Sports law can be dealing with all different levels of athletes whether its professional, amateur, youth, or Olympic. While sports law is a practice of its own, it encompasses many different types of laws but is specific to the sports industry. Though lawyers can be practiced in these various different areas, sports lawyers or agents will be better suited for any sport-related legal proceeding.
Contract Law
Athletes require contracts when they join a professional team. These contracts are not only critical for the players but for the team as a whole. These contracts can involve millions of dollars and need to be carefully drafted to ensure nothing is overlooked. Aside from athletes, coaches, trainers, managers, and owners need contracts as well. When dealing with contracts, you not only have to be well versed in drafting them but also in the art of negotiation.
Personal Injury Law
Sports are known for their risks of injury. Not only do they have to worry about personal injury in their daily life but also during athletic performances. But another area of personal injury that is overlooked is the venues in which the events are hosted. These venues must ensure that their property is careful to avoid any negligent behaviors that could cause liability for its visitors. If a venue is negligent and a fan gets injured, they could face taking a hit due to a large settlement.
Trademark Law
Merchandising for teams and vendors is almost as important as the ticket sales for the games. Enforcing trademark law is crucial for sports lawyers when protecting their team. This can be a challenging area to enforce trademarks when trademark infringement has occurred and many “knock-offs” are sold at a discounted price, taking sales away from the franchises.
Other areas of sports law include criminal law, administrative law, labor and employment law, and personal property law. Laws are constantly changing and can be unpredictable. Sports lawyers, much like the athletes they are protecting, having to be at the top of their game when it comes to dealing with sports law issues. With the ever-changing landscape which encompasses the law, lawyers need to be prepared and knowledgeable of all changes to the laws.