Posts in Jaime
Why I Changed My Mind & Believe eSports Is A Sport, Part 2: The Games

As promised, Part 2 & Part 3 in this series outline facts about eSports and the community across the globe. There is a lot of information I could relay here, but I will break it up into two parts to ease you into this side of the debate. eSports is more than meets the eye on the surface. A particular type of game demonstrates that, as you will see below:

What is eSports?

In general terms, eSports is competitive video gaming. There are single-player games in addition to multiplayer games, there are teams for the multiplayer games, and there are different game consoles players can use (e.g., Xbox, desktop computer). Players and viewers come from both genders, though the ratio is terribly lopsided. Most notably, the variety of game structures can be categorized into a few genres so that players know what to expect from the game and can master a particular type of game..

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Why I Changed My Mind & Believe eSports Is A Sport, Part 1: Defining Elements

What is the definition of a "sport" (as a noun referring to a game rather than a person, obviously)? Is there one mutually agreed upon definition? Oh, gosh no.

For example, the Cambridge dictionary defines "sport" as "a game, competition, or similar activity, done for enjoyment or as a job, that takes physical effort and skill and is played or done by following particular rules." The Oxford dictionary takes it a little further, defining "sport" as "an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for enjoyment." Merriam-Webster kind of makes it a two-parter, stating that it is "a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other" but also provides a lesser definition of "a physical activity (such as hunting, fishing, running, swimming, etc.) that is done for enjoyment."

Different organizations worldwide have their own take on the word's meaning, too. The Australian Sports Commission says a sport is "a human activity capable of achieving a result requiring physical exertion and/or physical skill, which, by its nature and organization, is competitive and is generally accepted as being a sport." England's Charities Act of 2006 contains a pretty broad definition, stating that a sport is "sports or games which promote health by involving physical or mental skill or exertion." Moreover, the European Sports Charter says "all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels" are sports.

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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.

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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:

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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:

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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.

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