National Sports Law Student Writing Competition

Marquette University Law School has announced a new writing competition open to students from any law school. Winners get published in the Marquette Sports Law Review and get to attend the National Sports Law Institute fall conference for free. The deadline for submission is July 17, 2009. The announcement is here.

REAL MADRID - FC BARCELONA DERBY - HUMOUR OR NERVES FROM BARCELONA?

Barcelona based Sports daily “Mundo Deportivo” add humourto the upcoming Real Madrid – FC Barcelona game next Saturdaywith this cartoon from “Kap”. Both Coach Guardiola & PresidentLaporta are drawn saying (Translated):“No, No. It’s not that we are afraid of the Swine Flu.It´s the media campaign coming out from Madrid thatstinks”¿Humour or nerves at Camp Barça?

"Tort Law and Journalism Ethics"

That's the title of my new law review article that will be published in Loyola University Chicago Law Journal. It can be downloaded from SSRN. You'll appreciate this paper if you're tired of a 21st Century press that disregards individual privacy, infiltrates the news with sensationalized stories, and blames their inaccurate reporting on "getting the story out there first" (in particular with respect to participants in the sports and entertainment industries).

I advocate that the justification for the First Amendment privilege becomes less compelling as the press continues to lose credibility and journalists fail to adhere to ethics principles they were taught in journalism school. The paper provides an in-depth analysis of Supreme Court precedent and explains how journalism ethics codes can be incorporated into tort defamation and privacy law standards without compromising the First Amendment. Journalism ethics and the First Amendment go hand in hand; they must co-exist in order to serve the social policies and objectives that support the First Amendment privilege.

"EL CLÁSICO": REAL MADRID vs FC BARCELONA 2009. THE GAME OF THE SEASON

It´s the biggest Football game of the season & possibly on Earth asREAL MADRID CF meets FC BARCELONA at 20.00 hrs (Sp.time) at the"Santiago Bernabeu Stadium" to determine if:1. Real Madrid can scratch another 3ºpoints from Barça & put the difference between them & the latter to just a single point with 4more Rounds in play of the Championship.2. Barça win & make it "virtually" impossible to be

REAL MADRID TURN TOWARDS IBRAHIMOVIC & RIBERY - UNDER FLORENTINO PEREZ?

From Italy the news from “TuttoSport”, which has been gladly pickedup here by the “speculative” sporting daily “AS”, says that ex- REALMADRID President Florentino Perez "has made" an offer for INTERMILAN forward ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC. That isn’t the real news as wehave heard this before, the novelty is the offer of a 15M€ /year salary(3M€ more than what he gets at Inter) to tempt the 27 year old

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 1º LEG SEMI-FINAL 2009: FC BARCELONA 0 - CHELSEA FC 0

The first leg Semi-final clash of the Champions League betweenFC BARCELONA & CHELSEA FC finished in a 0-0 draw, which could be said was a "victory" for the English Club. One of the keys of the game was the strategy put in place by Chelsea´s "old fox" managerGuus Hiddink who saw everything as a two game affair & planned itaccording. FC Barcelona Coach Guardiola was "outwitted" as he did´nt see it

FC BARCELONA PUTS A 20M€ PRICE ON ETO´O?

According to local sports daily “AS” & English paper “The Times”,FC BARCELONA President Laporta has met with Gary Cook of theEnglish Club MANCHESTER CITY in London to discuss the future ofSAMUEL ETO ´O.The 28 year old Barcelona forward ends his contract with the SpanishClub next season & negotiations of renewal are halted at Barça asEto´o asks for 4 more years & a hike in his economic pretensions

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 1º LEG SEMI-FINAL 2009 - FC BARCELONA vs CHELSEA FC - PREVIEW

(photo:Sport)FC BARCELONA meets CHELSEA FC tonight in the 1ºst leg of theSemi-finals of Champions League. Barça will have theadvantage of its home ground & must take adavantage of theopportunities to return to London with the best possible conditions.Two teams with two clear styles of Football; Barça with its balldomination & touch Football & Chelsea with its more physical & aerialplay. Which

2009 NFL Draft Thoughts

Some miscellaneous thoughts on the NFL Draft that was...

- As a Vikings fan, I do like the pick of Percy Harvin at 22 in round 1. Yes, there are obviously a plethora of character concerns. He tested positive at the Combine for marijuana (meaning he is either really dumb or has a serious problem), and there have been some other concerns in the past. However, he is a top 10 talent, and has the explosiveness to make a huge difference. With a veteran team and now veteran coach, hopefully that will be able to quell some of the character issues. If that's the case, he adds another option for either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels (along with Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor, Bernard Berrian, and Visanthe Schiancoe), which should help the offense come closer to matching the defense, which was excellent in 2008. If that's the case, the Vikings could take the next step.

- I'm not saying anything new when I say this... but Darrius Heyward-Bey seems a lot like Troy Williamson... fast, suspect hands, limited college productivity... let's just say I was scared before the draft that the Vikings might take him at #22.

- Have to love what the hated Packers did on day 1... BJ Raji and Clay Matthews should immediately help a bad defense.

- NFL Draft grades are so stupid... seriously, it takes at least a few years to determine that. Second, it generally rewards those teams that have a lot of picks. Not that draft grades matter even one iota in the grand scheme of things, it just irks me for some reason to see them... like anyone has any idea how good a team drafted one day after the draft? If they really did, then why is the draft always so unpredictable?

- I think Mark Sanchez will be the best QB from this draft... Stafford has amazing physical tools but he has never been as consistent of a college player as you'd hope to see. Sanchez doesn't have the game experience of Stafford but I like his toughness and consistency. And I'm not a big Josh Freeman guy.

- Love what Baltimore did getting Michael Oher at 23... great value there. And I really like the Jags, who had an awful offensive line last year, getting tackles with their first 2 picks in Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton.

- Crabtree at 10... I'm with everyone else in that I love the pick. He should be a solid starter very early on in his career and will be a great help to whoever eventually becomes the QB in San Francisco.

What were your thoughts?

FERNANDO TORRES GETS NAMED IN THE IDEAL 11 TEAM OF THE YEAR

The English Professional Footballers Association (PFA) hashanded down its Awards with the main prize, the Best Player of TheEnglish Premier League for season 2008/2009 ( Player of The Year)going to Manchester United veteran player Ryan Giggs.What calls happily SFS attention is that Spanish International &Liverpool FC forward FERNANDO TORRES was included in the"Ideal 11 Team" of the Premier League

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/ 2009 - ROUND 33 SUNDAYS GAMES RESULTS

The news & the conclusion after Round 33 is that we have dramaback for the Spanish League title. Real Madrid won & closes the gapwith leader FC Barcelona to 4 points & they meet next Saturday atMadrid in the big Spanish derby that may decide the title.SEVILLA FC lost 1-3 to REAL MADRID in "topsy turby" game wereone man was the key - RAUL (above). The Real Madrid Captainscored a HAT TRICK ( 44th,

TENNIS: RAFAEL NADAL WINS HIS 5TH GODÓ TROPHY

"The king of the clay courts", Spanish & Tennis World Nº1 RAFAEL NADAL has added another trophy to the collection. If last weekendNadal won his 5th straight Monte Carlo Masters, today he has won his5th straight "Open Barcelona", also more commonly known as the"Godó Trophy".Rafael Nadal defeated fellow Spaniard DAVID FERRER, who has hada fabulous tournament, in two straight sets: 6-2, 7-5. The

FORMULA 1 BAHRAIN 2009: FERNANDO ALONSO 8TH

Spanish two time World Formula 1 Champion FERNANDO ALONSOfinished in 8th position today in the Bahrain F1 race. Alonso´s teamhave´nt as yet increased the speed relative to their competitors whoare well ahead in the horsepower area, not to mention theaerodynamics.Race winner was J.BUTTON, followed by Vettel & Trulli(Fernando Alonso)The Top three World Championship Table cuurently looks like this:1

MOTOGP 2009 - SPANIARDS DO WELL - LORENZO & BAUTISTA WIN IN JAPAN GP2009

Good news from MotoGp & from Japan. Spanish GP rider JORGELORENZO (pictured) has won the Japan Gp race in a magnificent exhibition of riding. Jorge finished ahead of Italian World Champion& team-mate Valentino Rossi, plus the other good news was the 3ºrdplace for DANI PEDROSAThe added highlights came from Casey Stoner who had problemswith his bike & Dani Pedrosa who did an excellent start to get

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/ 2009 - ROUND 33 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

Three games tonight of Round 33 of the Spanish League with themain plate the tasty VALENCIA - FC BARCELONA clash. A seriousgame overall as Barça was risking that arch rival Real Madrid close inon its points advantage, while Valencia wants to cement itsChampions League place on the table.FC BARCELONA started firm & confidently but kept smashing intothe Valencia wall, until MESSI scored Barça´s

SPANISH FOOTBALL: JOAQUIN CORTIZO HISTORICAL RECORD GAMES SUSPENSION HOLDER

Seeing that REAL MADRID defender PEPE has indirectly increasedworldwide interest in Spanish Football (Soccer) the last couple of days,here is an interesting piece of “trivia” that will answer some inquiriesSFS is receiving in its email.The person – player with the historical all time record of matchsuspension in Spanish Football goes to JOAQUIN CORTIZO, a rightback from REAL ZARAGOZA (pictured)

Holiday Time

Holiday Time

I'm getting packed up to go on holiday to head up the coast for a week to Northumberland.

So will be offline for a week - probably!!

Taking a 24kg and 32kg bell with me so I can work on VWC training and my AdamTGlass 32kg kettlebell challenge.

Adam has challenged me to 50 reps left hand snatch and 50 reps right hand snatch with only 1 hand change (GS Style).

So far I've had one training session at this style, worked upto 25:25 with 5:5, 10:10, 15:15, 20:20 before it. The one hand switch style is a test of true grit. But will be fun.

Also, on my agenda is Viking Warrior VO2max training. So, far this week I've had 2 sessions 20 mins and 25 mins at 15:15 kb snatch (still heading for 40 mins), but not had time to give a proper update due to work constraints. So, 30 mins is my next target.

Have a great week!
Rob

Andrew Durniat Kettlebells

Andrew Durniat Popcorn Kettlebells and 64kg Jerks

Andrew Durniat is a beast in my opinion. I have followed some of the training feats he has performed and quite frankly he puts me to shame.

147 One handed snatches with 32kg kettlebell (no hand change - just 1 hand) WOW!!

Not only is Andrew a very strong kettlebeller he also has a grip of steel.

He can lift inch dumbbells and the like with ease.

Find Andrew's blog here









Profile on Andrew from his site


Andrew Durnait: Andrew is a C.S.C.S and the owner of Optimal Performance Training. Andrew is an international kettlebell competitor and current American record holder for the single arm snatch (147 reps, 32kg). He is known for his combining Kettlebell lifting with the Olympic and Power lifts to create the ultimate in athletic potential.

His training has led him to be able to perform many famous strength feats and compete in ultra-endurance events. Andrew has served as an assistant lacrosse coach at the College of Wooster and was an All-American Defenseman in lacrosse at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Andrew is a regular instructor for world champion Valery Federenko's AKC certification course. He is another in the trenches instructor that has a great deal of experience as an athlete, as a trainer, and is very well researched.

When you meet Andrew in person and see his abilities in action as well as his outstanding instruction, you know that he is destined for great things as a trainer and as a strength athlete. Not only does Andrew compete in kettlebell sport competitions, he competes in strongman competitions and does very well at both. While he is well versed in kettlebell training for sport, Andrew also uses a variety of kettlebell exercises with his clients such as Renegade Rows, Turkish-get-ups, and kettlebell squat thrusts. He is an opened minded trainer that is always looking for methods to improve his own training and that of his clients. Andrew is going to cover a variety of kettlebell juggling moves, incredible kettlebell feats of strength, getting the most out of the Kettlebell snatch, and barbell juggling. Andrew is also going to give a presentation on how he effectively combines kettlebells with other training tool for the best of all worlds. His clients have been benefiting for years from his expertise and now it is your turn.

Andrew Durniat Kettlebells

THE PEPE & CASQUERO CASE: AN ALTERNATIVE ANGLE

The now infamous PEPE incident in last Tuesdays Real Madrid – Getafegame of the Spanish “Liga” has spread like wildfire around the World& has been the most discussed Football (Soccer) issue in the pastcouple of days. There are opinions of all sorts, some are very extreme,“overheated” & go as far as to suggest that Pepe be banned fromplaying Football, some even have said locked away!Before SFS

REAL MADRID: PEPE GETS A 10 MATCH SUSPENSION

The Spanish Football "Disciplinary Committee" has handed down thisafternoon a 10 match suspension to REAL MADRID defender PEPE afterTuesday nights “loss of control” & “violence” against Getafe playersCasquero & later Albin. That´s only what was bleamed around the World,there also was abusive language to the linesmen & he jumped back on thefield to celebrate Higuain´s winning last minute goal when

VIDEO: RACING DE SANTANDER 5 - ATLETICO DE MADRID 1

This will be good to watch, the disaster at Santander yesterday praticallysinks any hope of finishing in Champions League positions for Atletico deMadrid. A terrible defence, no idea of play at all that will lead to someserious changes that will no doubt be coming up in the future at the Club,they have too!A stiff six Rounds left for Atletico of this seasons Spanish League. The newfrustration &

Kettlebell Gorilla Cleans

Kettlebell Gorilla Cleans

Max Shank from Strongashell.blogspot.com
performing the Kettlebell Gorilla Clean

What a fantastic kettlebell drill.

Looks pretty tough, especially with 40kg hanging off each meat hook





Kettlebell Gorilla Cleans

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008 / 09 - ROUND 32 MID-WEEK THURSDAY GAMES RESULTS

Round 32 of the Spanish League finished tonight with the last 4 gamesgiving us results & hope for some of the bottom Clubs struggling not tobe pulled in by the relegation "black hole".One team that has created its on hole is ATLETICO DE MADRID whichsaid practically goodbye to Champions & possibly Uefa as well after losing5-1 to RACING DE SANTANDER. The Madrid team is 7th on the ladder& the above

SFS FLASHBACKS: YUGOSLAVIA 0 - SPAIN 1. JUANITO & HIS FAREWELL GIFT

It was the 30th of November the year 1977 in Belgrade, Capital of the thenYugoslavia. The Spanish national team was playing the Yugoslavian nationalside for their Group ticket to the 1978 Argentina World Cup finals. Thegame was a violent affair with outrageous tackles, as the Yugoslavs used allthe dirty tactics in their “hidden” box to stop Spain. Real Madrid defenderPirri was brutally tackled &

Kettlebell Technique Crime

Worst Ever Kettlebell Technique

Check this out!

With a 10 lb kettlebell, this crap gets on TV!

This isn't kettlebell training, it should have been done with a can of baked beans.






Kettlebell Technique Crime

VIDEO: FC BARCELONA 4 - SEVILLA FC 0 : LA LIGA ROUND 32 2008/ 2009

(Courtesy of Sport.es)Here is the VIDEO highlights of yesterdays clash with FC Barcelona& Spanish International Andres Iniesta putting us the show. One goal& his three passes set up the others:Thanks to Rafa for the clip.

Jeremy Tyler: High School Junior Basketball Phenom to Play Professionally in Europe

The NBA's one-and-done rule requires that a player be 19 years of age plus one year removed from high school (with "from high school" meaning having graduated from high school or one's class having graduated) in order to be eligible for the NBA draft. It's presumed that a player will attend college in that "one year removed" and save for Brandon Jennings, it's held true. Jennings, in contrast, has opted to play professionally in Italy while waiting to become eligible for the 2009 NBA Draft (he's likely going to be a top 10 pick). In addition to living in a rent-free luxury apartment in downtown Rome, among enjoying many other perks, Jennings is reportedly earning around $1 million this year, after tax, between basketball and endorsement income (in fact, he stands to earn more in endorsement income this year than any pick from the 2008 NBA Draft, save for the top three players selected, Michael Beasely, Derrick Rose, and O.J. Mayo).

Pete Thamel of the New York Times reports that high school junior Jeremy Tyler, thought to be the best young big man since Greg Oden, has also decided to play professionally in Europe. But Tyler plans to play in Europe a year earlier than his "one year removed." Indeed, he intends to spend what would be his senior year in high school playing professionally in Europe, most likely in Spain. Tyler's decision is consistent with the NBA's age limit, as his high school graduating class will graduate in June 2010 and thus Tyler will be eligible for the 2011 NBA Draft, where he's projected by some to be the top pick.

Tyler has apparently decided that he'd like to earn income off of his talents as soon as the market lets him, rather than waiting for an artificial two-year delay, during which time he could get hurt. Some may worry about whether Tyler's emotionally "ready" to turn pro, though I hope those same folks worried about Freddy Adu and Michelle Wie turning pro at younger ages, and I hope they are equally worried that many European pro players are younger than Tyler -- Danilo Gallinari, the Knicks' first round pick last year, was a pro in Europe at 15; fellow Celtics fans may remember Jiri Welsch, he too was a pro at 15 in Europe. Similarly, we don't hear people too concerned about Dakota Fanning and the Olson Twins and the many other child stars earning income off of their talents.

Here are a couple of excerpts from Thamel's story:

* * *

Tyler, 17, would become the first United States-born player to leave high school early to play professionally overseas. He is expected to return in two years, when he is projected to be a top pick, if not the No. 1 pick, in the 2011 NBA draft.

Tyler, who had orally committed to play for Rick Pitino at Louisville, has yet to sign with an agent or a professional team. His likely destination is Spain, though teams from other European leagues have shown interest. A spokesman for Louisville said the university could not comment about Tyler.

“Nowadays people look to college for more off-the-court stuff versus being in the gym and getting better,” Tyler said. “If you’re really focused on getting better, you go play pro somewhere. Pro guys will get you way better than playing against college guys.”

His decision is perhaps the most important one since Kevin Garnett jumped straight to the N.B.A. from high school in 1995.

* * *

But Brandon Jennings, a point guard from Los Angeles, became the first player to graduate from high school, skip college and play professionally in Europe. (Whether Jennings would have qualified academically to play at Arizona, where he had signed a letter of intent, is unknown.) He is in his first season with Lottomatica Virtus Roma in Italy and is projected as a high pick in the N.B.A. draft in June.

Tyler took Jennings’s path and added a compelling twist, perhaps opening the door for other elite high school basketball players to follow.

Sonny Vaccaro, a former sneaker company executive, orchestrated Jennings’s move and has guided Tyler and his family through the process.

“It’s significant because it shows the curiosity for the American player just refusing to accept what he’s told he has to do,” Vaccaro said. “We’re getting closer to the European reality of a professional at a young age. Basically, Jeremy Tyler is saying, ‘Why do I have to go to high school?’ ”

Vaccaro said he was unsure how much money Tyler would make, though it will most likely be less than the $1.2 million Jennings made in a combination of salary and endorsements this season. Vaccaro said Tyler would make a six-figure salary, noting that the economic crisis in Europe could hurt his earnings.

Vaccaro made his name by signing Michael Jordan to Nike in the mid-1980s and has advised numerous elite players over the years. “I believe he’ll be a 10-time All-Star with his ability,” Vaccaro said of Tyler.

* * *

For the rest of Thamel's story, click here. For additional perspectives see The Week and Money Players.

For empirical research on high school players and the NBA Draft, see my law review article Illegal Defense: The Irrational Economics of Banning High School Players from the NBA Draft and my study NBA Players That Get in Trouble with the Law: Do Age and Education Level Matter? and my research on points/boards/assists as featured in ESPN The Magazine. Also be sure to see Alan Milstein's comments from a New York Law School sports law symposium a month ago about a Taylor-like situation happening and the legal fallout.

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/ 09 - WEDNESDAY MID-WEEK GAMES RESULTS

Round 32 of the Spanish League continued tonight with its mid-week fixturewith four great games played, tomorrow the last four matches will be decided.VALENCIA CF are back in form at the right moment as they have theireyes firmly set on cementing a Champions League table position. Theywon tonight 1-2 REAL BETIS & have taken back 4th place from Atleticode Madrid who play tomorrow.However there is

Step Ups with Bands and Kettlebells

Step Ups with Bands and Kettlebells

Jonny Wildboar has taken training with kettlebells and bands a step further.

Here Jonny applies the 'band and bell'
method to step ups.

Fantastic idea Jonny! Another one for the exercise book




Here is my recent Strongman training with kettlebells and bands post

Step Ups with Bands and Kettlebells

VIDEO: PEPE GOES "MAD" & KICKS CASQUERO & PUNCHES ALBIN - REAL MADRID vs GETAFE 2009

Yesterdays Real Madrid 3 - Getafe 2 match had a dark spot. It was the87th min & Real Madrid defender PEPE fouled Getafe player CASQUERO& went MAD!!! He went after the player while on the ground & KICKEDhim twice, yes twice, & later while arguing with players PUNCHED Getafeplayer ALBIN while his team-mate Gago attempt to keep him away.A Red Card & penalty - that Casquero missed. However a

VIDEO: REAL MADRID 3 - GETAFE 2. LA LIGA 2009

Here is the VIDEO highlight of yesterdays amazing REAL MADRID 3 -GETAFE 2 game. Simply increidible:(ALLOW TO LOAD!)

Simple Workout

Simple Workout

As I'm battling everything at the moment, work (very busy), moving house and a pregnant wife, my training has been suffering a bit so I've just been doing bare minimum training and training when I can.

Plan to do another 15:15 vo2max VWC session tomorrow but did a simple workout tonight.

I wouldn't call it a training sesssion, just a workout!

100 (non stop) x 360's with 40lb macebell

5 x 10 left/right jori/clubbell one handed swings with a lovely piece of 2" steel (15kg)

50 hindu squats

16lb hammer finger walking for 5 mins

3 x 15kg plate curls right hand

1 x 15kg plate curl left hand

Took around 20 mins, got me sweating and my hands exploding and legs pumped!





Simple Workout

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/09 - ROUND 32 MID-WEEK TUESDAY GAMES RESULTS

The Spanish League & Round 32 goes mid-week with two games playedtonight. The rest will be spread out over the next two upcoming nights.REAL MADRID came back from the dead - they nearly lost the 3 points -to win in the very last moment GETAFE 3-2. They are now 3º points behind League leaders FC Barcelona who play their game tomorrow in a difficult clash against third placed Sevilla FC. Now the

Catching Up with Links

* Joshua Knipp and Michael Miller -- two students at Wake Forest University School of Law -- have posted on SSRN a draft of their interesting paper Finding a Balance: Advocating a Long-Term Solution to the NCAA's Battle with Technology in Recruiting.

* The annual Sports Lawyers Association Conference is coming up on May 14 in Chicago. For more information, click here.

* Max Eppel of Sports Agent Blog has a good feature piece on soccer agents and transfer windows.

* Jason Peck of Sports Agent Blog reports on the recently-held College Sport Research Institute conference (Day 1, Day 2).

* National Sports and Entertainment Law Society Blog has a number of good posts up.

* Marc Isenberg at Money Players writes about the NCAA reducing the time period underclassmen basketball players can test their NBA market value.

* I'll be at the NFL Draft this weekend -- if any Sports Law Blog readers are there, please let me know, it would be good to meet you in person.

SPANISH FOOTBALL & SPORTS BLOG GOES GLOBAL

One of the founding philosophies of the Spanish Football & Sports Blog is togive access to all global non-Spanish speaking fans to our Sports & Sportsmen& at the same time to allow living & travelling Spaniards around the worldto maintain in touch from anywhere, anyplace & anytime with the SpanishSports scene. SFS thinks a natural development is to go GLOBAL via “YouTube”. Thus it haselaborated a

REAL MADRID OFFERS 38M€ FOR FRANCK RIBERY

According to online media ITA Sport Press, which has been picked up here bylocal daily “AS”, a REAL MADRID "upcoming" Presidential candidate hasmade a 38M€ offer to German Club BAYERN MUNICH for its star wingerFRANCK RIBERY.The local paper suspects that it comes from ex-Real Madrid candidateFlorentino Perez via his chosen "World Club Ambassador" – if he wins– Zinedine Zidane. The former is good

Viking Warrior Conditioning Blog

Viking Warrior Conditioning Blog

As I am very excited about Viking Warrior Conditoning I have decided to start a new blog to track my training for VWC at Viking Warrior Conditioning

Since doing the cadence test I have moved onto my very first(after receiving my book) VO2max workout - 15:15

I will post my results soon to let you know how I got on




Viking Warrior Conditioning Blog

Local News "Seeks the Truth"

I want to commend the Louisville Fox affiliate, WDRB-41, for its decision not to air, or even report on, its interview with Karen Sypher, the woman Louisville coach Rick Pitino asserts has attempted to extort him. According to an ESPN report late last night:

Karen Sypher recently did a lengthy interview with the Louisville Fox affiliate, WDRB-41, but the station reported Saturday night that it "has decided not to relate details of her claims at this time."

WDRB news anchor Candyce Clifft, who conducted the interview with Karen Sypher, said the station has chosen not to air it because "we couldn't substantiate the claims she was making." Clifft said the claims against Pitino were "of a personal nature, not related to his recruiting or coaching. That's all I'm at liberty to say."

Clifft said Sypher approached WDRB with the information.

Clifft said she interviewed Sypher for nearly two hours on-camera, in the presence of WDRB's general manager and news director. Afterward, the station had an independent polygraph expert administer a lie-detector test to Sypher -- a test she agreed to do before the interview.

Clifft said that the polygraph test could have any of three results: pass, fail or inconclusive. She said Sypher's test fell into the inconclusive range. Clifft said there were some questions she asked that Sypher did not answer conclusively or convincingly, which heightened the station's concerns about the veracity of her information.

Coupled with the fact that there were no criminal complaints filed or charges
levied, the station decided not to air the interview.

"I don't know if we'll ever air all or any of the interview," Clifft said. "Right now there
are no plans to do that."

The local Fox affiliate, and the reporter who conducted the interview, made journalism ethics a priority over national publicity in being the first source to reveal questionable allegations involving Rick Pitino that are unrelated to his coaching responsibilities. Since Pitino is a public figure, the Fox affiliate could have easily hid behind the First Amendment, which certainly would have protected them from a defamation lawsuit.

Another news source will gladly put journalism ethics aside in favor of profiting from tabloid journalism and feed the public with a sensationalized story, probably even before the day is over....

State action and the Yankees Lawsuit

In writing and speaking about fans' speech rights, the speech part always has seemed, to me, easy--of course someone can wear a t-shirt reading "Yankees Suck" and of course someone can jeer a player for making an error. And of course someone cannot be compelled to participate in a patriotic ritual such as singing "God Bless America." The harder part (at least at professional sporting events) has been whether the First Amendment is even in play when the controlling actor--the teams--are not obviously state actors. The lawsuit by the fan who was kicked out of Yankee Stadium in 2008 spends a lot of time in the Complaint trying to deal with, and overcome, that problem.

Two preliminary issues make this case both easier and more difficult than others. First, old Yankee Stadium was owned by the City of New York (the Complaint alleges the City bought it in the early 1970s) and rented to the Yankees, on (as usual) fairly favorable terms. This does not resolve the issue, but it makes for less gray area than if the stadium were privately owned but publicly funded or owned by hybrid entity. Second, this case involves three groups of defendants, each subject to different rules of state action and liability: a) the Yankees, who promulgated the forced-patriotism policy); b) the officers who removed the plaintiff from the park; and c) New York and Police Commissioner Kelly, who obviously acted under color of law, although the theory of liability is not entirely clear from the complaint.

Let's consider each in turn:


The Yankees:

Eight paragraphs are devoted to the connections among the City, the Yankees, and the Stadium. It describes the costs that the City has incurred in operating the old Stadium and building the new Stadium, the benefits the City has received (in terms of either rent or percentage of revenues), the favorable terms of the lease to the Yankees, and the close involvement of the City in managing the stadium, including (relevant here, although not mentioned in the Complaint) providing the security that enforced the policy, and in helping procure funds for the new stadium. All of this goes towards establishing the Yankees as a state actor under two theories: symbiotic relationship or entwinement.

Under the former test, a private entity may become a state actor when it shares a "symbiotic," mutually beneficial relationship--where the government incurs some costs and obligations, the government and private entity both benefit, and the "integral connection" suggest a degree of state involvement in the private entity's unconstitutional conduct. The key here is whether Burton and symbiotic relationship has any vitality left (Mike Dorf has suggested it doesn't, I remain somewhat optimistic). Burton famously involved a privately owned whites-only restaurant operating in a city parking facility. In those pre-Civil Rights Act days, the Court used this test to hold that the restaurant was was violating the Fourteenth Amendment, because, essentially, the city was benefiting from private discrimination (because rents were tied to profits and the restaurant was profitable because it discriminated) and the restaurant was benefiting from using public property to discriminate. Here, those mutual benefits come about not because of race discrimination, but because of rules that arguably violate the First Amendment--but the same idea applies. Rents are tied to attendance and attendance depends (at least somewhat) on keeping most fans happy by not forcing them to be confronted by counter-speech that offends them, thus the team's decision to limit some fan speech by making fans remain in place during GBA

Under the second test (which is new, but created in the First Amendment context), courts look to entwinement between government and private entity in carrying out the conduct. So it may be relevant, for example, that uniformed police officers (who appear to be on duty) are enforcing the Yankees' rules in this public space (more on that below).

The Officers

The two Doe officers were in uniform, although their precise duty status is unclear. According to the Complaint, they were hired through the NYPD's "Paid Detail Program," through which private entities (and several other New York sports teams have used this program) are able to hire NYPD officers to provide security at events. Such officers are in uniform and carrying their service firearms, and subject to NYPD regulations, although there apparently are no specific guidelines about officer conduct while working under the program. The officers also are subject to control by the private entity and are deemed to be "working directly for the vendor." So there seems to be public/private entwinement in the supervision and control of the officers assigned to work the game.

The Complaint also alleges that the officers at least "appear" to be on duty and thus clothed with the authority that comes with being police officers, perhaps a greater authority (and thus a greater ability to enforce Stadium rules) than an off-duty, non-uniformed officer or a private security officer. In fact, the Complaint alleges that the purpose of the Paid Detail Program is to provide a "highly visible police presence" at such events--presumably with the goal of ensuring greater control; in other words, to make it appear that the authority of the NYPD was behind the enforcement of the team's speech-restrictive policies. That suggests the officers were working at the game in their roles as police officers and thus did act under color of law in removing the plaintiff from the park.

New York City and Commissioner Kelly

State action is easy here--New York City always acts under color of law and Kelly is being sued for establishing (or at least signing off on) the Paid Detail Program that put the officers in place to enforce this speech-violative Stadium policy, an official act as the policymaker for the NYPD. The Complaint is a bit under-developed in alleging conduct by the City or Kelly (as a supervisor) that could establish liability, but a knowledgeable reader (the court and opposing counsel) will understand that, because the officers were present at the Stadium and acting pursuant to a policy, that pulls the policymaker and the City into the case.

SPECTACULAR GOAL FROM EMANA (VIDEO) : REAL BETIS - REAL SPORTING DE GIJON

REAL BETIS player EMANA was the decisive man for his team scoringboth goals in their 2-0 victory over REAL SPORTING DE GIJON in Round31 of “La Liga” played yesterday. Check the first goal out on this VIDEO,impressive & unstoppable (keep volume down!):

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/ 09 - ROUND 31 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

Spanish Football & Round 31 of the Spanish 1º Division - La Liga -continued today with 5 games that stir up the classification positionsat the top & at the bottom.VALENCIA CF regained the Champions League 4th table position fromAtletico de Madrid after they defeated SEVILLA FC down to 10 men 3-1 in a game full of yellow cards & the mentioned red.Sevilla got ahead early via a beautiful header from

ITALIAN PRESS PLACES CANNAVARO AT JUVENTUS NEXT SEASON

News emanating from Italian press, which has been picked up here locally by“rumour” Sports daily “AS”, has situated REAL MADRID & ItalianInternational Captain 35 year old FABIO CANNAVARO at JUVENTUSfor next year.According Sky Sport 24, Tuttosport & Datasport, Cannavaro had set a limitwhich was yesterdays match against Recreativo for Real Madrid to make amove & inform if they wished to extend his

TENNIS: RAFAEL NADAL WINS HIS 5TH MONTECARLO MASTERS

The 2009 Montecarlo MASTERS 1000 Final between Spanish World Nº1RAFAEL NADAL & Serbian World Nº3 NOVAK DJOKOVIC has finishedwith the former winning 6-3; 2-6; 6-1 to create tournament history & becomethe only player to win the title 5 times in a row.It was´nt easy for Nadal after Djokovic won the 2ºset & pushed Nadal to thelimit. However, it is at the limit were Nadal plays his best tennis &

FORMULA 1: CHINA GP - FERNANDO ALONSO 9TH

No, this is not FERNANDO ALONSO, its S.VETTEL who won todaysFORMULA 1 CHINA GP, with 2º place going to his Red Bull team-mateM.WEBBER to give their team a historical double.It was a rain trenched race that gave headaches to all drivers & one ofthose was 2 time World Champion & Spaniard Fernando Alonso who had a horror race. The Spaniard started from 2ºposition to fall to 20th afterhe made a pit

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/09 - ROUND 31 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

Tonight 5 games were played of Round 31 of the Spanish League withthe status-quo between the two run away teams - FC Barcelona & RealMadrid - as it was last Round.FC BARCELONA played away to GETAFE & won 0-1 to keep its 6 pointlead over second placed Real Madrid. LEONEL MESSI was the goalscorerin in the 18th min. Barça played well all game & were disallowed another Messi goal late in the 2ºhalf

Dogman Kettlebell Sledgehammer

Dogman Kettlebell Sledgehammer

My Good friend Stef AKA Dogman has put up a sledgehammer site


Dogman Kettlebell Sledgehammer

He's been my recent inspiration for some Sledgehammer Training


Stef makes fantastic training Sledgehammers.

He's also pretty handy with them too.........







Dogman Kettlebell Sledgehammer

ATLETICO DE MADRID: NEW PROMO CAMPAIGN TO LIFT THE CLUB INTO CHAMPIONS

ATLETICO DE MADRID has one objective, get & finish the season in thevaluable 4th classification place of the table currently with Valencia CF, thatserves as a “ticket” for next years Champions League. Anything less would bea disaster for the Club economically & that may force Atletico to sell some“big names” for next season.There are 8 games left of the Spanish League & each game is a final. To

Reaction to Thomas among FIU factulty

Not surprised this is happening: The director of women's studies at FIU is organizing protests against the hiring of Isiah Thomas as men's basketball coach, relating to Thomas having been found liable (along with the Knicks and the team owner) for the sexual harassment of a Knicks employee.

I was surprised we did not hear more from these faculty members early in the week, from when the rumors of the hiring began on Sunday until the press conference on Wednesday. But it all happened so quickly, no one had time to get a statement or protest organized. But this is a legitimate objection to the hiring, one I mentioned initially and one that I hope gave the administration genuine pause before making this move. This is the one element of risk (more than Thomas' ability as a basketball coach and recruiter, where he cannot be much worse than recent past coaches) that could come back to bite the university.

Women's studies is planning to hand-deliver a copy of the FIU Sexual Harassment Policy to Thomas at the men's basketball office--a cute, but somewhat in-your-face, publicity stunt if the goal is genuinely to engage Thomas on this issue. They also want to organize a teach-in on sexual harassment and discrimination, with the hope that Thomas, athletics department administrators, and the new FIU president (who will be announced in a couple of weeks) will participate.

Kettlebell Training for Basketball

Kettlebell Training for Basketball

Great video for kettlebell training for basketball from ScottThom.com

Good explanations with some very b ball related kettlebell movements

Clean catch press

Clean squat press

Side lunges

One legged kettlebell deadlift

Reverse lunge step ups





Kettlebell Training for Basketball

My Kettlebell Youtube Playlist

My Top 12 Kettlebell Youtube Playlist

Here's my Kettlebell Youtube Playlist with my current top 12

Mostly heavy kettlebell stuff.

Is it allowed to put some of your own videos in there?





My Kettlebell Youtube Playlist

CARLOS TEVÉZ HEADING TO REAL MADRID?

Spanish sporting daily “AS”,with a propensity to dabble in rumours,publishesthat MANCHESTER UNITED Argentine International on loan CARLOSTEVEZ could end up joining his current team-mate CRISTIANORONALDO at REAL MADRID next season. Now this would be taken witha grain of salt but the news starts & originates form the British paper “TheTimes”, thus giving the story some credibility.Everyone knows

FERNANDO TORRES WOULD ENJOY TO PLAY IN SERIE A (ITALY)

LIVERPOOL FC & Spanish International star forward FERNANDOTORRES has given an interview in Britain which has been syndicatedthroughout Europe landing in the Italian daily “La Gazzetta dello Sport” &has been picked up here by all the important Sports dailys.The message is thesame as the last interviews, a big NO to Real Madrid if they are thinking ofasking, his total happiness with Liverpool & a

ATHLETIC DE BILBAO PRESENT NEW SPANISH CUP FINAL MERCHANDISING

The final of the 2008/2009 SPANISH CUP will be May the 13th at the"Mestalla Stadium" in Valencia. The two teams to battle it out for the titleare FC BARCELONA & ATHLETIC DE BILBAO, the latter is a"specialist" in the Spanish Cups with 23 titles, although this one will be adifficult final to conquer beforehand.Having said this the whole city of Bilbao is solely thinking in this game & theexcitement

EUROPEAN FOOTBALL: FC BARCELONA vs ENGLISH FOOTBALL

An interesting column has appeared today in the local daily “Marca” titled
“FC Barcelona against England”. It makes reference to the fact that
English Football has managed to place three Clubs out of 4 in the Semi-Finals
of the Champions League. Spanish Football long considered as the “Best
Football League” in Europe has only managed to get one of its teams into the
Semis that being FC BARCELONA

ATLETICO DE MADRID HAVE SILVA & NEGREDO ON THE AGENDA

VALENCIA CF Spanish International DAVID SILVA was on the agenda ofATLETICO DE MADRID when ex – Coach Javier Aguirre was in charge.That “professional attraction” is still strong today according to local daily“AS” who publish that the Madrid Club will be back attempting to sign theplayer for the 2009/ 2010 season.Atletico estimate that they can compete in the20-25M€ transfer price range & will

140lb Dumbbell at the Arnolds

140lb Dumbbell at the Arnolds 2009


From Sorinex

Great video of strongmen trying out the 140lb Globe Dumbbell

Rich Williams, Richard Sorin, Bert Sorin, Tex Henderson, Jedd Johnson, and Andrew Durniat take turnd handling a 140b fat handle dumbbell.




140lb Dumbbell at the Arnolds

Two Sports Law Talks at Mississippi College School of Law

If any of you are in the Jackson area, I'lll be giving a talk today at Mississippi College School of Law from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on recent sports law issues and careers in sports law. It will be in Room 251 and directions to the law school can be found here. There is also a Facebook page on today's event. My thanks to Madeline Hankins and the rest of the law school's Sports and Entertainment Law Society for putting this together.

Tomorrow I'll be giving the key note address at the law school's alumni and reunion weekend from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. at the TelCom Center in downtown Jackson. My topic will be "What Recent Sports Law Developments Can Teach Us About Legal Professionalism." The event costs $35 to attend. For more information, click here.

Hip Hop Law Blog

The West Virginia University College of Law Sports and Entertainment Law Society is proud to announce the launch of a new blog that will add texture and content to the entertainment law and interconnected sports law space: HipHopLaw.com. Go to:

http://hiphoplaw.com


A recent post by Professor D. Aaron Lacy suggests that the NBA Dress Code, adopted back in 2005, might constitute race discrimination in the workplace. See:

http://hiphoplaw.blogspot.com/2009/04/is-nba-dress-policy-pretext-for-racial.html



Comments, commentary and reasoned disagreements are welcomed.

Finally! Fan challenges speech restrictions at publicly owned ballpark

A lawsuit was filed in the Southern District of New York yesterday by a baseball fan named Bradford Campeau-Laurion, who alleges that he was kicked out of Yankee Stadium last summer by two uniformed NYPD officers for trying to go the men's room during the Seventh Inning Stretch and the playing of God Bless America. (H/T: One of my civ pro students). He thus violated a Yankee/Yankee Stadium policy, enacted explicitly because the Yankees and others purportedly found people stretching during the Stretch "disrespectful."

Named defendants include New York City, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, three Doe officers, and the Yankees. The complaint is loaded with allegations designed to establish that the Yankees are a state actor, primarily through the symbiotic relationship test and the exchange of benefits between the team and the city in ownership and usage of both the old Yankee Stadium and the new one. Campeau-Laurion alleges violations of the First and Fourth Amendments and their state constitutional equivalents, federal and state public-accommodations laws, and various state torts. Interestingly, the plaintiff is represented by the NYCLU and two students at NYU's Civil Rights Clinic (I might have done a clinic in law school if I could have gotten a case this interesting).

You all know that I have argued ad nauseum that such a claim should succeed and that restrictions or regulations of fan speech, including forced participation in rituals such as GBA, violate the First Amendment. So I buy everything the complaint is putting forward. The Yankees should be deemed a state actor, at least for purposes of operating a publicly owned ballpark over which they have near-exclusive use and control; in any event, here you have the NYPD (through an official program that provides uniformed officers for stadium security) directly involved in enforcing the policy, so state action is pretty obvious. As for the First Amendment argument, people in a public forum cannot be forced to participate in patriotic and symbolic rituals by having to remain in place during that ritual; they necessarily have the right to "symbolically counter-speak" against that ritual by getting up and walking out.

This could be fun to watch.

CRISTIANO RONALDO 40mt GOAL VIDEO AGAINST OPORTO - SPECTACULAR

In tonights Oporto - Manchester Utd Q/Final match of the ChampionsLeague, we witness an action that transcends frontiers & nationalities & thusmakes it universal for all to see in any post on any Football/Soccer Blog thats accesible.SFS posts this amazing 40mt winning goal from CRISTIANORONALDO that is spectacular & at the sometime responsable for takinghis team into the Semi-Finals. Enjoy!Allow

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2008/2009 2º LEG Q/FINAL: ARSENAL 3 - VILLAREAL 0

It was always going to be a tough affair, but while there is hope the Spaniradsthought... English Premier League Club ARSENAL goes into the Semi-Finalsof the Champions League after defeating 3-0 ( 4-1 on aggregate) Spanish sideVILLAREAL in tonights 2º leg Q/Final clash at London.Arsenal started well early with a WALCOTT chipped goal from a Cesctouch-on that rocked the Spaniards in the 10th min,

ATLETICO DE MADRID FOLLOWING JULIO ARCA OF MIDDLESBROUGH?

It´s normal with 7 to 8 Rounds left of the Spanish League that most Clubs –at least the serious one – are already planning the next season & combingthe overseas markets for possible reinforcements, new talents &/or bargains.Spanish Club ATLETICO DE MADRID is one of those doing their “earlybird…” work & it’s not to surprise that local media are publishing on aregular basis transfer speculations

Michigan's Contractual Liability if Paulus "Transfers" to Play QB

It certainly has been a rough year for Michigan football. The team was simply handled by a then-underrated Utah, embarrassed by mid-major Toledo, all the while beset by its coach's messy divorce from his former school. The latest news from Ann Arbor is that, in spite of its recruitment of heralded quarterback Tate Forcier, the team may be led next year by Greg Paulus.

Paulus is well known as a three-year starting point guard (and fourth year bench player) for the Duke Blue Devils. While considering a move to Michigan, he is also reportedly being evaluated for an NFL contract by the Green Bay Packers. That a player's choice is between playing college football for a new school or NFL football for a pro team certainly seems to undercut the NCAA's much ballyhooed notion of amateurism. That said, were Paulus to enroll at Michigan as a "graduate student", say in the one-year M.S. in Kinesiology, NCAA rules might allow him to play one season of football.

Under the NCAA's "five-year rule," an athlete may compete in college athletics for no more than four seasons in a single sport for the first five years after graduating from high school. Paulus has no remaining basketball eligibility, but could compete in another sport for one more year. And under Rule 14.1.9.1, the "One-Time Transfer Exception," a graduate student may under some conditions use any remaining eligibility at a new institution without sitting out the year ordinarily required for college transfers.

A liberalized version of Rule 14.1.9.1 was at one point overridden in part by Division I schools. The one-time transfer rule is limited by Rule 14.5.2.2.10(a), under which a player can only compete in bowl subdivision football, if transferring from an institution that offers that level of football, when the player has at least two years of football eligibility remaining.

Does Paulus meet that test? Although he has four years of football eligibility remaining, the five-year rule would cut off three of those years (even if he remained at Duke), so under the five-year rule it would seem like he has only one actual year remaining and would thus not qualify for the one-time transfer exception. However, if the 5-year rule were ignored or viewed separately from the four-years-of-eligibility rule, then I suppose he would have four years remaining.

Let's assume that, as most media coverage suggests, Paulus would in fact qualify to play for the Wolverines next year (or that he received a waiver from the NCAA). Though possibly permissible under NCAA bylaws, allowing his transfer would certainly be cynical. In addition it could potentially expose the Michigan Wolverines to a (perhaps challenging) breach of contract or fraud claim. The "mission statement" of the Michigan Athletics department contains the following provision under the theme "integrity":

We follow the intent and the letter of each rule by which we have agreed to abide. We are honest in our dealings with student–athletes, coaches, staff, opponents, and governing bodies.

While the team might be complying with the letter of the rule, could it be said that it would be following the rule's intent? No school has an obligation under NCAA rules to comply with the intent of an eligibility mandate; but UM may have voluntarily assumed such an obligation.

If the NCAA's basic purpose is to maintain athletics as an integral part of the educational mission of universities, the intent behind any of its rules has to be interpreted in that light. For a player to select a new school after participating in top-tier athletics for four straight seasons seems contrary to the intent of the NCAA's amateurism ideal. Players at Michigan who have competed to play quarterback -- including new recruits -- might have a legitimate claim to having been the victims of fraud or breach of a representation made as part of the student-athlete contract.

Isiah Thomas, FIU Basketball Coach?

Beginning when I was around 16, I wanted to be a college basketball coach. I was a student manager in college, worked as a coach at summer basketball camps throughout college, and my first job after college was as assistant coach at a D-III school in Chicago. Basically, I was trying to set up the career trajectory that Nets Coach Lawrence Frank followed about 10 years later--short Jewish kid from NJ becomes manager at Big Ten school, parlays it into coaching career. It seems to have worked out slightly different for him than it did for me.

This biographical detour is to say that, 15-20 years ago, I was perfectly happy with the notion that D-I basketball coaches made (at a minimum) five times as that of the ordinary humanities professor--in fact, I was hoping to have one of those paying-five-times-as-much jobs. I noted how out-of-whack coaches' salaries were, but bought the now-largely-challenged economic arguments about the real financial value college sports brings to the university. Of course, I never envisioned an economic downturn this severe that would affect universities (particularly mine) this severely. Nor did I envision my life at a small, underfunded public university in a state with no income tax and no significant commitment to higher education.

All of which is to express genuine bafflement and uncertainty at the news that FIU has hired Isiah Thomas to be its men's basketball coach, with a press conference to announce the hiring today. In no particular order, a jumble of thoughts:

1) It certainly is putting FIU on the college-sports map, at least for now. We lead PTI last night. The last time FIU was part of a national college-sports story was after the brawl with Miami during a football game.

2) I do not know right now how much Thomas is making, but I imagine there was a premium to get him and his name down here--not U-Conn/Jim Calhoun territory, but certainly more than Thomas' predecessor and probably more than the average coach at this level. This seems troubling at a university that just eliminated entire departments and has spent the past several years (and likely will spend the next few years) slashing its budget, including the budget of the College of Law. True, if we are serious about college sports, we have to spend money--but is this the right time.

3) More important is the question of whether this is worth the money, no matter how much Thomas is making. Thomas has not been a good coach (with the Knicks and Indiana Pacers) and his record as GM/Owner suggests that he is not a particularly good judge of talent, although he did make some good draft moves. He also ran the old CBA out of business, so his management skills are questionable. The school has hired his name. But the 17-year-olds he will be recruiting know him only as the guy who ran the New York Knicks into the ground, not as a Hall-of-Fame, championship-winning college and NBA player. So what are we getting for this money? No one knows for sure.

4) Then there is the fact that in 2007 Thomas and the Knicks were hit with an $ 11 million punitive-damages verdict for Thomas' sexual harassment of a female Knicks employee (the case settled before compensatory damages were determined). FIU AD Peter Garcia's response to that (in the ESPN link above) was, basically: I know Thomas and he is a wonderful husband and father, it's in the past, and everyone makes mistakes (although some mistakes are larger than others). This seems like an awful lot of baggage to carry into the job. And it calls into question how well he can or will control his program and his players, especially on the always-dicey issue of relations between student-athletes and the rest of the student body.

If it sounds as if I am rooting against this, not at all. I hope Thomas turns FIU into a mid-major power--the Gonzaga of the South; it would be psychically, if not financially, good for us. I am not optimistic right now, but I can be convinced. And I certainly will go to some games to check it out. But this is a tremendous financial--and legal--risk for the school to take and a bad time to be financially risky.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2008/09 2ºLEG Q/FINAL PREVIEW: ARSENAL vs VILLAREAL

Big night in London tonight for VILLAREAL & Spanish Football, with theformer taking its slim 1-1 draw result into the 2ºleg Champions League clashagainst ARSENAL, & for the latter to regain its prestige back in EuropeanFootball & allow Spain to put two of its teams into the Semi-Finals stages.Villareal are not favourites, they have two significant players injured,CARZOLA out for the season (

A Few Good Links

* Darren Heitner at Sports Agent Blog has a good breakdown of how sports bloggers might be impacted by the Associated Press' new strategy to crack down on lengthy excerpts of AP stories on blogs.

* William Rothstein of National Sports and Entertainment Blog has a good write-up on Professor Erin Buzuvis' recent talk at Vermont Law School on Title IX. Professor Buzuvis is the author of Title IX Blog and we're grateful to her for her time at our law school.

* Kyle Veazey of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger interviews me on former Mississippi State football coach Jackie Sherrill's defamation lawsuit against the NCAA.

Viking Warrior Conditioning Part 1

Viking Warrior Conditioning Part 1




My Viking Warrior Conditioning Book arrived finally today, hooray!

So, I decided I would start my VWC/Vo2max training when it arrived by doing the snatch cadence test.(it's a bit like a smoker stopping smoking after they've smoked the last pack, I was just waiting to start this when the book arrived as a spur on!!)

The test in the book is very similar to that put on the Dragondoor forum by Kenneth Jay which I found a while back on RIF's blog

I found my snatch cadence to be 30 reps in the last minute with a 24kg kettlebell.

So, here we go into the land of vo2 max, again.

Firstly, 15:15 until I can do 80 sets (20min snatching/20 mins rest)
So that's 8 reps per 15 seconds.

The last time I did intervals was about 6 years ago when I competed at Concept2 Indoor rowing (nasty nasty sport - because that really hurts), with some success (3rd in North England time for 2000m - 6:07)

As I haven't read the full book I will post my full review later this week

Viking Warrior Conditioning Part 1

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2008/ 09 Q/FINAL 2º LEG RESULT: BAYERN MUNICH 1 - FC BARCELONA 1 (1-5)

FC BARCELONA goes into the semi-finals of the CHAMPIONS LEAGUEafter drawing away in the 2º leg match of the Q/Final 1-1 (1-5 overall)against BAYERN MUNICH. The Spanish side will now host the other winnerof the Q/Final played tonight, Chelsea FC, the 28th of April at Barcelonain their 1ºst leg S/Final clashBayern Munich started strong & attempted all it could to score quickly, butas time went by

FC BARCELONA EYES DANIEL AGGER, WHILE LIVERPOOL FC FOLLOWS JAVI MARTINEZ

According from the English daily “Daily Mail” the news is that FCBARCELONA will “go” after LIVERPOOL FC & 24 year old DanishCentral Defender DANIEL AGGER. The cited player hasn’t renewed withhis Club & his contract ends on the 30th of June, thus Barça & player canlegally negotiate & there is no transfer fee if both parties come to a finalagreement. The “hitch” with Liverpool is Agger´s desire to

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2ºLEG Q/FINAL PREVIEW: BAYERN MUNICH - FC BARCELONA

FC BARCELONA plays BAYERN MUNICH tonight at the Allianz Arena,stronghold of the German Club were they along with their cheering fans willattempt to pull back the 4-0 advantage that Barça achieved in the 1º legmatch of the Champions League Q/Finals. The Spanish League Leader goes into this match with modesty as they respectthe German Clubs history & greatness realising that Bayern is capable

Dick Hartzell Band Stretches

Dick Hartzell Lower Back Stretching - Stretch Band Resource

I often use stretch bands (in my case Ironwoody) for training with. I quite often use ideas from Westside Barbell and also some of my own such as hanging weights from a barbell etc to make the weight unstable.

However, I have found a great resource for stretching the body in a very effective way (thanks to Pat Hodgson for this gem) by using stretch bands.


Dick Harzell is the founder of Jumpstretch

If you have stretch bands (or even the surgical tubing type) then I think you'll love these videos.

Here's the lower back video but make sure you check out the first video in the series too, here.




Check out the playlist for the whole series of videos.
Dick Harzell Elitefts Videos


Dick Hartzell Band Stretches

LUIS ANGEL LANDIN - "THE GOAL OF THE SCORPION"

At times throughout the World of Football things occur that transcendfrontiers & deserve to be posted on any Sporting Blog by their pure merit& universal Football appeal. SFS has seen this amazing goal & wishes toshare it with its readers.It occurred last weekend in Mexico. The team CRUZ AZUL was playing itsRound 13 game of the Mexican League against MORELIA. Suddenly Cruz Azulforward LUIS ANGEL

Edwin Valero: Would an Exception Knock Out the Rule?

Whether it Would be Smart for New York State to Lift Its Medical Suspension of Lightweight Champion & Knockout Artist Edwin Valero



In 2004, undefeated Venezuelan junior lightweight prospect Edwin (El Inca) Valero applied for a license to box in New York State after scoring 12 first round knockouts in his first 12 professional fights. On the strength of his knockout streak, Valero was then becoming one of the hottest prospects in boxing. Valero, however, had a skeleton in his closet: a head injury sustained in a 2001 motorcycle accident. Evidence of Valero’s head injury went undiscovered, or was otherwise ignored, before three bouts in California and nine in his native Venezuela, but was revealed during a MRI that he underwent for his New York State license. Valero was subsequently denied a license to box in New York and, until April 4, 2009, had not fought again in the United States. Undeterred, Valero continued his boxing career in both Japan and South America, becoming an international sensation in the process.

At the end of March, Valero, now 25-0 (25 KOs) and a junior lightweight and lightweight world champion, was granted a license to box in Texas in advance of his April 4, 2009 bout with Antonio Pitalua for the vacant World Boxing Council lightweight title. That Texas granted Valero a license was not entirely surprising to boxing cognoscenti as Texas has a history of thumbing its nose at the suspensions of other states’ commissions. Indeed, Texas was the same state that granted former undisputed heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Evander Holyfield a license to box after New York State placed him on administrative suspension in 2005. However, in light of Texas’ decision to license Valero, the question is begged as to whether a boxer such as Valero, who at age 27 is an undefeated two division world champion and seemingly entering into the prime of his career following a second round stoppage of Pitalua, should have the denial of his license reversed by the New York State Athletic Commission (hereinafter the “Commission”) or otherwise be permitted to box in the United States by other influential commissions...

See full article at: http://www.8countnews.com/news/125/ARTICLE/1535/2009-04-13.html


Paul Stuart Haberman, Esq. is an attorney at the New York law firm of Heidell, Pittoni, Murphy & Bach, LLP. He is also a New York State licensed boxing manager and the Chairman of the Sports Law Committee of the New York County Lawyers Association. ©

HISTORY & LEGENDS OF REAL MADRID CF - A SHORT VIDEO

Found this interesting video, a short documentary of the Legends of REALMADRID CF. It´s in English & follows a numerical order of past & currentgreats who have played at the Club. Interesting viewing for all the Real SFSreaders throughout the global, which are many.Enjoy!

60kg Kettlebell Overhead Training

60kg Kettlebell Overhead Training

At the end of saturdays strongman training kettlebell session I did a session finisher with the 60kg kettlebell.

I went for reps overhead. Did 20 reps, it's the first time i've done this so now have a target to beat next time.



As you can see from the video I start to fail a bit on the technique in the latter half, but this can be put straight with training and possibly some static holds, as GS athletes do as part of their training.

Static holds are an element I will be adding into my training.
I first learnt about them from girevoysportafter40 blog

Check out Eugene's long cycle tips

60kg Kettlebell Overhead Training

ATLETICO DE MADRID: SIMAO GOES DOWN IN HISTORY FOR GOAL 4.000

The brief: it’s Round 30 of the Spanish 1ºst Division & Deportivo de A Coruñais playing Atletico de Madrid. The latter is leading 0-1, & in the 70th minuteSIMAO scores his teams’ second goal plus Atletico de Madrid´s 4.000 goalin “Liga”. Excuse the poor quality of the video: Simao goes down into Club History & joins other players like:Palacios, first ever goal scorer for Atletico in 1929;Escudero

Florida Coastal Symposium

This Friday, we are hosting our annual sports law symposium titled, “NCAA Coaches’ Contracts: Diversity and Negotiating Value in the 21st Century”:

FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2009
10:30 am - 2:30 pm
Room 405

Opening Remarks: Stuart Herman, President of Sports Law Society at Florida Coastal School of Law

10:30 a.m. - noon: Maximizing Value for the Coach

Panelists will discuss the various issues that arise in negotiating and structuring college coaches contracts from the perspective of both the university and coach, including compensation and the various types of compensation, for cause termination, tax ramifications, and liquidated damages/buyout clauses.

Moderator, Rick Karcher - Assoc. Professor of Law and Dir., Florida Coastal School of Law Center for Law and Sports
Robert H. Lattinville - Partner, Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP
Terry Don Phillips - Athletic Director, Clemson University
Randall W. Spetman - Athletic Director, Florida State University
Bennett H. Speyer - Member, Eastman & Smith LTD

Noon - 1:00: Lunch provided

1:00 - 2:30 p.m.: Ethnic and Gender Issues in NCAA Hiring

Panelists will discuss the topic of diversity in the hiring of college coaches, including the following issues: (1) Does the Rooney Rule have application in college to increase minority football head coaches at NCAA's highest level? (2) How does the NCAA view the challenges and solutions regarding minority and gender equity? (3) Are boosters unduly influential in hiring and firing coaches to the disproportionate detriment of minority coaches? and (4) Is Title VII a viable remedy?

Moderator, Roger Groves - Associate Professor of Law, Florida Coastal School of Law
N. Jeremi Duru - Associate Professor of Law, Temple University, Beasley School of Law
Kristen Galles - Civil rights attorney and Title IX expert
Floyd A. Keith - Executive Director, Black Coaches and Administrators

For speaker bios click here.
The event is free and open to the public.
To register, please email rkarcher@fcsl.edu.
CLE credits approved.

FC BARCELONA NEWS: RIBERY & INIESTA

Let’s give the brief on two news pieces doing the rounds in the local Sportsdaily’s in reference to FC BARCELONA. The first is the interest thatBAYERN MUNICH player FRANCK RIBERY has in leaving his Club forBarça & the second the supposed interest by MANCHESTER CITY forBarça midfielder ANDRES INIESTA.Ex- FC Barcelona Dutch player & now Bayern Munich midfielder Mark vanBommel, made comments to

2009 Scholarly Conference on College Sport

Robert Hayden and Che Mock of the University of North Carolina pass along the following message. We wish Richard Southall and everyone else at the College Sports Research Institute the best for this year's conference, which looks to be a great event.

* * *

The College Sport Research Institute, with support from the University of North Carolina Sport and Entertainment Law Association will be hosting the 2009 Scholarly Conference on College Sport at the William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education at UNC-CH, this Thursday through Saturday.

The Scholarly Conference will provide an open forum for independent, organized and focused cross-disciplinary research on college sport in the United States. Attendees will be presented with completely unique information and experiences through prominent keynote speakers, panel discussions, and two days of juried academic presentations.

The Issues in College Sport Symposium will be held on Thursday, April 16th from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and will feature three panel discussions and a keynote speech about relevant issues in college sport. In addition to the chance to hear the panels, attendees will have the opportunity to talk with lawyers and panelists such as Jay Bilas, Of Counsel at Moore & Van Allen Law Firm of Charlotte, NC and Jeremy Bloom, who famously pursued an injunction against the NCAA to allow him to continue his college football career while receiving endorsements for freestyle skiing (Bloom v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, No. 02CA2302, 2004 WL 964322 [Colo. App., May 6, 2004]).

There are multiple legal presentations that will be taking place on Friday and Saturday, including "The Tax Exempt Status of the NCAA," "Title IX and Sexual Harassment," and "Recognition on a College Athlete's Right of Publicity."

Details about scheduled presentations and information about the conference can be found on the conference website at www.csriconference.org. The conference program can be found in its entirety at http://www.csriconference.org/docs/Program.pdf.

For those unable to attend this year's event, next year's edition of the conference is scheduled for April 14-17, 2010, at the Friday Center.

SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA 2008/ 09 - ROUND 30 RESULTS

Hi! Great to be back posting. This weeks Liga summary will be shorter,because SFS was out on Easter holidays & did not get to see all the games.Plus, just in & checking all the results & scorers from around the media.SATURDAY RESULTS:FC BARCELONA 2 ( Iniesta; Morris (og) ) - RECREATIVO 0VILLAREAL 0 - MALAGA 2 (Duda; Eliseu)SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS:Ex-REAL MADRID player DAVID BECKHAM flew into Madrid

Strongman Training

Strongman Training with Bars, Bands and Kettlebells



Had a fantastic day yesterday despite the rain.

My brother in law Pat Hodgson came and helped out with some Strongman Style training.

Zercher walk 165kg
Yolk Walk 100kg
Overhead and rack walk 40kg + 40kg
Farmer walk 72kg each hand with double kettlebells

Did many other things with the bells too. Look out for some of this later.

The bands add some serious instability to this type of training making lighter weights feels so much heavier.



Kettlebell Strongman Workouts

Kenneth Jay Routine Workouts

Kenneth Jay Routine Workouts

Still waiting, waiting! Yes I'm still waiting with baited breath for my Viking Warrior conditioning book by Kenneth Jay to arrive from Dragondoor

The book will be a much more detailed extension of his VO2max Protocol training 36/36 and 15/15


Heart of elastic steel!

To get started with VO2 Max Training workouts with the kettlebell snatch in the style of Kenneth Jay RKC Viking Conditioning read this article previously on Dragondoor via RIFSBLOG

Also, check out Dan John's Review of Viking Conditioning

Finally, clarity

I have been looking forward to this book for a long time. I admit it: I was clueless about what we were doing at the San Jose RKC when I did the workout. I kept thinking I was just missing something. So, I read the articles and asked questions, but couldn't get a handle on it.

In other words, how can 16k tear me apart like this? Kenneth's book is like "Kalos Sthenos," it will change the way you approach one of our basic six movements forever. Ignore the notion that you "know" what the book is about (insert image of me waving hands around) because almost certainly you don't.

If the kbell snatch is the "Tsar" of our movements, this approach to training it is beyond anything I have considered. The workouts will improve your snatch technique while also teaching your heart and lungs a thing or two about conditioning.

I read the book cover to cover in one sitting. I am not good at math, but I understood the insights that Kenneth is driving at throughout the text. We continue to evolve as a kbell community in our understanding of techniques, but this is a book loaded with the method behind our madness. Great job here...
Dan John - Murray, Utah

Dan John Reviews Viking Warrior Conditioning...............



Kenneth Jay Routine Workouts

Colts Redux? Can the Preakness be Seized?

Many remember the ill-fated attempt in the mid-1980s by the city of Baltimore to utilize eminent domain to seize the Colts under a law passed by the Maryland Legislature. Colts' then-owner Robert Irsay moved the team in the dead of night to take a deal offered by Indianapolis. In an eerie echo of this, the Governor of Maryland is seeking legislature to seize the Preakness, the second jewel of horse racing's triple crown. An excellent blog by the Wall Street Journal's law blog outlines the difficulties of the case in detail and links to a number of newspaper articles giving background on this dispute.

The issue is not a relocation. Rather, it is the effect of a bankruptcy filing by the race's owner, Magna Entertainment Corp. and potential of a sale of its assets, including the race track and the intangible property of the race itself. Assuming that the legislation is passed and eminent domain is utilized, the question is what effect the action would have in the Chapter 11 filing in the bankruptcy court. That is a more complicated matter than the attempt to seize the Colts as pre-emption issues could be paramount (assuming that the seizure is constitutional).

Virginia Law Softball Tourny

The 26th Annual Virginia Law Softball Invitational tournament was held last weekend. The series of softball games, featuring both men’s and co-rec divisions, raised $20,000 for Children, Youth and Family Services, a Charlottesville-based nonprofit. Out of the 112 teams that participated in the tournament from 46 law schools across the country, Florida Coastal won the championship in the men's division and Appalachian School of Law won the co-rec division. Congratulations to the members of the winning teams and to all of the law students who participated in the tournament and raised that money for such a worthy cause.

GERMAN "SPORT BILD" VOTES MESSI BEST FORWARD IN EUROPE. SEE THE TOP 10 LIST

(photo courtesy of Sport Bild)German magazine “Sport Bild” has published its Top 50 list of "BestForwards in European Football". Spain grabs all the attention as out ofthe Top 10, 7 play in Spanish Football (3 are Spanish born). ArgentineInternational & FC BARCELONA star LEONEL MESSI tops the list asNº1 , with ex- German Football player, ex-National Team Selector & nowGeneral Manager of Bayern

FIFA RANKING: SPAIN MAINTAINS TOP SPOT & BREAKS RECORD

FIFA has just released its monthly rankings for National Teams. SPAINmaintains its Nº1 spot for 10th consecutive month & break another recordfor having the greatest points gap (367pts) in respect to a second placedteam (Germany) since FIFA introduced this ranking in 1993.(photo: JOSÉ A. GARCÍA. MARCA)Here is the Top 20:.1. Spain 1.729 pts.2. Germany 1.362 .3. Holland 1.360 .4. Brazil 1.275 .5.

REAL MADRID - KAKA NEGOTIATIONS: WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Spanish paper “AS” has always been suspected on following the REALMADRID line of thought – to say the least – as does its equivalent “Sport”in Barcelona. The former has been very active of late in publishing ongoingnews on the new signings that ex Real Madrid President Florentino Perez hasup his sleeves if he gets re-elected next June in the Clubs Presidential elections.The funny thing is –