News: Steve Thompson profiled in article "Sports interest lets him do well, and do good"

The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin profiled Steve Thompson in an article titled "Sports interest lets him do well, and do good".  The article focuses on Steve's representation of mixed martial artists and his involvement as chair of the Foundation Fighting Blindness' Ultimate Fantasy Hockey Draft.

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Having grown up north of the Illinois state line, where frozen ponds can become hockey rinks in the winter, Steven J. Thompson initially got involved with a group that helps the blind because, well, they had a hockey-themed fundraiser.

“But I continued with it because of the people I met through the foundation who are struggling with retinal degenerative diseases,’’ said Thompson, a partner in Ungaretti & Harris LLP. “Blindness is about the most scary, uncertain thing somebody has to face.

“You meet these people who are losing their eyesight, and the incredible spirit they have is amazing. They can just stay positive, focused and looking ahead toward figuring these diseases out,’’ Thompson said.

For the past 14 years, the Madison, Wis., native has worked with the Foundation Fighting Blindness. Since 1996, he has chaired a fundraiser hosted in conjunction with the Chicago Blackhawks.

This year, the event will be held on April 11 at the United Center and includes a dinner and fantasy draft in which teams of four select players in the National Hockey League playoffs. The winning team receives skybox seats for a Blackhawks game next season.

The event also occurs in other cities, and the national winner gets tickets to the NHL All Star game in Atlanta next year. In Chicago, the tables of four require a $2,500 charitable donation.

“We have a very loyal core of guys who have done this almost every year,’’ Thompson said.

Former Blackhawks skater Denis Savard, the current coach, is expected to attend, and former hockey star Stan Mikita might be there as well. Jack O’Callahan, a member of the 1980 United States Olympic team that was featured in the movie “Miracle,’’ co-chairs the event.

When he’s not busy with the Foundation Fighting Blindness, part of Thompson’s law practice involves a completely different kind of fighting.

That became apparent when he brought a pair of fingerless, padded leather gloves into an Ungaretti & Harris conference room during the interview for this column.

“You can see it leaves the palm open so you can punch and grab and wrestle to the ground,’’ Thompson explained, putting a glove on.

Thompson, 44, represents mixed martial arts fighters and expects more growth in a client base, now about two dozen strong, that he has developed in a partnership between the firm and a fighter he has represented.

The fighters — who can be seen punching, kicking and choking each other on television programs that feature the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the International Fight League — need lawyers now more than in past years.

“It used to be, ‘Hey I’m having an event. Will you show up and fight? I’ll pay you $500.’ Now it’s licensing, promotion, television rights and rights to the name and likeness and all the legal stuff you would expect,’’ Thompson said.

“I’ve got guys with six-figure deals. I’ve got one guy on a seven-figure deal, and they’re fighting all over the world,’’ Thompson said. “We have three or four guys in the UFC. And the UFC is making money hand over fist.’’

Compared to the more traditional combat sport — boxing — the mixed martial arts battles are more interesting and humane, Thompson said.

More interesting, he said, because the guys can use all of the martial arts disciplines to fight on their feet or on their backs.

“Mixed martial arts started because somebody had an idea 25 years ago: who would win if you put a boxer in with a karate guy? And those are really mismatches. When you had a martial artist and a boxer, the boxer really didn’t have a chance. Now, all the guys have all the tools.

“And although at times it can look kind of rough, tough and bloody,’’ Thompson acknowledged, “it’s a lot more humane for fighters than boxing. Boxing is about repetitive head injuries. You try to get the other guy’s brain sloshing around until he falls down.

“We have knockouts in mixed martial arts but not as often. And when you practice for mixed martial arts, you aren’t just going in the gym and hitting each other in the head. So you don’t see those long-term effects,’’ Thompson said.

In addition to those reasons, there’s another reason why Thompson enjoys representing mixed martial arts fighters.

“The finality of it,’’ he said. “A lot of what we do in the litigation business goes on and on and on. It’s never resolved to anybody’s satisfaction. In this business, I do fight deals, we show up for a fight, we have a fight, we get a result and then we move on to the next one.’’

But he hasn’t completely avoided the courtroom in the fight business.

In fact, the way he got started representing fighters was through a case involving Matt Lindland, who initially had been left off the United States Greco-Roman wrestling team for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

Lindland appealed the decision, and the case took several turns as it traveled through the legal system.

In the end, the U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois sided with Lindland and an appeals court confirmed it. The ruling became final when U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens denied a motion to stay the order.

Lindland went on to win the silver medal that year. These days, Lindland trains the fighters, and Thompson manages them.

Next month, Thompson and Lindland are headed to Russia for a match.

But before that, Thompson has the Foundation Fighting Blindness event, and tables are available. To reserve tickets for the dinner, call (847) 680-0100.

Reprinted with permission from Law Bulletin Publishing Company.