Sports Law: Stephen Curry, the NCAA and the week that was
By Blake Yagman
The final week of September 2017 was among the most consequential weeks in the space where sports, public policy and the law collide.
As a result, this week marks the very first FanSided weekly recap of recent, significant sports law stories.
Although the implications of sports law news and scandal lack the same immediacy of a box score, the effects of sports law issues shape how the games are played and how American society interacts with them. The sports industry is unique in the respect that almost every type of law affects how industry operates.
For example, sports contracts, like television rights deals, endorsement deals and player contracts, are pivotal to any fan’s understanding of how their hometown franchise goes about their business. Intellectual property law, like Copyright and Trademark, protect the integrity of live broadcasts and brand value, respectively. Employment and labor law work in tandem to protect players and employees through the formation of unions; the unions then represent the players collectively in collective bargaining negotiations with their league.
From the President of the United States to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the past week in sports has been chock full of a surprise cast of characters dominating the headlines in the sports world. From a broader, public policy perspective, the sports industry is continues to occupy a greater share of the American economy than in years past.
Check out this week’s major sports law stories: