What is “Sports Law” and Who Is a “Sports Lawyer”?
During December, I will be periodically blogging about a variety of sports law topics. Although sports-related legal issues frequently arise (almost daily) and interest the general public as well as lawyers, most people fail to appreciate the breadth and complexity of “sports law.” I recently wrote the following column on this topic for the December 2008 issue of The Young Lawyer, a newsletter published by the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division:
It is a common misperception that “sports law” is a narrow field populated primarily by lawyers representing professional athletes, sports leagues, or clubs who have specialized expertise in sports-specific laws. To the contrary, “sports lawyers” represent a wide variety of clients who need legal advice and representation that usually requires knowledge of several general areas of law.
Virtually every field of law regulates or is relevant to one or more aspects of youth, high school, college, Olympic and international, professional, or recreational sports.