Last month I had the opportunity to participate in a sports law conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.  This event–styled Arab Lex Sportiva–was billed as the first ever sports law conference in the Arab world, and it was held in the conference center where the 1994 Israeli-Jordanian peace accords were signed.

It was fascinating to see how a culture very different than our own is trying to come to grips with the globalization of world sport.  I spoke on the intersection of copyright law and sports broadcasting, particularly as it has been affected by the TRIPS agreement.  As always, I end up learning an enormous amount.

It was  also fascinating to see how well known Marquette is in sports law circles, even in Egypt.  To my surprise, the local advertising for the event touted the fact that there would be a speaker from Marquette University, as well as representatives from FIFA, CAS, and other international sporting agencies.  Several people attending the conference asked me about the LLM program for foreign lawyers, and expressed interest in enrolling (if they could figure out how to pay the tuition).  Most of the non-Arab speakers were from Europe, and almost every one of them inquired about Professor Mitten, who seems to be known by the entire international sports community.

My personal highlight came when a speaker from Greece mistook me for Marty Greenburg.