Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons^™

Monopoly Sports Leagues, Stephen Ross

Stephen F Ross

This Article argues that the government should break up both Major League Baseball and the NFL to provide for competing economic entities in each sport. Part I details the harm monopoly sports leagues cause in several different markets and explains why a competitive league structure can correct such harms. Part II discusses why regulatory solutions are poor substitutes for competition as a means of redressing these harms. Part III explains why neither baseball nor football is a "natural monopoly" and argues that no persuasive evidence suggests that rival leagues cannot exist in those sports. Part IV examines how the antitrust …

Sports And The Law: Text, Cases, And Problems, 5th, Stephen Ross, Paul Weiler, Gary Roberts, Roger Abrams

Stephen F Ross

This casebook introduces students to the fundamentals of labor, antitrust, and intellectual property law as applied in the professional and amateur sporting industries. It covers the unique office of the league commissioner and special concerns with the “best interests of sports”; the contract, antitrust, and labor law dimensions of the player-labor market; the peculiar institution of the player agent in a unionized industry; the economic and legal implications of agreements among league owners and responses to rival leagues; the system of commercialized college athletics governed by the NCAA and how law impacts individual sports like golf, tennis and boxing; as …

The Hidden Ball Trick: Major League Baseball’S Collective Bargaining Agreement Attempts To Hide Tobacco Use By Players, Lee N. Gilgan

Lee N Gilgan

No sport has failed to protect its players, fans and the public from tobacco to the degree of Major League Baseball. The statistics of tobacco are shocking, especially within the sport. While some stadiums have made steps toward a remedy, the Collective Bargaining Agreement and State Law need to become the primary source of regulation.

A Constitutinal Analysis Of The Ncaa’S New Autonomous Governance Model And Its Effects On Student Athletes, Non-Athletes, And Professors – Is The Termination Of Uab’S Football Program Just The Beginning Of Things To Come?, Tyler N. Wilson

Tyler N Wilson

No abstract provided.

Going To Bat For The "Baseball Rule", Benjamin G. Trachman

Benjamin G Trachman

No abstract provided.

Critical Look At The So-Called Locker Room Mentality As A Means To Rationalize The Drug Testing Of Student Athletes, Walter Champion

Walter T Champion Jr.

No abstract provided.

"You Miss 100% Of The Shots You Never Take": Virginia High School League's Policy Violates Title Ix By Preventing Transgender Student Athletes From Taking A Shot At Participating In Athletics, Sarah M. Jacques

Sarah M Jacques

No abstract provided.

After Further Review: Whether The College Football Playoff Falls Short Of The Antitrust Marker, Jude D. Schmit

Jude D Schmit

Throughout the annals of college football’s most storied traditions, perhaps the most powerful is its legacy for determining championships not on the field but from behind closed doors. This Article looks at the sport’s history of anticompetitive behavior in determining a national champion, including a look at the new College Football Playoff (“CFP”). Despite the CFP’s ambition, the structure does not right the wrongs inflicted by preceding structures and is ultimately subject to potential antitrust attack. Nonetheless, an expanded CFP format could level the playing field and, therefore, shield the structure from liability. This Article concludes that the current imbalance …

Invisible Labor, Invisible Play: Online Gold Farming And The Boundary Between Jobs And Games, Julian Dibbell

Julian Dibbell

When does work become play, and play work? Courts have considered the question in a variety of economic contexts, from student athletes seeking recognition as employees to professional blackjack players seeking to be treated by casinos just like casual players. Here I apply the question to a relatively novel context: that of online gold farming, a gray-market industry in which wage-earning workers, largely based in China, are paid to play online fantasy games (MMOs) that reward them with virtual items their employers sell for profit to the same games’ casual players. Gold farming is clearly a job (and under the …

The Deeply Flawed Inaugural College Football Playoff: A Call For Structural Changes To Protect Against Undue Commercialization, To Ensure Transparency, And To Systematize Democratic Due Process, Matthew M. Heekin, Bruce W. Burton

Matthew M. Heekin

This article contends that the new College Football Playoff system (CFP)—as formulated and administered in 2014—contains a series of serious flaws. The new CFP system needlessly incorporates an anti-democratic structure, lacks in the transparency required for sustainability in a democratic society, and endangers the longstanding tradition of the student-athlete in American college athletics. This article offers several detailed suggestions—in part modeled on the Administrative Procedures Act—to correct these flaws and move towards an improved CFP system.

Employing the benchmarks of television viewership and advertising revenues, some have declared the inaugural 2014 College Football Playoff a success. From the purely commercial …

Definitions, Religion, And Free Exercise Guarantees, Mark Strasser

Mark Strasser

The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects the free exercise of religion. Non-religious practices do not receive those same protections, which makes the ability to distinguish between religious and non-religious practices important. Regrettably, members of the Court have been unable to agree about how to distinguish the religious from the non-religious—sometimes, the implicit criteria focus on the sincerity of the beliefs, sometimes the strength of the beliefs or the role that they play in an individual’s life, and sometimes the kind of beliefs. In short, the Court has virtually guaranteed an incoherent jurisprudence by sending contradictory signals with …

The Ncaa's Transgender Student-Athlete Policy: How Attempting To Be More Inclusive Has Led To Gender And Gender Identity Discrimination, Elliot S. Rozenberg

Elliot S Rozenberg

No abstract provided.

Principles Of Contract Law Applied To Entertainment And Sports Contracts: A Model For Balancing The Rights Of The Industry With Protecting The Interests Of Minors, Richard J. Hunter Jr., John H. Shannon

Richard J Hunter Jr.

This paper discusses the context of common law and statutory materials dealing with a minor who participate in the entertainment and sports fields. The paper describes the changes undertaken as a result of several notorious cases involving prominent child actors and how the California legislature dealt with issues ranging from set asides of income, approval of contracts by a competent court of jurisdiction, recognition of the legitimate interests of all parties to the contract, to principles under which a minor would be precluded from disaffirming a contract. The paper then applies and extends the principles developed in entertainment contracts to …

Intellectual Property, Marathons, And Other Running Events, John C. Zwisler

John C Zwisler

No abstract provided.

Troubled Waters: Diana Nyad And The Birth Of The Global Rules Of Marathon Swimming, Hadar Aviram

Hadar Aviram

On September 3, 2013, Diana Nyad reported having completed a 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida. The general enthusiasm about her swim was not echoed in the marathon swimming community, whose members expressed doubts about the integrity and honesty of the swim. The community debate that followed gave rise to the creation of the Global Rules of Marathon Swimming, the first effort to regulate the sport. This Article uses the community’s reaction to Nyad’s deviance to examine the role that crime and deviance plays in the creation and modification of legal structures. Relying on Durkheim’s functionalism theory, the Article argues …

A European Solution To America’S Basketball Problem: Reforming Amateur Basketball In The United States, Jaimie K. Mcfarlin, Joshua Lee

Jaimie K. McFarlin

The system of amateur and collegiate basketball in America is flawed, as every year, thousands of young men and women pursue their basketball dreams under the shadow of a multi-million dollar, predatory business model. Integral to telling the history of the NCAA and AAU organizations are recruiting horror stories and other examples of young talents who were taken advantage of by unscrupulous actors, both of which continue today. The commercialization and professionalization of amateur basketball has fed an ecosystem of exploitation in which private actors and institutions capitalize on the American mantra of "amateurism." The European system of amateur athletics …

“Can I Profit From My Own Name And Likeness As A College Athlete?” The Predictive Legal Analytics Of A College Player’S Publicity Rights Vs. First Amendment Rights Of Others, Roger M. Groves

Roger M. Groves

Two federal court decisions during 2013 have changed the game for college students versus the schools, the NCAA and video game makers. This article explores whether for the first time in history these athletes can profit from their own name and likeness and prevent others from doing so. But those cases still leave many untested applications to new facts – facts that the courts have not faced. Particularly intriguing is how 21st Century technology will apply to this area in future litigation. No publicity rights case or article to date has explored the application of predictive analytics, computer programs, algorithms, …

Off-Road Torts: The Difficulties Of Representing A Client Injured Due To Defects In Vehicles Modified For Off-Road Use Or Injured Due To A Dangerous Condition Of The Land., Nicholas Morgan

Nicholas Morgan

No abstract provided.

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do: Examining Whether College Conference Exit Fees Are An Enforceable Form Of Liquidated Damages Clause, Adam T. Kahn

Adam T Kahn

No abstract provided.

Friend Or Faux: The Trademark Counterfeiting Act's Inability To Stop The Sale Of Counterfeit Sporting Goods, Jennifer Riso

Jennifer Riso

The demand for counterfeit sporting goods, such as jerseys and other apparel, is on the rise as the prices of authentic goods continue to increase. The Trademark Counterfeiting Act of 1984 criminalizes the import and sale of counterfeit goods, but is ineffective at addressing the demand side of counterfeit goods. This paper analyzes the history behind the Act and recommends ways to ensure that the act will stay relevant as technology makes it easier to purchase counterfeit goods.

New Jersey Goes “All In” For Sports Gambling: Examining The Constitutionality Of The Professional And Amateur Sports Protection Act, Tyler W. Mullen

Tyler W Mullen

Despite being illegal in all but a handful of U.S. jurisdictions, sports gambling has developed into a multi-million dollar industry. Eager to capitalize on the potential revenues, New Jersey recently challenged the constitutionality of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (“PASPA”), the federal sports gambling law. PASPA effectively prohibits the vast majority of states from operating or sanctioning sports gambling schemes. However, the particular methods that PASPA uses to achieve this objective raise serious federalism concerns. While the Third Circuit recently rejected New Jersey’s constitutional challenges to PASPA, this Comment argues that the court reached the wrong conclusions on …

A New First Amendment Goal Line Defense – Stopping The Right Of Publicity Offense, Mark Conrad

Mark A. Conrad

The use of images with the recognizable features of former NCAA student-athletes by a digital video firm has resulted in two highly publicized lawsuits by former college players claiming violations of their right of publicity. Thus far, two federal appeals courts – the Third Circuit in Hart v. Electronic Arts and the Ninth Circuit in Keller v. Electronic Arts -- have refused to dismiss their claims, concluding that the use of the player images constitute a valid cause of action. While their actions have garnered sympathy among the public and many scholars, it is the author’s contention that both lawsuits …

Bias In The College Football Playoff Selection Process: If The Devil Is In The Details, That's Where Salvation May Be Found, Matthew M. Heekin, Bruce W. Burton

Matthew M. Heekin

After sixteen years, the Bowl College Series (“BCS”) format for selecting a national college football champion has ended. Beginning in 2014, the BCS format will be replaced by the College Football Playoff (“CFP”) format. Unlike the BCS, which utilized a formula comprised of two human polls and one computer generated poll to match the number one ranked college football team against the number two ranked team, the CFP utilizes a four team playoff in post-season play. Without quantified standards or computer input, a CFP selection committee comprised of thirteen people will annually select four finalists to participate in two semi-final …

Applying The Non-Profit Duty Of Obedience In Litigation: Penn State, Paterno, Student-Athletes, & The Ncaa, Joseph M. Long

Joseph M Long

The fiduciary duty of obedience standard for non-profit leaders may offer a means to either externally challenge or internally refocus the decision-making of the NCAA leadership. The duty of obedience standard, as a tool in litigation, has been infrequently used. Nevertheless, a duty of obedience claim, if brought by the proper party, can complement or enhance an antitrust claim. As this paper will show, NCAA antitrust arguments often consider whether the NCAA has promoted amateur intercollegiate athletic competition. These arguments focus upon the NCAA’s mission statement and purpose. Since the mission statement is already a component of the antitrust litigation, …

The Court Of Arbitration For Sport And Its Global Jurisprudence: International Legal Pluralism In A World Without National Boundaries, Matthew J. Mitten

Matt Mitten

This article considers an issue of global importance that has received little scholarly attention: whether the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), whose developing body of lex sportiva is a form of international legal pluralism, provides an appropriate level of procedural fairness and substantive justice to the world’s athletes, who are subject to its jurisdiction as a condition of their participation in Olympic and international sports competition. It provides an overview of the CAS arbitration system and the very limited scope of national judicial review of its arbitration awards decisions. It concludes that the CAS is a procedurally fair private …

Out Of 'Control': The Operation Gold Exception And The Ncaa’S Susceptibility To Lawsuit Under Title Vi, Rob C. Burns

Rob C Burns

This Note looks at the bylaws of the NCAA and argues that certain bylaws concerning athletes competing in the Olympic Games, which permit American athletes to receive medal bonuses that their foreign counterparts cannot, are discriminatory on the basis of national origin in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

When Is Minority Not Minority: Ncaa Ignores Two Centuries Of Anglo-American Contract Law Respecting Legal Status, Matthew M. Heekin, Bruce W. Burton

Matthew M. Heekin

No abstract provided.

A New First Amendment Goal Line Defense – It’S Time To Stop The Right Of Publicity Offensive, Mark A. Conrad

Mark A. Conrad

What began as a novel subset of traditional privacy rights has led courts and legislatures to create a property-based right of publicity jurisprudence that has gone beyond its original goals and now crept into the traditional First Amendment domain of protection of artistic and creative rights. In the last two decades, courts have applied the “right of publicity” doctrine in various artistic contexts and various tests devised by the courts to balance the competing interests of free speech and commercial rights to one’s identity and image have produced a panoply of rulings, exacerbated by a lack of federal law and …

Sponsorship Implications Of The Lance Armstrong V. Usps Lawsuit, John A. Fortunato

John A Fortunato

Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 through 2005. At the height of his success and popularity Armstrong’s cycling team was sponsored by the United States Postal Service (USPS). Armstrong’s Tour de France victories were marred by speculation that he and his cycling teammates were using performance enhancing drugs. After years of denial, in January, 2013, Armstrong finally admitted in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that he had in fact used performance enhancing drugs. On February 22, 2013, the United States Justice Department announced that it had joined a lawsuit filed by former cycling teammate …

Expanding The Inner Circle: How Welfarist Norms Escape In-Groups, Alexander D. Jakle

Alexander D. Jakle

I explore the influence of social mechanisms by which welfarist norms come to be appropriate by those outside the social group for which they were developed, and how they lead to patterned deviance from the law. Drawing on literature from law and society, law and economics, political science, social theory, and other fields, I use original research from a qualitative study of amateur baseball players to analyze the interplay between norms, groups, and deviance. Relationships with agents is widespread, despite being against both NCAA Bylaws and most players economic incentives. To explain this seemingly irrational pattern of rule-breaking, I argue …