Sports are big money, and the latest edition of New Jersey Lawyer focuses on a wide range of topics surrounding sports law.
A number of articles in this edition take a look at student-athlete name, image and likeness rights, also known as NIL rights, such as the one by Nicholas A. Plinio and Gregg E. Clifton, who tell readers what to expect in 2021 and beyond. Andrew Bondarowicz provides a wider perspective in “The NCAA’s Historical Challenges with Antitrust Issues and Its Current Battle for Continued Relevance.”
In “It’s All About the Benjamins: College Athletes Getting Paid for Their Name, Image and Likeness,” Desha Jackson and Victoria Nguyen make it clear that NIL is a problem that is not going away, and that students are finally going to be able to cash in on their sweat equity.
The issue of female sports professionals making less than their male counterparts—and the frustration of the players, their agents and lawyers—is addressed in “The Fight Off the Field: Legal Issues Surrounding Compensation of Female Professional Athletes,” by Mari Bryn Dowdy and Mailise Marks.
“Title IX and the Continuing Fight for Gender Equity in Athletics,” by Jan L. Bernstein and Gregory L. Grossman, goes to the core of sports participation and representation. William P. Deni provides a unique outlook on the New Jersey Fair Play Act in his article, “New Jersey Fair Play Act Creates an Uneven Playing Field for Lawyers: Athlete Agents for College Students Held to Different Standard.”
Christopher C. Schwarz examines whether the Supreme Court’s decision on sports gambling opened the door for corruption in esports. And David P. Pepe takes a look at how St. Louis Cardinals centerfielder Curt Flood changed baseball labor agreements by refusing to be traded.
Lastly, the issue rounds out with a question-and-answer feature on what it means to work in sports law and another on how some athletes have translated their sports experiences into legal work.
To read the New Jersey Lawyer, visit njsba.com.