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Name |
Sean McCarthy |
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Company website / linkin profile / other public online presence |
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Where are you from (city / state) |
Aurora, NE |
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Where did you go to college (name / city / state)? |
Iowa State University - Ames, IA |
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How where you involved in the Sports Law Program as a law student? |
The bulk of my involvement was through the Sports Law Review, both as an editor and then as a member of the Editorial Board member. I was also heavily involved with various internships through the NSLI (Northern Illinois and Nebraska) that helped get me started into my career in college athletics. Additionally, I stayed involved through the speakers/alumni that were brought in to share their perspectives with students. |
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What experience was most valuable for you within the Sports Law Program? |
For me the most valuable part of my experience in the Sports Law Program, were the internships that I took part in. As someone who a took a slightly "nontraditional" career path with my law degree, the internships that I had working in various athletic compliance offices were critical for me in getting my start into the profession. Additionally, they also helped me to really get an early start on building that network within the compliance profession. Connections that I had built through my internship at Northern Illinois ultimately led to me getting hired on at EMU. |
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What is your current job (title / organization)? |
Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance - Eastern Michigan University |
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How did your participation in the Sports Law Program prepare you for your current position? |
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Aside from the internships that I've touched on, other aspects of the Sports Law Program were incredibly beneficial for me in my current role. The wide array of courses that offered within the program, especially those that were college athletics specific, have been instrumental in giving me a firm grasp of the broader picture within this profession (beyond just compliance). Understanding certain areas of law (even at a fundamental level) such as Title IX and Antitrust are critical given the evolving landscape of college athletics. Additionally, in my dealings with coaches and administrators, it puts a premium on not making mistakes when conveying information or NCAA rules (no different than any other legal profession). The experience with the Sports Law Review has helped me in a sense that it trained to me be incredibly detailed oriented and specific in my writing. |
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Would you recommend participation in the Sports Law Program to incoming admitted students? If yes, why? Please include any advice for these students as well. |
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Without a doubt, yes. The Sports Law Program is going to provide with a wide array of opportunities, both in the classroom and professional experiences, that will help to prepare you for your career. You're going to build your network that you'll carry with you long after you leave law school. No matter what type of law or even level of sports you think you want to work in, this program will have something for you to experience. In terms of my advice, I would simply tell students to get involved in as many things as possible. No experience (internship, course, speaker, etc.) should be off the table. You never really know what one experience may spark for you and how you see your career. The other piece of that is that you're going to get out of this program what you put into it. If you really want to invest your time and energy into pursuing what the Sports Law Program has to offer, you're going to have an incredible experience with it, both in the short and long-term. |