From the Newsstands: This story appeared in The Eagle's December 2024 print edition. You can find the digital version here.
What exactly are sports? Some may argue sports are solely a business or just a spectacle of talent. The average fan might argue that their favorite sports are everlasting pastimes of unchanging rules. Rarely do fans pull back the curtain to analyze the institutions, laws and governing agencies behind the industry.
A newly offered course at American University does, examining the governance of various sports industries through a legal lens.
“Sports and the Law” was engineered by School of Public Affairs professor Kevin Boyle, who currently teaches the class.
Boyle said the course will become full-time, despite it currently being a non-recurring three-credit topic course in JLC-496. There are no prerequisites or major requirements.
Students in the class this year got to hear from impressive guest speakers, including former Olympic athletes. One panel of speakers included highly decorated track and field and marathon greats like Billy Mills, Matthew Centrowitz Sr., John Carlos and Bill Rodgers.
Assistant AU track and cross country coach Zach Prescott said the panel “was unreal ... It blew my mind to have the caliber of athletes that [Boyle had], it was really impressive.”
Beyond their athletic achievements, the panel also focused on international Olympic boycotts, drug testing and protest policies. Mills and Carlos spoke about their experience as social justice activists and the platform their sport granted them.
Contacting these high-profile guests was a difficult process, Boyle said. “I must’ve sent 100 emails out to people ... But I was kind of lucky because I did know a lot of people through track.”
As a former track and field athlete and coach, Boyle’s connections and personal stories provide students with a deeper understanding of the different levels of sports regulations and operations.
Regulatory laws and agencies have a large hand to play — from high school coaches facing liability for student injuries to preventing racial discrimination in the hiring process of a prospective NFL coach.
Sophomore justice and law major Drew Rusak said that the class has helped him broaden his scope of study.
“Because I’m not a big sports fan, I wasn’t sure how much I was going to enjoy [the class], but I’m really enjoying the content, so I think I might try and incorporate entertainment and sports law into my major,” Rusak said.
One significant aspect of the course study is understanding ongoing NCAA legal procedures over college athletes’ rights to Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).
AP News reported on Oct. 7 that preliminary approval was granted for the NCAA’s nearly $2.8 billion settlement regarding missed NIL. The repercussions of such a settlement would have a lasting impact on Title IX protections and sports at smaller Division I athletic programs.
Students’ discussions centered around American University's athletic future after the settlement, but Boyle warns, “This is changing constantly. So anyone who can tell you the future is just guessing.”
“[But] that’s just one part of the class. And I could tell them where we’re at today, but I can’t predict the future.”
This article was edited by Penelope Jennings, Delaney Hoke and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Emma Brown, Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Ariana Kavoossi, Ella Rousseau and Nicole Kariuki and Charlie Mennuti.
