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Sports Law
Home >> Law >> LLB >> Sports Law

Course leader: Dr Gregory Ioannidis

Two terms (30 units)

Sports Law is a new, exciting and rapidly growing area of law, with a distinct body of statutory and
case law. It has developed into a body of law practised by specialist lawyers and as in "lex
mercatoria", a similar "lex sportiva" is now present. A sports lawyer must command a wide variety of
law subjects and, in essence, a sports lawyer could be called the "ultimate practitioner".

On completion of the course, a successful student would be able to:

• demonstrate a basic knowledge and understanding of the relationship between sport and the
law, the basic arguments and the substantive legal issues.
• identify the potential for legal liability to arise in sporting relationships and develop strategies
to minimise that risk.
• demonstrate an ability to present a coherent argument and appropriate responses to
conflicting points of view.
• demonstrate a basic understanding of the structure and organisation of domestic, European
and international sports.
• examine the effectiveness of existing legal regulations of sport.
• with guidance, critically evaluate specific areas of sports law and their place within society.
• demonstrate an ability to identify solutions in arbitration and develop skills for case
preparation, negotiation, conference and advocacy.
• undertake and apply effective individual research.

The course covers the following areas:

Introduction to Sports Law (Socio-Legal Aspects) - Summer Term:

• Introduction to Sports Law

• Criminal liability in sport
• Civil liability in sport
• Regulation of drug abuse in sport
• Regulation of safety in sports stadia and spectators
• Corruption in sport
• Issues of discrimination (sex, race) in sport

Sports Law 2 (Business Aspects) - Autumn Term:

• Sport and competition policy

• Competition and broadcasting rights
• Intellectual property rights and sport
• Sports marketing, sponsorship and ambush marketing
• Sports agents
• Sport and contracts of employment
• Termination of contracts of employment
The course is assessed by written examination in December (80% - 4 questions out of nine) and an
oral presentation on a sports law topic (20%).

Main texts:

• Grayson, Edward. Sport and the law (3rd ed., London: Butterworths, 2000). ISBN: 0-406-
90505-3.
• Gardiner, Simon et al. Sports law (3rd ed., London: Cavendish, 2006). ISBN: 1-85941-894-5.
• Beloff, Michael, Tim Kerr & Marie Demetriou. Sports law (Oxford: Hart, 1999) ISBN: 1-84113-
073-7.

Further reading (Socio-Legal Aspects):

• Hartley, Hazel J. Exploring sport and leisure disasters: a socio-legal perspective (London:
Cavendish, 2001). ISBN: 1-85941-650-0.
• Greenfield, S. & G. Osborn, Law and sport in contemporary society (London: Frank Cass,
2000). ISBN: 0-7146-5048-X.
• Taylor, R., A. Ward & T. Newburn. The day of the Hillsborough Disaster (Liverpool: Liverpool
University Press, 1995). ISBN: 0-85323-199-0.
• Kevan, T., D. Adamson & S. Cottrell. Sports personal injury: law and practice (London: Sweet
& Maxwell, 2002). ISBN: 0-421-77840-7.
• Boyle, R. & R. Haynes. Power play: sport, the media and popular culture (London: Longman,
2000). ISBN: 0-582-36939-8.
• Maguire, J.. Sport worlds (Champaign: Human Kinetics, 2002). ISBN: 0-88011-972-1.
• Jones, R. & K. Armour. Sociology of sport: theory and practice (Harlow: Longman, 2000).
ISBN: 0-582-41912-3.
• Downes, S. & D. Mackay. Running scared (Edinburgh: Mainstream, 2006). ISBN: 1-85158-
855-8.
• Messner, D. & F. Sabo (eds). Sport, men and the gender order (Champaign: Human Kinetics,
1990). ISBN: 0-87322-281-4.
• Armstrong, G.. Football hooligans (Oxford: Berg, 1998). ISBN: 1-85973-952-0.
• Duke, V. & L. Crolley. Football, nationality and the state (Harlow: Longman, 1996). ISBN: 0-
582-29306-5.
• Blanpain. R. The Bosman case (London: Sweet & Maxwell, 1996). ISBN: 0-421-57010-5.
• Goldman, Bob. Death in the locker room (London: Century, 1984). ISBN: 0-7126-0954-7.
• Houlihan, B. Dying to win (2nd ed., Strasbourg: Council of Europe, 2002). ISBN: 92-871-4685-
3.
• Liska. Drugs and the human body (6th ed., Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2000). ISBN: 0-
13-040172-2.
• Grayson, E. Ethics, injuries and the law in sports medicine (Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann,
1999). ISBN: 0-7506-1576-1.
• O'Leary, J. (ed.). Drugs and doping in sport: socio-legal perspectives (London: Cavendish,
2001). ISBN: 1-85941-662-4.
• Siekman, R. et al. (eds). Doping rules of international sports organisations (The Hague: TMC
Asser, 1999). ISBN: 90-670-4113-0.
• Voy, Robert. Drugs, sport and politics (Champaign: Leisure Press, 1991). ISBN: 0-88011-409-
6.
• Yesalis, C. & V. Cowart. The steroids game (Champaign: Human Kinetics, 1998). ISBN: 0-
88011-494-0.
• Yesalis, C. (ed.). Anabolic steroids in sport and exercise (2nd ed., Champaign: Human
Kinetics, 2000). ISBN: 0-88011-786-9.
• Wilson, W. & E. Derse (eds). Doping in elite sport (Champaign: Human Kinetics, 2001). ISBN:
0-7360-0329-0.
• Drugs in sport: the pressure to perform (London: British Medical Journal, 2002). ISBN: 0-7279-
1606-8.
 • Modahl, D. The Diane Modahl story (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1995). ISBN: 0-340-
64269-6.
• Jennings, Andrew. The new lords of the rings (London: Pocket Books). ISBN: 0-671-85571-9.
• Bahrke, M. & C Yesalis (eds) . Performance-enhancing substances in sport and exercise
(Champaign: Human Kinetics, 2002). ISBN: 0-7360-3679-2.

Further reading (Business Aspects)

• Appenzeller, H. (ed.). Risk management in sport: issues and strategies (2nd ed., Durham, NC:
Carolina Academic Press, 2005). ISBN: 1-59460-014-7.
• Jeanrenaud, Claude (ed.). Competition policy in professional sports (Antwerp: Standaard).
ISBN: 90-341-1160-1.
• Verow, R., C. Lawrence & P. McCormick. Sport, business and the law (Bristol: Jordans). ISBN:
0-85308-481-5.
• Masteralexis, L., C. Barr & M. Hums (eds). Principles and practice of sports management
(Gaithersburg: Aspen). ISBN: 0-83421-021-5.
• Caiger, A. & S. Gardiner. Professional sport in the European Union: regulation and re-
regulation (The Hague: TMC Asser). ISBN: 90-670-4126-2.
• Wolohan. Law for recreation and sport managers (Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company).

An extensive list of journals and other sports law books will be included in the lecture handouts