This year’s SELC will be on Friday January 28th, 2011 at the White Stag Building in Portland, Oregon.
Panels and discussion will start at 9:15am and run till 4:30pm.  Registration will be from 8:00am – 9:00am.

This site will tell you want you need to know about registration, panels, panelists, directions to the White Stag, and much more!

[Register now: http://www.uoregonlaw.com/selc2011]

Please note that we’ve moved our blog onto our main site: http://nationalsels.org/home/

We will no longer be updating this site. If you are an author, please contact us so we can get you set up at the new site.

Thanks for reading!

With the New York state deficit hitting $8 billion, steps need to be taken in order to right the ship that is the state’s budget. Recently New York Gov. David Paterson stated that the projected deficit for the upcoming fiscal year has grown by an additional $750 million. There’s no doubting that the Empire State is in dire straits trying to fix their deficit.  It is extremely difficult trying to balance a state budget at a time when the country as a whole is going through some of its most difficult economic hurdles in recent history. This forces us to take a fresh look at which programs will continue to receive funding. As a result, the state has been forced to cut, reject, and outright shut down many state programs and projects in order to make some type of movement out of the red and back into the black. Many of these budget cuts (like closing down state parks and cutting funding to public schools) were rampant and have cast an unfavorable light on politicians in Albany in the eyes of many New Yorkers. However, something must be done in order to fight the ailing state economy. As coincidence has it, a good fight might just be the answer to the budget problems.

On June 16^th, the New York State Senate passed a bill to legalize MMA in the state in an effort to help amend the state’s financial problems. Opening the floodgates for MMA in New York would be more of a benefit to the state than it would to the MMA Industry. For years, promoters have happily held venues in nearby New Jersey. Mixed martial arts competitions like UFC, among others, have been banned in the state because many lawmakers felt it was too brutal of a sport (even though other legal sports like football and hockey can be just as- if not more- brutal). With the passing of this new bill, fans will finally be able to support their home state and local venues. MMA events would potentially have access to one of the most active metropolises in the world- New York City. There are dozens of great venues surrounding the state who have been capitalizing on this opportunity for years. At the UFC’s most recent event held in New Jersey, there were more New York residents in attendance than NJ natives. Fortunately state legislators have finally come to the realization that legalizing MMA will open access to a new revenue stream that it gravely needs.

By welcoming MMA in the state, as much as $11 million in economic activity could be generated for each event held. This activity ranges from salaries paid to venue workers, to an increased interest in martial arts training academies and dojos, and to tourism dollars spent in the surrounding area. At every step of the way, tax revenue is generated. Governor Paterson expects over $2 million generated annually if the bill is passed. The MMA organization UFC (who would play a large role in scheduling events in the state) is broadcasted in over 170 countries, made $5.1 million in Pay-Per-View sales in 2007 alone, and averaged 30.6 million viewers in that same year. This is 3 years ago mind you; the figures projected for the next fiscal year are much higher. This type of outreach is bound to benefit the state and bring thousands to events, thus helping the economies of struggling New York state cities.

Holding events isn’t the only way that this bill will help bring money to the state of New York. In fact, the broad reach of allowing MMA to be legalized is something that will affect participants in the sport from top to bottom. For example, people who run mixed martial training gyms and programs will see a huge revenue generating boost in enrollment that will give many the chance to train and compete in their home state. This bill may even have the effect of preventing violence instead of causing it (which opponents of the bill argue) because it will allow many kids to go someplace safe after school. Studies have shown that when at-risk children are trained by mentors in a disciplined sport such as MMA, they are less likely to become involved in criminal activities. This is one of the most important aspects of the bill from a human perspective, and one of the greatest reasons why this bill needs to be passed.

Every once in a while, a sport can transcend its origins and become a true cultural phenomenon. This is what MMA could be for the state of New York and that is precisely why this bill needs to be passed. The New York budget is going through one of its worst economic times ever, but by legalizing MMA, it can help to fight back against the deficit and make a difference in the lives of millions of New Yorkers.

Update:

As of the morning of June 29^th, 2010, the state assembly quashed the proposed bill which would legalize the sport. The efforts to block MMA in the state are led by a Mr. Bob Reilly, Assemblyman of the 109^th district. You can read some of his stances in an interview conducted by Ben Fowlkes of cagepotato.com last year. If you visit that link, pay careful attention to his inconsistencies and question-dodging. This man claims to be a lifelong fan of boxing, but some of his comments in that interview are quite surprising.

Although this decision is a big setback for the industry, this is not the final word for the measure. New York is one of only 6 states which blindly ignore this sport. With your support, new revenue and jobs can be still be created.

Alexia is a lifelong fan of sports and fitness. Recently, she’s been smitten by Mixed Martial Arts. She is happy to be representing MMA Industries, proud suppliers of MMA gloves to athletes around the world. Alexia continues to bring you the latest news in the mixed martial arts world on everything from the most advanced MMA equipment to the newest MMA shirts.

The Supreme Court decided American Needle yesterday, and there are a couple things I want to mention:

First, Michael McCann has a great article that explains the decision in plain English. 

In the related shameless-self-promotion arena, I also have a new article out on SSRN that discusses the NFL’s tax status. I tried to make it as readable (humorous) as possible. Check it out if you have a chance.

*This site is in NO WAY affiliated with the NFL. Use of Logo is for purely educational purposes (logo links to NFL site).

In association with the Santa Clara University Athletic Department

Current Sports Law Issues: Concussions, Steroids, and The Use Of Player Images

Keynote Speaker: Alan Schwarz, Reporter, New York Times

Lunchtime Speaker: William Neukom, Managing Partner, San Francisco Giants

For notice of online registration, more details, and other updates, click here.

The University of Maryland School of Law’s Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Association (EASL) is hosting its first EASL Week, starting on Monday, April 12th.

The first event is a brown bag lunch with Damon Jones, the General Counsel of The Washington Nationals, who will discuss, among other things, the “greening” of Nationals Park and recent publicity rights litigation.

They are inviting all attorneys, students, and guests to attend this and other EASL Week Events.  Check www.law.umaryland.edu/EASL for events; all are free and open to the public.

The Institute for Information Law and Policy at New York Law School

&

the Media Entertainment Sports Law Association

Present:

Sports Law Symposium

Please join New York Law School’s IILP and MESLA on Monday, April 5, 2010 for its first ever Sports Law Symposium. There will be panels throughout the day and a networking reception at 6:15 pm.

Location:

Event Center (W201)

New York Law School

185 W. Broadway

New York, NY 10013

Legal Issues in Running a Professional Sports League and Stadium 12:45-1:45

Jessica Berman (Associate Counsel, NHL)

Mark Stefanacci (Chief Operating Officer & Legal Counsel, NJ Sports Exposition Authority)

Susan Cohig (Senior Vice President, NHL Integrated Marketing, NYLS alum)

Hot Topics in Sports 2:00-3:15

Jon Wertheim (Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated)

Michael McCann (Sports Illustrated Legal Analyst, Vermont Law School Professor)

Gabe Feldman (Associate Professor and Director of Tulane Sports Law Program)

Matthew Pace (Sports Lawyer, Herrick, Feinstein)

Robert Boland (Professor of Sports Management at NYU, columnist at the National Football Post, and Counsel to the coaching representation firm Premier Stinson Sports)

Breaking into the Sports Industry 3:30-4:45

David Soskin (Assistant Counsel, ESPN, NYLS alum)

Paul Haberman (Sports Lawyer and NYCLA Sports Committee Chair)

Robert Boland (Professor of Sports Management at NYU, columnist at the National Football Post, and Counsel to the coaching representation firm Premier Stinson Sports)

Luis Barragan (Director of Programming, HBO Sports)

Licensing and Endorsement Deals in Professional Sports- 5:00-6:15

Michael McCann (Sports Illustrated Legal Analyst, Vermont Law School Professor)

Betsy Goff (Former executive, ABC; former Vice-President, ESPN; former Vice-President, IMG legal)

Robert Freeman (Sports Lawyer, Proskauer)

Kenneth Gordon (Counsel, ESPN)

David Mayer (Assistant Counsel, ESPN)

Networking Reception in the Event Center 6:15-7:15

Please RSVP to Naomi.Allen@nyls.edu by March 31st

Arizona State University’s Sports and Entertainment Law Students Association is pleased to announce its annual Sports Law Symposium, to be held from 9:00 am — 12:00 pm on Monday, March 29th, 2010.  It will be in the Great Hall in Armstrong Hall on ASU’s Tempe Campus.

Click here for more details.

The pay structure of minor league baseball players is organized between three minor league farm systems.  They are organized as follows: class AAA, class AA, and class A leagues.  The Major League Baseball Offices is in charge of handling the contracts of minor league baseball players. While both the minor league and major league were founded around the same time, the earning potential of a major league player are significantly greater than a minor league player.  The top four highest paid players in the major league all earn over $20 million dollars. This is significantly higher then any minor league baseball player earns
The current salary system for the minor leagues is a follows:

•    First contract season: $850/month maximum.
•    Alien Salary Rates: Different for aliens on visas – mandated by INS
•    Triple-A – First year: $2,150/month, after first year no less than $2,150/month
•    Class AA – First year: $1,500/month, after first year no less than $1,500/month
•    Class A (full season) – First year: $1,050/month, after first year no less than $1,050/month
•    Class A (short-season) – First year: $850/month, after first year no less than $850/month
•    Dominican & Venezuelan Summer Leagues–no lower than $300/month

The current system for minor league baseball players allows for open negotiations beyond players first year.  The pay scale between the minor leagues and major leagues is just one of many problems that exist in baseball.  One related issue is the salary cap. The issue with the salary cap has always arisen when talking about baseball pay structures.  The fact that these minor league players are barely making ends meet, while their upper league counterparts are making over a 100 times more, shows some major flaws in the system.  It is just as much fault to the minor league affiliates as it is to the major league, as the minor league affiliates have no part in the paying of their player’s salary.   Many people in baseball argue that strong salary caps are needed in the major leagues.  The question of fairness comes to mind when thinking about making restrictions to the salary cap.  Is it fair that the New York Yankees can stack their line up with perennial all-stars by spending hundreds of millions of dollars, while a smaller market team like the Pittsburgh Pirates can barely afford to keep their players? Where do we draw the line?  Other leagues such as the NBA and NFL have had no problems setting a salary cap, which puts an equal playing field between all players no matter what market they are playing in.  It is obvious that a team can win with an all-star lineup, but the real challenge comes when teams are faced with having to develop their young players and building your organization from that pool. The minor league develops players for the major league, but what good is that going to do if teams such as the New York Yankees aren’t looking to their farm system for help, but grabbing the best player in the free agent market.  I had the opportunity to talk to minor league pitcher Garrett Broshuis, who is part of the San Francisco Giants farm system on his thoughts on the salary cap system. When it came to the salary cap issue, Broshuis believed in the idea of increased revenue sharing, while also expressing the importance of bringing equity to the game.  On sharing his thoughts on ways we could resolve this problem, Broshuis said, “There are many ways to increase minor league salaries. A pure salary increase from the MLB teams would be the easiest solution, but there are other methods of accomplishing this also. Simply paying for rent, whether it be the MLB team or the minor league club paying, would be a step in the right direction as well.”   In order for baseball to return to America’s favorite past time, the game needs to redistribute money between the minor and major leagues to create a more unified league

Jonathan Lee

•    “Minor League Baseball:Official .” General Minor League Baseball Info. 07 May 2009. MILB. 24 Jul 2009 <http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/info/faq.jsp?mc=milb_info&gt;.
•    Associated, Press. “Who are the highest paid players in Major League Baseball for 2009?.” Real Time Sports 08 April 2009 2. Web.24 Jul 2009. <http://www.masslive.com/sports/index.ssf/2009/04/who_are_the_highest_paid_playe.html&gt;.
•    “MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement.” 2007. MLB. 24 Jul 2009 <http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/pdf/cba_english.pdf.&gt;.

http://m2.wnymedia.net/files/2008/08/minor-league-logo.jpg

The Harvard Committee on Sports and Entertainment Law and Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law are pleased to announce the 2010 Spring Sports Law Symposium at Harvard Law School.  The event will take place on Friday, March 26, 2010, and is open to the public, free of charge.

The theme for the symposium is “Operating in the Shadow of Upcoming Collective Bargaining Negotiations.”  Each of our panels and keynote address will shed light on the key issues facing each league as it approaches the expiration of its collective bargaining agreement.  In addition to discussing the key issues that will need to be resolved to avoid a labor stoppage in each league, we will explore how the labor uncertainty is affecting current operations within each league, and how any sort of a labor stoppage might affect the short-term and long-term interests of each league.  In exploring each of these issues, we will draw from our panelists’ varied backgrounds to fully understand what is at stake for the leagues, teams, unions, players, and other entities close to the game.

Schedule of Events
Sports Legacy Institute Kickoff Lunch – 12:00-1:00 (Pound 334/335)
NFL Panel – 1:15 – 2:30 (Pound 101)
NBA Panel – 2:45 – 4:00 (Pound 101)
Keynote Address – 4:15 – 4:45 (Pound 101)
MLB Panel – 5:00 – 6:15 (Pound 101)
Cocktail Reception – 6:30 – 8:00 (Austin West Rotunda)

Sports Legacy Institute Kickoff Lunch – 12:00-1:00 (Pound 334/335)
Chris Nowinski, President and CEO, Sports Legacy Institute
Sean Morey, Arizona Cardinals

Pete Kendall, NFL Player

Christian Fauria, Former NFL Player

Isaiah Kacyvenski, Former NFL Player
Moderated by Professor Peter Carfagna, Harvard Law School

NFL Panel – 1:15 – 2:30 (Pound 101)
Adolpho Birch, Vice President of Law and Labor Policy, NFL
David Feher, Partner, Dewey & LeBoeuf

Neil Cornrich, President, NC Sports
Sarah Stuart, Senior Counsel, Reebok
Moderated by Professor Michael McCann, Vermont Law School

NBA Panel – 2:45 – 4:00 (Pound 101)
Jeffrey Mishkin, Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Hal Biagas, Executive Vice President of Management, Wasserman Media Group
Michael Zarren, Assistant General Manager and Team Counsel, Boston Celtics
Matthew Hong, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Turner Sports
Robert Tilliss, CEO, Inner Circle Sports
Moderated by Professor Peter Carfagna, Harvard Law School

Keynote Address – 4:15 – 4:45 (Pound 101)
Robert Manfred, Executive Vice President for Labor Relations, MLB

MLB Panel – 5:00 – 6:15 (Pound 101)
Daniel Halem, Senior Vice President, General Counsel for Labor, MLB
Derek Jackson, Vice President and General Counsel, Florida Marlins
David Prouty, Chief Labor Counsel, MLBPA
Timothy Slavin, Assistant General Counsel, MLBPA
Joseph Rosen, Partner, Brown & Rosen
Moderated by Jimmy Golen, Associated Press

Cocktail Reception – 6:30 – 8:00 (Austin West Rotunda)
Presentation of the Paul C. Weiler Award

A map of the Harvard Law School campus can be found here: http://www.law.harvard.edu/about/map.html