Hot Topics in Sports Law: What to Expect in 2021

While the COVID pandemic has greatly affected the sports industry, many other legal and business events also transpired in the last year that continue to have ramifications in 2021. Presented by Fordham University sports law professor Mark Conrad, this course will discuss the continuing tensions surrounding the NCAA and name, image, and likeness questions, both from the legislation and litigation side. The course will also discuss notable cases involving sports and the right of publicity, new labor agreements, the future of rights agreements in an age of increasing streaming, and the governance of both the professional leagues and the Olympic bodies. The discussion will also include a review of two important Congressional enactments in late 2020: The Empowering Olympic, Paralympic and Amateur Athletes Act, which gives Congress the power to dissolve Olympic bodies, and the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, which criminalizes international doping fraud conspiracies and give U.S. prosecutors unprecedented control over international sports doping. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Review the continued tug of war between the NCAA and states and the courts as college sports continues to be professionalized

2. Track the key provisions of the Empowering Athletes and Rodchenkov acts 

3. Discuss the provision of the latest NFL/NFLPA and NHL/NHLPA collective bargaining agreements

4. Identify the possible ramifications of cutbacks in college sports programs

5. Keep apprised of the latest developments in broadcast rights negotiations