1. WHAT DOES A SPORT LAWYER DO?
As a starting point it is relevant to note that there is no special set of statutes or fields of law that applies exclusively to sportsmen/women. The same law that applies to you and me finds application in sport. As such sport lawyer deals with the application of a wide-ranging fields of law in and to the sporting arena.
2. WHY PRACTICE LAW IN THE SPORTING INDUSTRY?
1.1. Sport is a consistent backdrop to our lives, and the sheer popularity of sport means there’s a lot of potential issues that can arise.
1.2. Governing bodies are keen to ensure and maintain the integrity of their sport. To ensure compliance a strong presence of good governance and a forum to uphold the rules of the game when they come into disrepute, is essential.
1.3. Therefor a legal presence is absolutely vital in to assist in refining rules and procedure to alleviate compliance to rules and regulations in sport. We tend to forget that athletes, managers and backroom staff are still subject to the same rules and laws as everyone else.
3. HOW DOES A SPORT LAWYER DIFFER FROM AN AGENT?
3.1. On a very basic level, sports law tends to be divided into two key areas – regulatory issues and commercial and financial disputes.
3.2. Regulatory issues are focused on the rules of the sport and the breaches that can occur. A good example of this is when an athlete has tested positive for a banned substance or a club appealing a red card decision.
3.3. The other side of sports law is much more to do with the commercial nature of sport. Athlete and player contracts are a typical example and it is here that agents are role-players together with the governing bodies and lawyers.
