Over on TaxProf Blog, Paul Caron has his annual traffic rankings for law professor blogs, and Sports Law Blog is #22 among them in terms of visitors and #23 in terms of page views. His numbers also show a 9% increase in visitors to our blog, and an 8% increase in page views on our blog, from 2009 to 2010. As always, we appreciate you checking our blog out and seeing what we have to say. more…
I was interviewed by Maggie Gray of Sports Illustrated/CNN video to discuss a new lawsuit filed by Carl Eller, Priest Holmes and others on behalf of retired and prospective NFL players. Their core argument is that the NFL lockout and various NFL restrictions on trade, including the draft, are illegal under federal antitrust law — an argument also made in Brady v. NFL — but unlike current NFL players, retired and prospective players are not members of the NFLPA bargaining unit. These players believe they too will be harmed by the lockout (for instance, various health-related programs for retired NFL players are funded in part by fines imposed on current players; with no football, no fines will be levied, and retired players’ programs will lose funding). In response, the NFL will likely argue that while they are not bargaining members of the NFLPA, the NFLPA nonetheless represents their interests. Here’s the video:
Here’s a link to a transcript of my interview with Lloyd Bergman of PBS. The transcript is admittedly long – the interview was for over an hour and we covered a TON of ground for PBS’ March Madness and Money feature.
Recently published scholarship includes:
Rachel Blumenfeld, Dog baiting abatement: using nuisance abatement to regulate dogfighting, 17 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 1 (2010)
Earlier, this month I joined several panelists — Russ Granik (former NBA Deputy Commissioner), Tom Penn (ESPN analyst and former Blazers Assistant GM), George Postolos (former President and CEO of the Rockets), and Andrew Zimbalist (noted sports economist at Smith College) – at the 2011 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics conference to discuss labor wars in the NBA and NFL. The panel was moderated by Jackie MacMullan, an ESPN columnist and author of several books, including a forthcoming one on Shaquille O’Neal.
Dr. John Carlos, who along with Olympic teammate Tommie Smith were criticized for protesting on the medal stand at the 1968 Mexico City Games, will discuss the evolving role of African American athletes in American culture and politics in a speech sponsored by the West Virginia University College of Law Sports and Entertainment Law Society. more…
Although legal disputes involving boxing do not occupy a large portion of my class time, there have been cases, notably involving breaches of contracts among boxers and promoters, that make for interesting reading and discussion. I use one or two to prove breach, damages and remedies. One of my favorites is Lewis v. Rahman, a courtroom brawl (if you will) that involved heavyweights Lennox Lewis and Hasim Rahman, where the court enjoin Rahman from engaging in any other fights over a 18-month period under he fight Lewis for the championship. For those teaching, it merits discussion of the outer limits of a “negative” injunction. more…
Next Monday, March 28, the Rutgers School of Law Camden Sports & Entertainment Law Society will be hosting a spots law panel with an NFL-focus:
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Dress codes often generate controversy. Consider the debate following the NBA adopting an off-court dress code 5 years ago. Dress codes attract critique because they normally limit attire choices to those considered mainstream, while disallowing dissenting styles, typically on grounds that unconventional attire can be “unprofessional” or “inappropriate.” From time-to-time, dress codes have also been viewed as insensitive to various race, ethnic, gender, and religious concerns. Nonetheless, dress codes are usually legal, and that is true of those imposed by malls, which want to ensure a positive shopping experience for customers.
Jared Pendak of the Valley News (serving Hanover New Hampshire and surrounding community) interviews me about how I got into sports law and also about the NFL lockout. Here’s an excerpt:
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