Sports Law Program

The Evolution of Sports Law and Business From the 20th to the 21st Century (Friday, October 23, 2009)

Marquette University Law School's Sports Law program provides the nation's most comprehensive offering of sports law courses and student internships with sports organizations as well as opportunities to become a member of the Marquette Sports Law Review and the Sports Law Moot Court team. Our broad, well-rounded curriculum is designed to provide Marquette University Law School students with both a theoretical and practical education concerning legal regulation of the amateur and professional sports industries.

Students who are admitted to Marquette University Law School do not need to separately apply to be part of the Sports Law Program. All Marquette University Law School students are eligibile to participate in the Sports Law Program by enrolling in sports law courses, meeting the standards for membership on the Marquette Sports Law Review, being selected to participate in the National Sports Law Institute's internship program, or participating in the other parts of the Sports Law Program.

Students graduating from Marquette University Law School are then eligible to earn a Sports Law Certificate from the National Sports Law Institute. In the semester of his or her graduation the Institute will present the Certificate and a medallion to each student who has satisfied all Certificate requirements.

Sports law students learn about many specialized areas of law with general application outside the sports industry (e.g. antitrust, labor, intellectual property, federal disability discrimination laws, etc.) and develop contract negotiation, business planning, and transactional skills. They also learn how several related areas of law combine to govern a complex industry and how courts resolve competing policy concerns when different bodies of law intersect and conflict. The primary purpose of the Sports Law program, however, is to enhance our students' legal education. Virtually all of the knowledge and skills developed by students in sports law courses and internships are readily transferable and useful in serving clients in other industries.

Recently, our sports law students have also gained valuable internship experience with the NCAA, the United States Olympic Committee, Mandalay Entertainment Group, NIKE, Inc., Hicks Sports Group LLC, Genesco Sports Enterprises, Fox Entertainment Group, Inc., the Charlotte Bobcats, and Cleveland Browns. Some of our recent alumni are employed by the Marquette University Athletic Department, the Green Bay Packers, the Atlanta Braves, the Orlando Magic, the NCAA, Northern Illinois University, Octagon, Turner Sports, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the University of Wisconsin - Madison, among other organizations. Most Sports Law program alumni practice law and have a variety of clients, including some in the sports industry.