By Alfredo Bustamante, 2L, CSLP Fellow
The Center for Sports Law and Policy (CSLP) will be hosting the 2014 National Sports Law Negotiation Competition and Sports Law Conference on Friday, September 19, through Sunday, September 21, 2014, at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law (TJSL). This will be the 4th year that TJSL has hosted the highly anticipated NSLNC, which has been a huge success since it began in 2011.
Created by sports and academic professionals, the NSLNC presents incoming teams and guests with a valuable and unique opportunity to meet future lawyers, agents, and current sports professionals from across the nation and the world, while also showcasing their skills and knowledge of issues faced by today’s sports professionals. “The NSLNC is a great opportunity to network with fellow law students interested in sports law and also attorneys both in and out of the sports industry,” said Shana Avery, a 2L Sports Law Fellow at TJSL. “The NSLNC is something I look forward to every year and love being a part of.”
The mission of the NSLNC is to provide the sports profession with a body of able and ready legal minds, through negotiation and training of law students with the use of real-life issues affecting athletes, sports franchises, teams, like businesses and entities.
The fact patterns given during the competition focus on current issues in the sports world, and allow students to negotiate more than one area of sports law topics, including: contract negotiation, trading of players, salary demands, endorsement contracts, athlete and sports professionals family and personal issues, and intellectual property. Even for those watching and not participating, the competition can provide some insight on what working in the sports world can be like. “Being a spectator during one of the competitions was a valuable experience, as I was able to observe what negotiation tactics worked well or not so well,” says Charles Barwald, 2L Sports Law Fellow at TJSL. “It felt like being a fly on the wall during a real negotiation.”
On Friday, September 19 attendees will get to enjoy two sports law panels and a San Diego Padres game on Friday night, which will be held at Petco Park in the Western Metal Supply Suites. On Saturday, September 20, the competition begins and teams will compete for a spot in the final round on Sunday (only the top four teams will qualify). The Competition will consist of three rounds, with the first two rounds consisting of a morning and afternoon session on Saturday. There will also be a Gaslamp Quarter Mixer at Moonshine Flats on Saturday night.
Sunday will be the final day of the competition, consisting of one final round (sessions A and B) and beginning with four teams. Once the final competition comes to a close and a winner has been announced, teams and guests will be able to enjoy the rest of their Sunday afternoon and explore “America’s Finest City,” San Diego, California.
Going on its fourth year, the National Sports Law Negotiation Competition looks to continue its tradition of excellence and will most certainly present an educating and exceptional experience for anyone interested in sports. “Looking forward to meeting the teams and have an all-around terrific weekend,” says Jeremy Evans ‘11, CSLP Director and founder of the NSLNC. “This is a special time of year."
Log onto the NSLNC event page to see a list of teams that are registered to compete in this year’s competition as well as the conference schedules and registration information.
