July 9, 2009
Hackney Publications, publisher of Sports Litigation Alert and Legal Issues in Collegiate Athletics, has launched a new publication entitled “Legal Issues in High School Athletics“.
I am pleased to report that I will be joining Holt Hackney and Robert Romano as a contributing editor of this publication. Click here to view the first issue of Legal Issues in High School Athletics.
Also, see the Press Release below:
Hackney Publications, publisher of Sports Litigation Alert and Legal Issues in Collegiate Athletics, announced today the debut of the newsletter Legal Issues in High School Athletics(LIHSA).
LIHSA will include up to a dozen case summaries, articles and analysis discussing the inherent legal issues affecting high school athletics. The newsletter will be published on a bimonthly basis and will feature the writing of long-time sports law journalist Holt Hackney, publisher of Sports Litigation Alert and Legal Issues in Collegiate Athletics. Joining Hackney as contributing editors are Daniel B. Fitzgerald, a Connecticut attorney and publisher of the blog Connecticut Sports Law (http://ctsportslaw.com), and Robert J. Romano, also a Connecticut attorney and President of the Romano Sports Agency.
To see a complimentary copy of the first issue, visit http://hackneypublications.com/lihsa/issues/2009/LIHSA-2009-July-August.php
“This is an emerging area of sports law, which is under served by the legal publishing industry,” said Hackney. “As editor of Sports Litigation Alert, I have noticed an innumerable number of coaches, athletic directors and school districts, finding themselves on the wrong end of a lawsuit.”
As attorneys practicing in the area of sports law, Fitzgerald and Romano believe the arrival of LIHSA is long overdue.
“There are a myriad of legal issues that arise in high school athletics on a daily basis.
LIHSA can increase awareness of these issues in the minds of high school coaches and athletic directors” said Fitzgerald. “At the same time, LIHSA can be a valuable tool for superintendents, school board attorneys and law firms that practice in the area of sports law.”
Romano says that “LIHSA provides a unique resource, with a combination of current case summaries and practical legal articles relating to legal issues in high school athletics.”
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Blog News, High School Sports | Tagged: Hackney Publications, Holt Hackney, Legal Issues in Collegiate Athletics, Legal Issues in High School Athletics, Robert Romano, Romano Sports Agency, Sports Litigation Alert | 
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Posted by Dan Fitzgerald
April 17, 2009
Memorial Field, home field of the Natick High School football team, epitomizes New England high school football. The field is located a short walk from the school, with a tree-lined street and a pond in between. The layout is simple, with steel gray bleachers, concession stands and a light bulb scoreboard. Perhaps the most unique feature is the stadium lights, hung on impossibly tall telephone poles, allowing Natick to play its home games on Friday nights. The only advertisement in sight is the word “NATICK”, written in thick, white, block letters against a fire-engine red background on the press box, perched high above the home team’s sideline. This element, however, is likely to change.
The Natick School Department, faced with a $4.7 million shortfall, is considering selling advertisements for display in its athletic facilities.
At first thought, the idea almost seems sacrilegious. In a time where professional sports are professional sports, and major college sports are professional sports, there is a something refreshing about a field covered only with boundaries, yard-markers and hash marks. But given the economic times isn’t it a better alternative to cover a field with advertisements than cut a sport, coach or athletic program?
In some areas of the country advertising has been a part of high school athletics for years. Naming rights to high school stadiums have been sold. Even personal seat licenses (PSLs) have been sold at the high school level. Exclusive licensing deals with beverages and apparel manufacturers have been entered into.
Advertising might further blur the line between amateur athletics and professional athletics. We might prefer to keep advertising out of amateur sports. But the reality is that advertising will permeate high school sports and sports facilities. Schools that refuse to take advantage of advertising opportunities may find themselves, at best missing out on a ready revenue stream, and at worst, losing athletic programs.
Stay tuned for additional coverage of “Friday Night Rights” and advertising in high school athletics.
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High School Sports, Natick Redmen | Tagged: Advertising in high school athletics, Memorial Field, Natick Redmen | 
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Posted by Dan Fitzgerald
June 3, 2008
A Connecticut non-profit group, Environment and Human Health, Inc., has recommended that a moratorium be placed on new fields or playgrounds that use ground-up rubber tires:
There is enough information now concerning the potential health effects from chemicals emanating from rubber tire crumbs to place a moratorium on installing any new fields or playgrounds that use ground-up rubber tires until additional research is undertaken.
The full report can be viewed here. In short, the group recommends that additional research must be taken to study the potential health risks of exposure to ground-up tires. Athletic Management has also offered its perspective on the use of synthetic turf from the perspective of an athletic director.
At this point, it appears that the health risks from playing on turf are minimal, although not entirely clear. The issue is now being studied with significant intensity by a variety of parties, including the federal government, various states, environmental groups and the turf industry itself. At present, the legal issues facing the turf companies are likely limited to whether these fields are deemed unsuitable for play and must be replaced. Accordingly, various warranty, breach of contract and other actions could be brought against the turf companies. However, should someone attribute an illness to exposure to materials on such fields, a new group of product liability claims could arise.
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Colleges and Universities, High School Sports | Tagged: Environment & Human Health, Inc., Synthetic turf | 
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Posted by Dan Fitzgerald
May 20, 2008
In wake of the closing of four artificial turf fields in New Jersey due to concerns over dangerous amounts of lead, a Connecticut field in West Haven has been closed and others are under scrutiny. However, there has yet to be a study linking artificial turf to any health problems for those that compete on such surfaces.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is studying the levels of lead found in the nylon-based turf in light of New Jersey’s recent action. The results of the tests, or preemptive actions by concerned local officials could have a significant impact on athletic programs in Connecticut. While only four old-fashioned turf fields are still in use, there are 80 Field Turf surfaces in Connecticut, with more set to be installed.
Stay tuned for more news and analysis on this subject as it becomes available.
Leave a Comment » | Connecticut Local News, High School Sports | Tagged: Artificial turf. Field Turf, Connecticut, Lead, New Jersey | Permalink
Posted by Dan Fitzgerald
