The course involves students in an exploration and understanding of the many ways in which law and lawyers intersect and impact the multi-billion-dollar industry that is high school, collegiate, and professional sports. It will provide a basic legal foundation for those who are merely curious as well as those considering legal representation of players, coaches, teams, leagues, schools, media, sports equipment companies, or other sports related institutions and individuals (or work as an agent). Examples of subjects covered are: common contractual processes and provisions (league-team, agent-player, player-team; "private association law"), judicial oversight of institutional self-governance and commissioner enforcement (due process), antitrust implications of leagues, labor law (player associations), gender issues, intellectual property (broadcast rights, merchandising; players’ right of publicity and endorsements; equipment), criminal and torts law (injuries; drugs; on and off field).

This site is a resource for University of Iowa College of Law students enrolled in Nicholas Johnson's Spring 2012 Sports Law class. If you are not a member of the class you are free to use this site, but you are requested to respect the confidentiality of the participants as well as the copyright rights of those whose material may be posted or linked from here. Please email me (UI template: firstname-lastname@uiowa.edu) -- using nicholas-johnson -- with any concerns, suggestions, questions or other responses to this site. Thank you. -- Nicholas Johnson, December 14, 2011.