Sports Litigation Alert Current Issue
Here’s the latest issue of Sports Litigation Alert, the nation’s only subscription-based periodical reporting on the intersection of sports and the law. We also publish 11 other sports law periodicals. Visit hackneypublications.com to learn more.
Case Summaries
Utah Court Less Than Charitable Towards Pro Sports Drug Testing Lab
By Gary Chester, Senior Writer The Utah Constitution provides that property owned by a nonprofit entity is exempt from property tax if it is used exclusively for charitable purposes. Would the tax exemption apply to a laboratory that tests blood and urine samples for...
From Sidelines To Stops Signs: A Clash Between Zoning Boards And Scholastic Athletics Expansion
By John E. Tyrell, Esq. and Joyce Adelugba, Esq of Ricci Tyrell Johnson & Grey The baseball game refrain reminds us to, “Root! for the home team, if they don’t win it’s a shame.” The lines between home and away blur when the surrounding neighborhood housing the...
National Experiential v. Chicago: Free Speech, Zoning, a Fight Over Commercial Displays, and the NBA All-Star Game
By Amelia Taylor In National Experiential LLC v. City of Chicago, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois dismissed several claims filed by National Experiential, LLC against the City of Chicago, the Chicago Sports Commission (CSC), and other...
DraftKings Loses Motion To Dismiss Class Action Consumer Lawsuit
By Christopher R. Deubert, Senior Writer When sports betting was legalized in Massachusetts in August 2022, Boston-based DraftKings made the Commonwealth the target of aggressive advertising. As sports fans have become all too aware in recent years, such advertising...
Judge Hands Partial Victory to Former Basketball Coach, Who Sues After Son Fails to Make Baseball Team
A federal judge from the Middle District of Florida has dismissed, in part, a lawsuit brought by a former middle school girls’ basketball coach, Althea Owens, who alleged that her son (E.S.P) suffered discrimination based on race when he tried out for the at Suwannee...
Articles
Alleging Gender Discrimination, Longtime Women’s Ice Hockey Coach Sues Harvard University
By Robert J. Romano, Senior Writer, JD, LLM, St. John’s University Longtime Women Ice Hockey Coach, Katey Stone, filed a federal lawsuit with the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts against the President and Fellows of Harvard College based on sex...
Could Matthew Sluka’s NIL Dispute Change the Game Forever?
By Joseph M. Ricco IV UNLV starting quarterback Matthew Sluka has made waves by deciding to redshirt the remainder of the 2024 college football season and leave the team, citing unmet promises regarding his Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) compensation. Sluka, who...
Trouble in The Beautiful Game – The New FIFA Club World Cup 2025
By John T. Wendt, J.D., M.A., Professor Emeritus, Ethics and Business Law, University of St. Thomas The Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels (FIFPRO) is the multi-national soccer players’ union. As FIFPRO states, they...
SLA President Elect Chris McCleary, GC of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Shares Insights
A seasoned leader, legal advisor, and guide with broad experience across a range of business and legal disciplines in U.S. and international matters, Chris McCleary will become president in 2025 of the Sports Lawyers Association, the preeminent organization for the...
PGA Decision on LIV Golfers Likely Lies in Antitrust Law, Not Magnanimity
By Christopher R. Deubert, Senior Writer The PGA of America recently announced that LIV Golfers would be eligible for the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup. The organization described the decision as designed “[t]o ensure the PGA Championship will continue to deliver...
Sports Law Expert Podcast Features Daniel Wallach, ‘Nation’s Preeminent Sports Betting Attorney’
Hackney Publications (HP) has announced that Daniel Wallach, founder of Wallach Legal (https://sportsgaminglaw.com/), has been interviewed on the Sports Law Expert Podcast. The segment can be heard here. Wallach is well-known in the sports industry as one of the...
Seattle Sounders FC And Seattle Reign FC Name Christine Masse as Chief Legal Officer
Seattle Sounders FC and Seattle Reign FC announced today the appointment of Christine “Chris” Masse as Chief Legal Officer of the greater business enterprise representing both clubs. Masse brings 25 years of extensive legal experience to the Sounders and Reign, with...
Shoshanna Engel Leaves Brown to Start Own Consultancy in Collegiate Athletics Space
Shoshanna Engel, former Assistant Vice President for Athletics and Recreation/SWA at Brown University and Past President of the National Association of Athletics Compliance, has started her own consulting firm – VH Consulting!Engel, who possesses great expertise in...
Sports Law Attorney Jeffrey Schlerf Joins Stinson in Tampa
Stinson LLP has announced the addition of Jeffrey Schlerf to the firm's Tampa office. Schlerf joins as of counsel in the firm's Bankruptcy & Creditors' Rights and Sports & Recreation practices. He also maintains an office in Wilmington, Delaware, to...
AI and Sports – Security vs. Privacy
By Jonathan Maddalone, of Baker & Hostetler LLP With the United States preparing to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, the race is on for venues, individual states and the federal...
Q&A with Concussion Expert Dr Alan Pearce About the Dangers of Concussion and Brain Injuries
Sporting organisations across the country and the world have began to implement concussion policies, along with a myriad of rules and regulations to ensure the effects of head injuries are mitigated. Recently, the PFA has worked with Preston Lions to provide support...
News Briefs
Gamers Say They Hate ‘Smurfing,’ But Admit They Do It — Study Reveals Complexity Behind Some ‘Toxic’ Gaming Behaviors
Online video game players believe the behavior known as “smurfing” is generally wrong and toxic to the gaming community – but most admit to doing it and say some reasons make the behavior less blameworthy, new research finds. The new study suggests that debates about...
NFL Player Suspended for Potential Concussion-Producing Play
Derwin James Jr. of the Los Angeles Chargers has been suspended without pay for one game for repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players, including during this Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. NFL Vice...