Sports Law

Most Sports Law students are passionate about sports, and would love to work in the field of Sports Law. That goal has shaped the content of this book. Although there are precious few opportunities for students to become sports agents, there are thousands of other opportunities available for lawyers in the world of sports. Leagues, conferences, schools, teams, shoe and apparel companies, equipment companies, and media (both electronic and print) have jobs that would be fabulous for a sports nut with a law degree.

Thus, although this book does have a chapter on Sports Agency, it covers a broad range of other topics and issues, dealing with both professional and amateur sports. Familiarity with a variety of topics will provide the best foundation for students to determine which aspects of Sports Law they would like to pursue.

This book is designed to be used in three types of classes. First, these materials can be used in a standard 2 or 3 credit law school Sports Law course. In addition, the book includes explanations about the elementary principles of each legal topic (e.g., torts, contracts, constitutional law, antitrust, etc.) so that professors who teach Sports Law to undergraduates can use it in their classes. Those same explanations also make the book appropriate for graduate students studying Sports Law in many graduate programs, such as Exercise and Sports Management.

About the author:

Professor Russ VerSteeg has been involved in sports since childhood. In high school he pole vaulted and ran cross country. After a brief stint on the track team during his freshman year in college, he hung up his spikes and focused on academics. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1979) and Magna Cum Laude from the University of Connecticut School of Law (1987). Between college and law school, he taught high school and coached track and cross country. Professor VerSteeg has taught at New England Law | Boston, MA, since 1991, and specializes in Sports Law, Copyright, Trademarks, and Legal History. He has published seven books and over 25 law review articles (five relating to pole vault safety). He has crusaded to improve pole vault safety and serves on the USATF Women's Pole Vault Development Committee and as legal adviser for the Pole Vault Safety Certification Board. Russ also volunteers as the pole vault coach at the Norwich Free Academy in Connecticut.