Covering the Intersection of Sports and the Law
I recently came across an article about a professional athlete who was driving his SUV and collided with another car. The woman driving the other car suffered neck and back injuries. This story is not particularly noteworthy, except for one fact. The athlete’s liability insurance limits are a minimal $25,000 (in Connecticut drivers are required to maintain a minimum [...]
I recently came across an excellent article by David Bradley Olsen, an attorney in Minnesota, concerning NCAA rules governing “family advisors.” The article, entitled Family advisors: What you don’t know can hurt you, is published on Let’s Play Hockey and details the NCAA’s rules prohibiting student-athletes from using agents and advisors. Hockey players and their parents would be well-served [...]
As you may have read by now, the UFL has suspended its training camp for 30 days and pushed back the start of its season due to financial issues. It’s fair to wonder whether this suspension will become permanent and the league will shut its doors. The Hartford Colonials are obviously affected by this development, [...]
Arkansas and Texas have attracted attention with legislative proposals regulating unethical sports agents. Both states have considered proposals that would impose harsh criminal penalties upon agents who break the rules. Under the Texas proposal, agents could be charged with felonies in connection with improper dealings with student-athletes and could be subject to a staggering 10-year prison sentence. “Far too many [...]
Sports Business Panel to be Held in Stamford M.O.D. Success, a networking group for young professionals in Stamford, Conn., is holding a sports business panel on Tuesday, May 24, 2011 from 7-9 p.m. at Butterfield 8 (112 Bedford Street). Panelists include: Dany Berghoff (VP, of Business Development at 21 Sports & Entertainment Marketing Group, Inc.) Brian Smith [...]
One of this morning’s panels at the Sports Lawyers Association conference discussed the regulation of athlete agents. The panel included counsel for the Texas Secretary of State, the entity charged with regulating agents in the Lone Star State – a significant responsibility considering there are 236 colleges in Texas. What type of regulatory system has Connecticut adopted for [...]
“A basic purpose of this Association is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an integral part of the educational program and the athlete as an integral part of the student body and, by so doing, retain a clear line of demarcation between intercollegiate athletics and professional sports.” -NCAA Bylaw 1.3.1 Amateurism, one of the NCAA’s guiding [...]
This article is based on “Negotiating Professional & Collegiate Coaching Contracts”, a presentation by Joel Corry and Craig E. Fenech, at the Sports Lawyers Association Conference. The dramatic salary increases in college and professional coaching has led to the emergence of a new area of sports law: the representation of coaches in contract negotiations. For a [...]
