2017 Sports Law Hot Topics To Watch

In retrospect, 2016 was not half bad. Well, it was more like 60-65% bad, but the year undoubtedly had its moments, good and bad!

I believe in many ways that 2017 will be a continuation of things in one direction or another rather than a birth of entirely new topics, especially in the sports law realm. Part of the reason I believe this is because of the incoming US President's opinions and involvement in certain areas. Another part is due to the basic timeline of league and player contracts in the "Big Four" (NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB) so that instead of big changes in the relationship statuses taking place, upcoming practices acting upon and interpreting those contracts will create news and continue to add to existing sentiment. Without further ado, here are six hot topics we should keep an eye out for throughout 2017.

Ladies & Gentlemen, May I Present To You The Official Bachelor Fantasy League... Sweepstakes?

Well, it's about damn time.

ABC is teaming up with Disney family member ESPN to launch a "fantasy league" platform for the upcoming season of ABC's The Bachelor. Fans who genuinely love the show and "fans" who genuinely love to mock the show have done personal games for years ranging from simple tourney brackets to full-fledged fantasy leagues. This is very different, though. The season premiere is on January 2, but players have until January 16 to make their "top 4" picks, i.e., which four girls will make it to the Hometown dates and who will get the Final Rose in the finale. Furthermore, players can participate in weekly games that offer additional opportunities for points and prizes. Here are a few brief notes y'all might be interested in reading:

Jaime, FantasyJaime MiettinenDecember 21, 2016The Bachelor, Sweekstakes, Daily Fantasy Sports, fantasy sportsComment

Guest Post - Alyssa Newswanger

Dealing with minor to serious consequences in the wake of another public scandal is not new territory for U.S. Women’s National Team (“USWNT”) goalkeeper, Hope Solo. However, has an errant comment, after a devastating loss, really become the possible nail in the coffin of her national team career?

Let’s take a quick walk through Solo’s history with the national team and her public incidents that have led to this drastic decision from U.S. Soccer.

Guest Post, Olympic Games, Contracts, US SoccerAlyssa NewswangerSeptember 12, 2016USWNT, Hope Solo, Equal Pay, US Soccer, Olympics, domestic violence, First AmendmentComment

How to Watch Live NFL Games In 2016-2017

There is a laundry list of things that the NFL does wrong. Then, there is one thing the NFL does better than any other sports league: broadcasting rights, which essentially limit who can show footage of an event on the platform designated in the contract. This realization became even more noticeable after the positively lagging coverage NBC did for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games last month.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has said that he wants the league to have a "unique tri-cast on broadcast, cable, and digital platforms," and a series of insane revenue-generating tri-cast broadcasting rights contracts is exactly what the NFL has now. The NFL wants to get to more people. With this business strategy, the league is doing just that. The best part is that it will serve a fan base with a growing need for immediacy and flexibility and also a society full of more and more cable cord cutters.

Without further ado, this is how you can watch NFL games and coverage this upcoming season with or without a cable subscription:

Jaime, NFL, ContractsJaime MiettinenSeptember 7, 2016broadcasting rights, NFL, Twitter, Snapchat, DirectTV Comments

Comparing Two Student-Athlete Cases: Brock Turner & Cory Batey

Last Friday, former Vanderbilt football player Cory Batey was sentenced to 15 years for taking part in gang raping an unconscious female student in June 2013. In contrast, former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner was sentenced to six months in jail - half of which he can avoid with good behavior - and three years of probation for sexually assaulting an unconscious female outside a fraternity house. Here, we have two sexual assault-related stories involving NCAA athletes (both of which are horrible though on somewhat different levels of severity according to law), a number of factors taking part in each judicial system's processes, and two very different results. I want to simply compare the facts to spark conversation and inform y'all in case you missed either one.

How the IOC's Rule 40.3 Guidelines Changed the Advertising Game For Rio 2016

Remember back in March hearing how Michael Phelps cried the first time he saw the Under Armour "Rule Yourself" commercial featuring him? This beauty - and Under Armour's entire "Rule Yourself" ad campaign - never would have been made had the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided not to change a longstanding rule that limited Olympics-related marketing to official sponsors like Nike and McDonald's.

Under Armour is not an official sponsor of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, but the athletic apparel brand does sponsor 250 Olympic athletes (at least before some started to declare that they were opting out of competing in these Games) and is one of the most prominent market players benefiting from the rule change You may be asking what Rule 40.3 is and why the IOC is relaxing its stance on marketing now as opposed to earlier. Well, let's talk about it.

Jaime, InternationalJaime MiettinenJuly 6, 2016Olympics, Summer Olympic Games, Rio 2016, Under ArmourComment