Posts in Civil
Can an Event Host Cancel a Marathon Without Refunding Registration Fees?

I am officially at the end of the final stretch of marathon prep (translation: the "stay loose and rest" part!) because the Detroit Free Press/Chemical Bank Marathon is only a few days away! As it stands currently, the weather for the race looks like "blah" October weather consisting of a sunrise 45 minutes into the race, mostly clouds in the morning, a 60% chance of rain that hopefully stays in the afternoon, 80% humidity, warm, and windy. That being said, this lawsuit is right within the marathon theme, and I figured it was worth discussing.

This year would have been the seventh annual Vancouver USA Marathon from September 15-17 had it not been cancelled a month beforehand. Energy Events, the marathon event's host, claimed it decided to cancel the event, which was supposed to include a full marathon, a half marathon, a 5K, a kids' race, a bike ride, and a beer festival, after "careful consideration for several weeks and reviewing the finances." Typically, the Vancouver USA Marathon has approximately 3,000 registered runners, but at the time of cancellation, only about 65% of that had registered.

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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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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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Thank You, Legal Strategy, For Giving Me Confidence To Draft Tom Brady For My Fantasy Team

I have a fantasy football draft on Wednesday night. Anyone who knows me knows that I believe Tom Brady is a god on and off the field and that I would jump at the chance to select him. Does Deflategate's legal proceedings in front of Judge Richard M. Berman affect my strategy for drafting him to lead my fantasy team to victory? Not really. There is a good chance (in legal terms, you could say "more probable than not") that he will play in the NFL regular season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers next week through one scenario or another thanks to legal strategy. The legally available routes are discussed in further detail here for those who are interested. For those who want the blunt story, here it is.

Note: "Arbitration Award" refers to Goodell's decision as arbitrator to uphold Brady's four game suspension.

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