Posts in NCAA
Will Your NCAA Tournament Bracket Be Legal in the State of Michigan?

Saying that the NCAA Tournament and bracket pools do not go together is like saying that I-75 and "10mph over the posted speed limit" do not go together. We know it happens. Law enforcement knows it is the norm. We may or may not realize it stretches legal limits. We do it anyway.

The recent hype over the legality of daily fantasy sports is directing a lot of attention toward relevant state and federal law. With respect to Michigan's point of view on the matter, it gets a little risque. I have written on Michigan's stance on daily fantasy sports as of 2015, but making brackets is a different type of simulation that is also forced to live under an outdated rule.

How does Michigan law view your March Madness tourney bracket?

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There Is More On The Line Than Jameis Winston's Reputation

If you are not following the Erica Kinsman lawsuit against former Heisman winner and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, you should be. It does not matter whether you are a football fan or whether you know how to follow a case or whether you believe her story. If you are a living human being, you can learn a lot about the legal system and the sports industry's stigma of sexual assault from what is going down and what could go down. Here are four reasons why.

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College Football On New Year's Eve: #thatmomentwhen Force Turns Into Love?

Would you believe it if I told you that ESPN tried to convince the College Football Playoff (CFP) that it should not put the semifinals on New Year's Eve? Well, it did, and we see how that turned out. Maybe ESPN did not fight too strongly, to be honest, because Disney Media Networks got your viewership either way with either football on ESPN or Ryan Seacrest on ABC unless you were out doing one of a variety of celebrations with your loved ones. The entity simply wanted to avoid its two powerhouse programs competing against each other if it was avoidable. For example, when Alabama found their stride against Michigan State, ESPN sensed that you might be tempted to turn the channel. So, they invited you to put your faith in Demi Lovato's live performance on ABC.

Akin to how the NFL rules Thanksgiving and how the NBA dominates Christmas, college football wants to hijack a holiday that is not a "national holiday" for which the majority of the workforce gets the day off. (Hence, the games held the 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. television time slots.) Those of you who are frustrated with the ultimate decision have every right to be frustrated that something you love - college football - can take advantage of you like this, but you cannot point your finger at the NCAA. The CFP is an entirely different beast unaffiliated with the national regulating body, making Division I FBS Football the only NCAA sport that does not have its champion determined by a yearly NCAA championship event. First and foremost, member conferences and independent member institutions run postseason play as the new entity CFP Administration, LLC with its own Board of Managers, Management Committee, and staff in Irving, Texas. From there, I will leave you to read the CFP's Story, including information about the Selection Committee that ranks the top 25 teams in the final handful of weeks, as it writes on its official website for yourself.

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Sports Law Topics to Follow in 2016

*For a stellar review on all of 2015's exciting happenings in the legal world of sports, check out my friend Ian's article here. For what I predict to be some of 2016's hot topics, read on!*

The year flew by like LeBron James in his Camero,

But we must finish the final stretch like American PharOAh.

From fifa's corrupt achilles to Brady's deflated ball,

I bet you thought you've seen it all.

The law never rests, in the court or on the field,

So you know many cases have yet to be sealed.

but since 2015 had stories that became routine,

We can prep and glance ahead at 2016!

Summary:

  1. Fantasy Sports

  2. Transgender Participation in Athletics

  3. NFL Rules & Officiating

  4. O'Bannon & the Student-Athlete Definition

  5. Olympics Anti-Doping Reform

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Imagining A Society That Enforces A "Legal Age" To Play Contact Sports

The Nigerian medical pioneer who was first to discover the brain disease Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which has the NFL "balls deep" in anxiety, is in the headlines again for more than just the upcoming movie about his discovery and his clash with the colossal professional football league. Dr. Bennet Omalu published an opinion piece in the New York Times with a quite provocative title comprising of five uncomplicated words that together bring forth a transparent position: "Don't Let Kids Play Football".

To some, this suggestion is sacrilegious. To others, this suggestion is reasonable. Either way, he has the reader hooked because he wants you to detach - just for a moment - the love affair society has with contact sports, most notably football, and consider the parental instincts that science is now beginning to support. Can you imagine a society enforcing a "legal age" to play contact sports?

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