Charles H. Baker

Charles H. Baker is a sports lawyer in the United States with experience in franchise transactions and sports industry dealmaking. Baker earned a J.D. from Cornell University Law School and began his career as a staff associate for former Senator Bill Bradley before establishing a legal practice focused on sports, entertainment, and corporate law. Before joining Sidley, Baker was a partner at an international law firm, where he served as co-chair of its Sports Industry Group.

Baker co-chairs Sidley's Entertainment, Sports and Media industry group. His corporate practice includes mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and venture capital transactions, with a focus on the sports, media, and consumer sectors. Baker has represented franchise owners across multiple leagues, including the National Football League, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, the National Women's Soccer League, Liga MX, and several European football leagues. Notable transactions include advising on the $6.05 billion purchase of the Washington Commanders, the acquisition of the Charlotte Hornets, and the acquisition of the Chicago Red Stars. Baker also represented the owners of Angel City FC and KC Current in their expansion into the National Women's Soccer League and Angel City's sale to Willow Bay and Bob Iger.

Baker represented the owners of the Premier Hockey Federation in their sale to launch the Professional Women's Hockey League, as well as the Professional Fighters League in a major investment transaction. He is a founder of Blue Crow Sports Group, a multi-club ownership group that owns Leganés in La Liga, Cancún FC in Liga MX, and Le Havre in Ligue 1. Baker has also represented Genius Sports in its strategic partnerships with the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and represented fuboTV in its acquisition of Molotov SAS, a leading live television streaming company in France.

Baker has been recognized by Chambers USA for Sports Law, Law360 as an MVP for Sports & Betting, Sports Business Journal's Power Players list, The National Law Journal's Sports/Gaming/Entertainment Law Trailblazers list, and The American Lawyer's Dealmakers of the Year. Variety profiled him in Dealmakers Elite New York.

Baker serves as an adjunct professor and advisory board member for the University of Miami School of Law's Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program and as a lecturer at NYU's Tisch Institute for Sports Management, Media, and Business. He is frequently featured in national publications and media outlets as a thought leader in sports and entertainment law and is a public speaker on these topics. Speaking engagements include moderating Same Owner, Different Jerseys: The Multi-Club Ownership Playbook at the Global Entertainment & Sports Law + Industry Conference, speaking on the Future of Women's Sports at the Front Office Sports and Athletes Unlimited Experience, and addressing The Growing Focus on Sports by Private Equity for the GalwayPlus ARENA Series. Baker is also a board member for the March of Dimes and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.