Connecticut Sports Law covers the intersection of sports and the law, inevitably touching upon the business of sports as well. Today’s sports fans seek more than the scores, the betting lines and the injury reports. Consider recent stories in the world of sports: speculation over Patriots QB Matt Cassel’s impending free agent status has run rampant. I’ve heard more people say “I wish I was Matt Cassel’s agent” than “I wish I was Matt Cassel,” quarterbacking the Patriots. (For the record, I have said both). At Notre Dame, the media and fans can’t help but inquire about coach Charlie Weis’ buyout clause rather than examine the causes for the Irish’s subpar play. At Indiana, the talk is of former basketball coach Kelvin Sampson and his 5-year ban from college coaching. The higher the level of competition, the more sports have become big business first, athletic competition second.
But yesterday, I rediscovered an aspect of sports that had nothing to do with law or business. Unable to attend my high school’s Thanksgiving Day football game (Natick, MA vs. Framingham, MA), I searched the internet for information on the game. I came across boston.com which hosted live chat room on high school football, including breaking scores. Settling into a recliner with my laptop, I began to read the messages. People from all over the county were checking in on their respective Massachusetts high school teams. There were even a few fans of my hometown Natick Redmen (now the politically correct Red & Blue) online. Someone mentioned Doug Flutie, Natick’s most famous alumni. An unfortunate Framingham Flyers fan claimed - most incorrectly - that Natick never won at Bowditch Field in Framingham. (In fact, Framingham hadn’t beat Natick on Thanksgiving at any field in six years).
The most poignant message came from a US soldier in Iraq, checking on his hometown team. After “Dan in Iraq” posted a message, another fan gratefully thanked him for his service. But Dan wanted to thank the boston.com reporter for bringing high school football to him on Thanksgiving. Clearly this soldier was enjoying the same feeling of connection to his hometown and memories of friends that I was, albeit in a war zone.
I continued to keep tabs on the score of the game, while remembering the images of the Thanksgiving Day game that I played in Framingham a mere 14 years ago: a capacity crowd braving freezing temperatures to watch a high school football game; our Captain, Brett Kelly scoring on a long touchdown and the photograph of the ensuing celebration appearing in the local newspaper; Coach Mike Dubzinski calling two consecutive quarterback sneaks to ensure that I would score a touchdown in my last high school game; and Mike Alves returning a kickoff for a touchdown. But most of all, I remember walking off the field with my teammates, having won only our third game of the season but feeling as if we’d won the Super Bowl.
Yesterday Natick lost 28-9, but the final score did not dampen my spirits. Even though I wasn’t back in Natick, I was able to participate in the game. I remembered the friends and teammates that cheered for and played for the Redmen. I remembered that sports are about connecting people. I remembered that while today’s collegiate and professional sports are overrun with legal and business issues, the purity of high school football remains.
Categories: Natick Redmen
Tagged: Business of Sports, Natick Redmen
Boston.com included an interesting note about the Patriots and their Thanksgiving spirit. Owner Robert Kraft and players Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris, Ray Ventrone, Larry Izzo, Matthew Slater and Kevin O’Connell handed out foodbaskets to 200 families at Goodwill in Roxbury, Massachusetts on Monday.
Perhaps more interesting is that Kraft reportedly includes a clause in every player’s contract that the player make 10 charitable appearances per year. That certainly sounds like a clause worthy of inclusion in today’s player contracts.
Categories: National Football League · New England Patriots
Tagged: New England Patriots, Robert Kraft, Player Contract
Bill Simmons of ESPN.com writes about the proliferation of new stadiums in the NFL and the resulting deterioration of home-field advantage. Simmons argues that teams’ never ending search for new revenue streams has pushed true fans to the upper decks and out of the stadium completely, all to the detriment of the home team’s advantage of playing on their own turf:
Thirteen teams have built SOTAS (state-of-the-art stadiums) since 1999; 14 if you include Daniel Snyder’s overhauling of FedEx Field in 2004. Each stadium follows a similar let’s-rake-in-the-cash blueprint. The first section of seats hug the field. At the top of those sections, the club seats start. That’s followed by a phalanx of premium luxury suites. More luxury suites dominate the second section. And the majority of blue-collar fans are crammed into the upper decks. Fundamentally, it’s a flawed way to cultivate a home-field advantage; beyond the emotional compromises and festering resentment of the blue-collar fans, the newer stadiums don’t reverberate noise the same. Look at Lambeau or Ralph Wilson Stadium — just rows and rows of fans, one after the other, rising for something like 75 rows before you hit your first luxury box. Watching the Browns-Bills game Monday night, I found myself enjoying the fans as much as the contest itself. Now this was football!
NESN.com posted an article about college football in New England on the offensive side of the ball. UConn’s William Beatty is featured as the top offensive lineman in New England.
Categories: Colleges and Universities · National Football League · UConn Sports
Tagged: New NFL Stadiums, Sports Guy, UConn, William Beatty
UConn Head Football Coach Randy Edsall has denied interest in the head job at Syracuse. Nevertheless, the rumors have persisted. In fact, the Hartford Courant ran an article yesterday bearing the headline “Edsall Doesn’t Clarify Position on Coaching Vacancy.”
The cases of Nick Saban and Rich Rodriguez, whose hollow denials of interest in other coaching jobs, shortly before bolting for those very jobs, have jaded college football fans. Maybe Connecticut fans and sports writers are merely preparing for life after Edsall. Recent articles, however, provide the distinct impression that some are trying to build a case against Edsall, so that if he does leave, we can point out his deceit. Others, however, just seem upset that Edsall engages in the time-honored and Belichick-approved practice of providing as little information to the media as possible.
Rather than allow this anti-Edsall sentiment to continue unabated, take a hard look at the facts:
- Only 1 other school has moved from Division I-AA to Division I and earned an AP ranking faster
- UConn is 1 of 5 teams to move from Division I-AA to Division I and have a .500 or better record in each of its first 3 years in Division I
- In his 10th season, Edsall is the 13th longest tenured coach in Division I football
- Rentschler Field is sold out for most home games
- Huskies are now producing legitimate NFL players (Alfred Fincher, Deon Anderson, Tyvon Branch, Donald Thomas) and prospects (Darius Butler); in fact, 19 UConn football players have made it onto an NFL roster in the last 5 years
- UConn is scheduling more challenging opponents, such as Notre Dame and Tennessee, which can only improve exposure and recruiting
Randy Edsall has coached UConn for 1o transformative seasons. He has a contract to coach at UConn until 2012, with penalty provisions should he leave early. Hopefully Edsall will remain at UConn for another decade. But if he chooses to move on, can anyone seriously claim that he shortchanged UConn or its fans? Edsall would leave UConn football in a strong position for continued success. Rather than setting Edsall up to appear dishonest should he leave UConn, those interested in UConn football should appreciate what Edsall has accomplished.
Categories: Colleges and Universities · Connecticut Local News · National Football League · UConn Sports
Tagged: UConn Football, Randy Edsall, UConn Notre Dame Series
Two events are being held in Connecticut tomorrow for those interested in sports law and business.
The University of Connecticut School of Law is hosting a career panel tomorrow, November 19 at 12:30 pm, featuring UConn Athletic Director Jeff Hathaway and New York sports attorney Jeffrey Miskin. For more information, click here.
The Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce’s Sports Council will be hosting a program entitled “Post Season Sports Tournaments Impact on the Region.” Quinnipiac Athletic Director Jack McDonald and Yale Senior Associate Athletic Director Wayne Dean will lead the discussion. This event also will be held on November 19, at 8 am, at the Chamber’s offices in New Haven. For more information, click here for the event flyer.
Both are sure to be informative and enjoyable events.
Categories: Colleges and Universities
Tagged: Hathaway, Miskinh, Quinnipiac, UConn, Yale
November 14, 2008 · 1 Comment
Patriots QB 
Matt Cassel took one more step towards securing a big money contact in free agency, throwing for 400 yards, including 3 touchdowns, and running for another 62 in a heart-breaking loss to the Jets. Mike Lombardi, of The National Football Post, believes that Cassel’s value has increased to the point that the Patriots should designate him as their “Franchise Player” to keep him on the roster for next season. Whether Cassel stays with the Patriots or joins a new team, I’ll bet his agent is glad he stuck with him. Cassel’s story of perpetual backup to NFL starter is more than the season’s feel-good story. He has the opportunity to strike it rich.
UConn Football plays Syracuse tomorrow night. UConn Football Coach Randy Edsall’s name was recently mentioned in connection with the likely vacancy at Syracuse. My first reaction was that Syracuse is not a step up from the UConn program. After all, UConn is a ten-point favorite against Syracuse. I found this article on NESN.com that I think makes my case. If Edsall leaves, it won’t be a for a struggling team in the Big East.
In UConn basketball news, the school has signed a contract with Texas to play 4 games over the next six years. The Huskies and Longhorns will also play in 2010-11 at Texas, 2013-14 at UConn and 2014-15 at Texas. The football team isn’t the only UConn team looking for some challenging games.
Categories: Colleges and Universities · Connecticut Local News · NCAA · National Football League · New England Patriots · UConn Sports
November 13, 2008 · 1 Comment
Approximately 70,000 New England Patriots fans are preparing to brave the elements to watch tonight’s game against the New York Jets. However, the fans really left in the cold are those who live outside of the Boston area, where the NFL has decided not to simulcast the game on local television channels. Only fans in the Boston metropolitan area and Manchester, New Hampshire, will be able to see the game simulcast on ABC affiliates. The rest of New England - including Hartford - will not be able to watch the game unless their cable provider offers NFL Network and they subscribe to the channel.
The NFL once again blames the cable companies for shutting fans out. But to restrict New England to the Boston area is shameless, no matter who is responsible.
“The rest of the year they are the New England Patriots, but this week they are the Boston Patriots.” -Sena Fitzmaurice, Comcast Senior Director of Corp, Communications & Government Affairs
Once again, while fans should be talking about an exciting November football game between two teams vying for first place, they are talking about broadcasting rights.
Categories: National Football League · New England Patriots
Tagged: New England Patriots, NFL
November 4, 2008 · 1 Comment
As many of us spend tonight watching CNN’s interminable coverage of the Presidential Election, we will likely focus on the prevailing issues of the day: the economy, the Iraq War, and whether Sarah Palin can really see Russia from her backyard. In fact, election night is often a rare night off from watching sports. However, those involved with the ownership of professional sports teams certainly have a vested interest in tonight’s election. Darren Rovell, in his Sports Biz blog, provides much insight:
Sports team owners, in a collective sense, are rooting for John McCain to win the election tonight. That’s because in general, the politicians with the (R) next to their name not only stand for Republican, but for the values of the rich.
But it’s all not about the capital gains tax. Today, I’m here in Pennsylvania, where I continue to be confused by the Rooneys. After turning down $800 million in cash from Stanley Druckenmiller —clearly the highest bid for the Steelers—Steelers chairman Dan Rooney is not only supporting Obama, he has been campaigning for him. You’d think if you were even thinking about unloading the family fortune, you’d be Republican.
To see the rest of Rovell’s article, click here.
Perhaps what’s more interesting is the effect that this election and the current economic conditions will have on the business of sports in the coming years. Will owners be able to justify bank-breaking player contracts when their customers are looking to save more and spend less? Will businesses and corporations invest in a luxury box in a bad economy? Will owners be able to secure the financing necessary to fund new stadium projects and then expect the fans the pick up the tab via personal seat licenses (PSLs)?
We’ll just have to wait and see.
Categories: Sports business
Tagged: Dan Rooney, Darren Rovell, Election 2008, McCain, Obama, Steelers
I continued to keep tabs on the score of the game, while remembering the images of the Thanksgiving Day game that I played in Framingham a mere 14 years ago: a capacity crowd braving freezing temperatures to watch a high school football game; our Captain, Brett Kelly scoring on a long touchdown and the photograph of the ensuing celebration appearing in the local newspaper; Coach Mike Dubzinski calling two consecutive quarterback sneaks to ensure that I would score a touchdown in my last high school game; and Mike Alves returning a kickoff for a touchdown. But most of all, I remember walking off the field with my teammates, having won only our third game of the season but feeling as if we’d won the Super Bowl.
