S. College Sports

College sports is undergoing one of the most significant transformations in the history of American sports. Since 2021, the Supreme Court has challenged the NCAA’s compensation rules, NIL has become a multi-billion dollar industry, and a $2.8 billion class action settlement has fundamentally restructured the economics of intercollegiate athletics. We are currently witnessing a “race to the bottom” as states compete for athletic talent through inconsistent regulatory patchworks, while federal intervention—by the Executive and Legislative branches of US Government—remains a dynamic and highly politicized vector of change.

This seminar is an introduction to college sports law. It will both introduce students to college sports law issues and challenge students to participate in shaping this dynamic, fast emerging area of law with rigorous legal thinking and original scholarship. We will evaluate and discuss the interplay between NCAA rules, conference rules, state and federal legislation, federal oversight, and the role of the judiciary, with particular attention to how college sports law intersects with broader issues of antitrust, intellectual property, civil rights, health and safety, economics and player rights.

The goal of this course is to foster critical thinking and scholarly analysis. Students will be expected to produce original legal/policy research that contributes to the discourse on how college sports law should be shaped.