can give the players more power and control than the current DI non-revenue model at tuition-dependent schools going through the demographic cliff

[D1.ticker @D1ticker]

New standard on the horizon? 🐏

@GoHeels AD @BubbaUNC believes there will be a shift in non-revenue athletics: "I do think we'll get to a bifurcated system … that will have two pay-per-play models. One is you will be paid to play your game and others you'll have to pay if you're going to play your game. And so that's where we're going to end up, I think, at some point."

Cunningham also offered a look into the transfer portal: "This past year, almost 50% of the Division I basketball players entered the portal. That just doesn't seem to be something that is good for the academy."

📰: https://t.co/Ihu7sGALWs

[Steven Bank @ProfBank]

@theAndyMead @WinterSportsLaw In theory, NCAA sport-specific committees already perform the rules/sport governance part, but if US Soccer, for instance, did that, you would get some rules alignment. On the broader issues, though, you at least need some broader org coordinating schedules for facility usage