Gordon I. Kirke QC (born 1945/1946) is a Canadian sports and entertainment lawyer, university professor, and commentator on radio and television.
He has been legal counsel to the Toronto Blue Jays since 1976, and prepared the original documents which led to the team's foundation.
He regularly appeared as a commentator on Off the Record with Michael Landsberg and on Sportsnet 590 The Fan radio with Bob McCown.
He was introduced to sports and entertainment law, working under Herb Solway who had ties to the Labatt Brewing Company, which was active in 1977 Major League Baseball expansion discussions.
[1] Other notable contracts Kirke worked on include Joe Carter, Roberto Alomar, Carlos Delgado and Roger Clemens.
He has also been a guest lecturer at other schools in Canada and the United States,[4][7] and has been published in journals and authored legal articles.
Kirke was involved in negotiating the player's lucrative contract after the Eric Lindros trade to the Philadelphia Flyers.
[2] In the year 2000, Kirke was a managing partner in Sportsco International Corporation led by Pat Gillick, which submitted the highest bid in a court-supervised auction, to purchase the SkyDome where the Toronto Blue Jays played.
[9] In 2001, Kirke co-founded KSR Sports Representatives Incorporated, and began working as an agent for professional athletes.
[8] He represented the Toronto Maple Leafs in recruiting a new president and general manager, and the signing of Brian Burke to fill the role.
[14] Kirke has regularly appeared in media as a commentator on Off the Record with Michael Landsberg on The Sports Network, and Sportsnet 590 The Fan radio with Bob McCown.
Notable clients include professional wrestler Bret Hart, and race car driver Kat Teasdale.
[1] Kirke has been legal counsel to sports businesspeople including, Gord Ash, Paul Beeston, John Bitove, Ken Derrett, Rick Dudley, Pat Gillick, Chris Overholt, Richard Peddie, Keith Pelley, and Tom Wright.
[1] He has served as a volunteer director for charitable organizations including, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports, Children's Aid Society, Easter Seals, Prostate Cancer Canada, Scarborough Distress Centre, Scarborough Health Network, Special Olympics, and Tennis Canada.
[5][7][8] He also went to Kandahar with the Canada men's national ice hockey team to provide entertainment to Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan.