New Sports Illustrated Column on Barry Bonds Trial: Has Bonds Already Won?

With the prosecution's case-in-chief nearly over, I have a new column for SI -- in it, I take a look at where things stand in the Bonds trial and what to expect going forward. Bonds should feel good about 4 of the 5 counts, but he's still very vulnerable to a conviction on Count Two. Here are excerpts from the column:

* * *

What worked for the prosecution?

1. Kathy Hoskins's believable recollection will help to prove Count Two

Kathy Hoskins, the former personal shopper of Bonds and the sister of Steve Hoskins, carefully explained how she watched Anderson inject Bonds in the navel during the 2002 season. She came across as believable, normal and someone with whom jurors could likely identify. Her memory also appeared strong, especially when she recalled specific comments purportedly made by Bonds. While prosecutors tried to link her with Steve Hoskins, whose business relationship with Bonds soured and who struggled on the stand earlier in the week, Kathy Hoskins emerged from cross examination as credible and without apparent ill-motive.

If the jury believes Kathy Hoskins with absolute certainty, it would be poised to find Bonds guilty on Count Two of the government's indictment. As explained in our previous coverage, Count Two simply requires prosecutors to prove that Bonds was injected by Anderson and that Bonds knowingly lied in 2003 when stating, under oath, that no such injection ever took place.

Then again, prosecutors were unable to corroborate Kathy Hoskins's testimony with other witnesses who could credibly claim they too saw Bonds injected by Anderson. Along those lines, some on the jury may be uncomfortable with finding Bonds guilty based on the testimony of just one witness, albeit a very believable one. They might also reason that Bonds could have simply -- to borrow a favorite word of fellow alleged perjurer Roger Clemens -- "misremembered" everything that Anderson did to him, including injections. Given that perjury requires that the defendant knowingly lied, as opposed to merely being mistaken or confused, any possibility of doubt would work to Bonds's defense.

* * *

What worked for the defense?

1. Steve Hoskins and Dr. Arthur Ting failed as witnesses for the prosecution

Though he initially seemed to possess intimate knowledge of Bonds' personal and professional life and though he portrayed Bonds as keenly interested in steroids, Steve Hoskins proved highly vulnerable under cross-examination, particularly in regards to his credibility and motivations. His rationale for secretly taping a conversation with Anderson drew intense fire, as Hoskins made the recording after Bonds had largely terminated his business relationship with him. Jurors will likely have doubts about relying on comments by Steve Hoskins to convict Bonds.

Ting proved to be the worst witness for the government, by far. For at least three reasons, Ting seemed more like a witness for the defense than for the prosecution: he emphasized that he never spoke with Bonds about steroids; he highlighted non-steroid explanations for possible changes in Bonds' body; and he adamantly denied testimony by fellow prosecution witness Steve Hoskins, who had claimed that he and Ting discussed steroids. By the end of his testimony, Ting probably left jurors with serious doubts about the government's case against Bonds and about prosecutors' wisdom in calling him to the stand.

* * *

What to expect next week?

The prosecution is nearly finished and the defense will begin its case-in-chief on Monday. Expect three major defense strategies:

1. Refute Kathy Hoskins's assertion that Anderson injected Bonds

While the government struggled to show that Bonds knowingly lied under oath about steroids, it scored a victory in Kathy Hoskins's persuasive testimony. Keep in mind, if Bonds is convicted only on Count Two, he will still be a convicted felon and still face prison time.

Expect defense attorneys to portray Kathy Hoskins as linked more closely to her brother, Steve, than she led the court to believe. The stronger she is linked to her less credible brother, the more doubt the jury may have of her testimony. While the defense has to be careful to not so fervently slander Kathy Hoskins that it backfires -- and that she is called again to the stand -- it has to address her damming testimony.

* * *

To read the rest, click here.

ENGLAND 2 SPAIN 1 | SPAIN MISSES QUALIFICATION FOR U-17 EURO FINALS

Bad news tonight for Spanish Football fans from the U-17 Euro front. ENGLAND defeated SPAIN 2 – 1 to take the Top spot of the Group & thus qualify for the U-17 European Finals in Serbia later this year. Said in another way, Spain misses out.



Spain U-17 /photo Giovani de Paola

England was superior & Spain managed to keep things equal up until the 55th min mark when REDMOND scored for England,

ESPN Sues Conference USA

ESPN is reporting that it has filed a lawsuit against Conference USA, accusing the conference of breach of contract. Specifically, ESPN alleges that the conference breached a 2005 agreement by failing to provide the network with an opportunity to match the $42 million television broadcast agreement that C-USA recently signed with the Fox network. ESPN is requesting either $21 million in damages, or specific performance of an alleged contract extension it asserts the parties had reached in principle prior to C-USA signing its deal with Fox. Meanwhile, C-USA denies that it breached any agreement with ESPN.

Sports Law Blog on the Rise

Over on TaxProf Blog, Paul Caron has his annual traffic rankings for law professor blogs, and Sports Law Blog is #22 among them in terms of visitors and #23 in terms of page views. His numbers also show a 9% increase in visitors to our blog, and an 8% increase in page views on our blog, from 2009 to 2010. As always, we appreciate you checking our blog out and seeing what we have to say.

Double Kettlebell Snatches for Grip Strength

I've been doing lots of grip training of late and mixing it all up with the kettlebells, mainly in prep for the next leg of Britains Strongest Hands (I placed 4th out of 17 in the first leg, next leg on the 9th April)

Here's a snippet of some double kettlebell snatches (2 kettlebells in 1 hand), I love these as they're a real challenge to the hands (very much like holding a very thick handled kettlebell, but even harder because they 'clank' together at the top making them even more akward and unstable)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzqLYK5nCco

Also, here's a heavier double snatch using the 32kg and the 24kg together. I don't recommend trying this lift as there is a certain risk involved with the hands and forearms (so try this at your own peril - be warned!!)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qllYCPwluf4

Take Your Fitness To Another Level with the Gymboss Interval Timer

FC BARCELONA | THE "SECRET" TO THEIR SUCCESS

Just some informative & interesting observations from Spanish Sports paper "Marca" that I thought would tantalize FC BARCELONA fans around the World. Did you know that Barça hasn’t gone below 50% of ball possession,  that is,  total control of the ball in a game, in the last three years? That is,  166 games were the opposition Team hasn’t been able to get the possession of the ball beyond 50% of

New Sports Illustrated Video on Eller v. NFL

I was interviewed by Maggie Gray of Sports Illustrated/CNN video to discuss a new lawsuit filed by Carl Eller, Priest Holmes and others on behalf of retired and prospective NFL players. Their core argument is that the NFL lockout and various NFL restrictions on trade, including the draft, are illegal under federal antitrust law -- an argument also made in Brady v. NFL -- but unlike current NFL players, retired and prospective players are not members of the NFLPA bargaining unit. These players believe they too will be harmed by the lockout (for instance, various health-related programs for retired NFL players are funded in part by fines imposed on current players; with no football, no fines will be levied, and retired players' programs will lose funding). In response, the NFL will likely argue that while they are not bargaining members of the NFLPA, the NFLPA nonetheless represents their interests. Here's the video:

REAL MADRID | SERGIO CANALES | THE SHAMAN & THE DESERT

SERGIO CANALES arrived at REAL MADRID CF at a cost of 10M€ from Racing de Santander as a 19 year old midfield promise after having a wonderful & meteoric season 2009 – 2010. Now after more than six months the youngster has had just a few games ( mostly friendlies ) with Real Madrid & many observers had dubbed this “his lost season”, a term not at all positive for a young Football professional

My interview for PBS Frontline on O'Bannon v. NCAA

Here's a link to a transcript of my interview with Lloyd Bergman of PBS. The transcript is admittedly long - the interview was for over an hour and we covered a TON of ground for PBS' March Madness and Money feature.

Here's an excerpt from the transcript:

PBS: How significant is this case?

McCann: It's a very significant case, particularly because it's past the motion-to-dismiss stage. A motion to dismiss is an argument by the defendant that, even if all of the facts are true, there's no viable legal claim. Well, the NCAA lost the motion to dismiss, and it's now going to trial. Normally, cases against the NCAA have not succeeded, either because of motions to dismiss or because they're settled. O'Bannon, though, seems to signal that he isn't going to settle, that he's actually going to go forward with this case, and he's going to try to win it.

And if he wins it, it would mean that retired players, including those who have been retired for a while, should be compensated for their use and image and likeness that the NCAA contracted away.

PBS: Well, you said something called the "right of publicity." What is that?

McCann: The right of publicity is that we have certain proprietary interests in our identity, that if somebody is going to try to make money off our image, our likeness, our name, that we should be compensated for that. Now, there are exceptions to that. There's a newsworthiness exception, for instance. If we're in the public news because of something we did or because we happen to be there, we're not going to be compensated. There's also an exception for parody. In other words, if we went on a television show and somebody parodied our appearance, we wouldn't be compensated for that.

But if somebody is just trying to make money off our image or likeness, we have a legal right, under state laws, to be compensated for that.

PBS: Let me put it a different way. O'Bannon, all the college athletes today, student-athletes, they all sign this form, right? And it's our understanding that this form has a clause in it that says you're signing away all your rights, basically, to the NCAA and to the school that you went to. So what's this litigation all about?

McCann: O'Bannon would argue that the Student-Athlete Statement, which, as you noted, Lowell, is required of students to sign if they want to play college sports -- students who may be 17 or 18 years old know that if they don't sign that statement, they will not be able to play sports. And if they can't play sports, they may not get their scholarship. And if they don't get their scholarship, they may not be able to afford school. So O'Bannon is saying, well, that's not really much of a choice, is it, because you're required to sign this form.

Not only does it seem as if we don't have a choice, but the form itself shouldn't have the meaning that the NCAA seems to perceive. The form means that players give up their proprietary interest while they're in college, so the NCAA can use their likeness and image while they're in college to promote the NCAA and to promote the colleges that the players are associated with.

O'Bannon is saying, even if that's OK, which he doesn't seem to concede, but even if that's OK, it shouldn't continue after I've left school, because the NCAA, as it's argued, is concerned about the exploitation of student-athletes; that if they were to be able to do their own deals while in college, there would be charlatans who exploit players and the like. But O'Bannon is saying: "I'm 39 years old. Why is it that I need to be protected by the NCAA nearly 20 years after I played college basketball? I should have a right to get paid. That form shouldn't take the effect that the NCAA seems to interpret."

* * *

PBS: Yeah. But I mean, the players who make the money, because there's a very small group of players who bring in that revenue, right?

McCann: Sure. I think you could say that the superstar player generates a disproportionate share of the fan's interest of the commercialization of sports. When O.J. Mayo plays one year [of basketball] at the University of Southern California, and he's put on the cover of the brochure, and he's highlighted, he clearly is generating revenue for the University of Southern California. This is somebody who is attracting renewed interest in a program that had not attracted a lot of interest in years prior.

I don't know if the 11th and 12th persons on the bench are generating that same value. They're clearly not. You know, the random offensive linemen on a top college football team, whom we don't know the name of, how much value is that player contributing? Well, in the sense that he's playing on a team that's doing really well, he's contributing value. But independently, how much value is he contributing? I think that's a harder call. And I think that's what is going to make compensating athletes a difficult challenge, certainly not an impossible challenge, but it's figuring out who gets what ... If it were a professional league, then we would know what they get, because there's a market for services.

* * *

PBS: But this is the only country that I know of that has sports teams associated with universities and institutions of higher learning in a billion-dollar industry, and is tied that way. I mean, this is a pretty unusual situation, isn't it?

McCann: It is, and in other countries, for instance in Europe, we don't see the same college sports system. We see a professionalization of youth sports. We see if you're a 13- or 14-year-old star basketball player, you don't have to wait until you're 19 years old and one year removed from high school to play in the NBA. You can sell your services as a teenager and make money at that point, or you can join some other kind of pro league in another part of the world.

Only in the United States do we have this very extensive and popular system of college sports that has had the effect of reducing the compensation and, in some cases, eliminating compensation for those who are playing the sports. When you couple that with age restrictions in order to enter the NFL and the NBA -- and, of course, in college sports, at least 90 percent of the revenue is generated by football and men's basketball -- then you could see a real injustice.

You have players who can't turn pro because of an age restriction. Then they have to go to college, if you will, to play maybe for a school that they have no interest [in] being a student at. Where do they go? Well, they can go to Europe if they're a basketball player, perhaps, but not many have done so. They're in a difficult situation. I think the ones who are generating so much of the wealth, the star players, are the ones who are so clearly disadvantaged by this system.

PBS: So it's an antitrust case.

McCann: It is an antitrust case, because the current system is set up in a way that boycotts players who would otherwise be commercially viable from being able to use their services. And that, arguably, makes the market less competitive.

Now, the question is, who gets sued there? Do you sue the professional sports leagues and the players' associations that have created barriers to entry? Well, that's been done in the past. The difficulty is that courts say, if the owners and the players get together and negotiate a rule, it's largely immune from federal antitrust law. And of course, you could say, well, that doesn't seem fair, because the players' association is looking out for current players. Why should they create a barrier that prevents prospective players from entering the league, because if they could enter, they're going to take jobs away from the 12th guy on the bench. That doesn't seem like a fair system. But that's how federal labor and antitrust laws are set up. Current employees can negotiate on behalf of prospective employees. It may seem fair in some contexts, but I think in professional sports it really isn't.

* * *

To read the rest, click here.

LITHUANIA 1 SPAIN 3 | EURO 2012 GROUP I QUALIFIER RESULT

SPAIN managed to win away to LITHUANIA 1 - 3 in their EURO 2012 Group I qualifier to give them another victory, consolidate the Groups Top spot & put them nearly into the Euro Finals of next year. The match went ahead after UEFA officials & the French referee decided that the turf ( without grass ) was apt to play on & safe. Correct decision as no one from both teams were injured in a game played

Two Great Nights of Sports Law Related TV

1) Tonight at 9 p.m., PBS Frontline will air a feature on "Money and March Madness". It will primarily be about the O'Bannon v. NCAA lawsuit and will include interviews with Ed O'Bannon and Sonny Vaccaro, who last Friday delivered an outstanding keynote address at Harvard Law School's sports law symposium and who was recently the subject of a very interesting piece in the New York Times.

2) Tomorrow night at 10 p.m. HBO Real Sports will air a 1-hour feature on College Sports in America (Part I can be seen here; Part II here). Here is more info on the HBO feature:

Two long-form segments anchor the program, setting the stage for an extended roundtable panel hosted by Bryant Gumbel and featuring former University of Michigan head football coach Rich Rodriguez, outspoken college basketball commentator Billy Packer and print journalist Jason Whitlock of FoxSports.com. The group will address a host of issues relating to the NCAA and the regulation of its 1,055 member schools.

Segments include:
*The Money Trail. Every year, thousands of talented young student-athletes sign letters of intent and obtain full-ride athletic scholarships (tuition and board) from the biggest, wealthiest programs in America, effectively giving up all rights to revenue generated by their participation, including TV rights fees, merchandising and ticket sales. But with a dramatic increase in revenue from top programs and athletes’ growing awareness of their contribution, many are starting to ask if there should be financial compensation. REAL SPORTS correspondent Bernard Goldberg examines the notion of student-athletes remaining untainted amateurs while generating pro-type revenue for their schools. Are they getting a fair shake?

*Pay to Play. Should athletes at Division I programs be financially compensated? And would that curb the headline-grabbing stories of inappropriate payments and benefits? More and more standout athletes in top programs are seemingly putting their education on the back burner to focus on what’s really important – the money. Those destined for the NBA and NFL face the moral dilemma of dealing with “advisors” and “street agents” who can deliver the funds and material items they desire while in school in exchange for a promise of future reciprocation when they reach the pros. REAL SPORTS correspondent Andrea Kremer delves into the controversial and complex subject of premium college-bound athletes receiving benefits that are prohibited by the NCAA.

New sports law scholarship

Recently published scholarship includes:

Rachel Blumenfeld, Dog baiting abatement: using nuisance abatement to regulate dogfighting, 17 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 1 (2010)

Victor S. Broccoli, Williams v. NFL: the Eighth Circuit flags the NFL for interference with state drug testing laws, 17 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 283 (2010)

Bradley R. Bultman, Comment, Drafted player compensation: incorrectly hidden in the afternoon shadow of the nonstatutory labor exemption, 11 FLORDIA COASTAL LAW REVIEW 687 (2010)

Ashlee A. Cassman, Bring it on! Cheerleading vs. Title IX: could cheerleading ever be considered an athletic opportunity under Title IX, and if so, what implications would that have on university compliance?, 17 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 245 (2010)

Steve E. Cavezza, Can I see some ID? An Antitrust Analysis of NBA and NFL Draft Eligibility Rules, 9 UNIVERSITY OF DENVER SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT LJ 22 (2011)

Sonali Chitre, Technology and copyright law—illuminating the NFL’s ‘blackout’ rule in game broadcasting, 33 HASTINGS COMMUNICATION & ENTERTAINMENT LAW JOURNAL 97 (2010)

Reid Coploff, Exploring gender discrimination in coaching, 17 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 195 (2010)

Chris Deubert, What’s a ‘Clean’ Agent to Do? The Case for a Cause of Action Against a Players Association, 18 VILLANOVA SPORTS AND ENTERTAINMENT LAW JOURNAL 1 (2011)

Marielle Elisabet Dirkx, Comment, Calling an audible: the Equal Protection Clause, cross-over cases, and the need to change Title IX regulations, 80 MISSISSIPPI LAW JOURNAL 411 (2010)

Marc Edelman & David Rosenthal, A sobering conflict: the call for consistency in the message colleges send about alcohol, 20 FORDHAM INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT LAW JOURNAL 1389 (2010)

Adam Epstein, Teaching Torts with Sports, 28 JOURNAL OF LEGAL EDUCATION 117 (2011)

Adam Epstein, Religion and Sports in the Undergraduate Classroom: A Surefire Way to Spark Student Interest, 21 SOUTHERN LAW JOURNAL 133 (2011)

Lauren A. Fields, Comment, Who owns dat?, 13 TULANE JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 251 (2010)

John A. Fortunato & Shannon E. Martin, American Needle v. NFL: Legal and Sponsorship Implications, 9 UNIVERSITY OF DENVER SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT LAW JOURNAL 73 (2011)

Nathaniel Grow, Defining the “business of baseball”: a proposed framework for determining the scope of professional baseball’s antitrust exemption, 44 UC DAVIS LAW REVIEW 557 (2010)

Benjamin B. Hanson, Comment, Defend the Williams Wall, leave professional sports drug testing policies in shambles: the decision and consequences of Williams v. NFL, 33 HAMLINE LAW REVIEW 327 (2010)

Casinova O. Henderson, How much discretion is too much for the NFL Commissioner to have over the players’ off-the-field conduct?, 17 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 167 (2010)

Robert S. Jeffrey, Note, Beyond the hype: the legal and practical consequences of American Needle, 11 FLORIDA COASTAL LAW REVIEW 667 (2010)

Brandon Johansson, Note, Pause the game: are video game producers punting away the publicity rights of retired athletes?, 10 NEVADA LAW JOURNAL 784 (2010)

Richard G. Johnson, Submarining due process: how the NCAA uses its restitution rule to deprive college athletes of their right of access to the courts...until Oliver v. NCAA, 11 FLORIDA COASTAL LAW REVIEW 459 (2010)

Michael Kim, Mixed martial arts: the evolution of a combat sport and its laws and regulations, 17 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 49 (2010)

Camalla M. Kimbrough, Comment, Upon further review: how the NFL’s exclusive licensing agreement with Reebok survives antitrust scrutiny despite the League’s flawed single-entity defense, 13 TULANE JOURNAL OF TECHNOLOGY & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 235 (2010)

Jeffrey F. Levine & Bram A. Maravent, Fumbling away the season: will the expiration of the NFL-NFLPA CBA result in the loss of the 2011 season?, 20 FORDHAM INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT LAW JOURNAL 1419 (2010)

Joseph A. Litman, Note, Tremendous upside potential: how a high-school basketball player might challenge the National Basketball Association’s eligibility requirements, 88 WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW 261 (2010)

Robert A. McCormick & Amy Christian McCormick, A trail of tears: the exploitation of the college athlete, 11 FLORIDA COASTAL LAW REVIEW 639 (2010)

Frank P. McQuillan, Minnesota’s miracle...on ice: the transfer-mation of student-athletes into free agents, 17 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 135 (2010)

Matthew J. Mitten & Hayden Opie, “Sports law”: implications for the development of international, comparative, and national law and global dispute resolution, 85 TULANE LAW REVIEW 269 (2010)

Brandon D. Morgan, Oliver v. NCAA: NCAA’s no agent rule called out, but remains safe, 17 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 303 (2010)

Anna Peterson, Comment, But she doesn’t run like a girl...: the ethic of fair play and the flexibility of the binary conception of sex, 19 TULANE JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE & INTERNATIONAL LAW 315 (2010)

Adam Primm, Salary arbitration induced settlement in Major League Baseball: the new trend, 17 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 73 (2010)

J. Chadwick Schnee, Wrestling with retaliation: pinning down the Burlington “dissuading” standard under Title IX, 17 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 223 (2010)

Aaron Shepard, Note, Football’s stormy future: forecasting the upcoming National Football League labor negotiations, 33 COLUMBIA JOURNAL OF LAW & ARTS 527 (2010)

Patrick Donohue Sheridan, An Olympic solution to ambush marketing: how the London Olympics show the way to more effective trademark law, 17 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 27 (2010)

Brett T. Smith, The tax-exempt status of the NCAA: has the IRS fumbled the ball?, 17 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 117 (2010)

Jeffrey J.R. Sundram, Comment, The downside of success: how increased commercialism could cost the NCAA its biggest antitrust defense, 85 TULANE LAW REVIEW 543 (2010)

Seagull Haiyan Song, How should China respond to online piracy of live sports telecasts? A comparative study of Chinese copyright legislation to US and European Legislation, 9 UNIVERSITY OF DENVER SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT LAW JOURNAL 1 (2011)

Robert J. Thorpe, Way out in left field: Crespin v. Albuquerque Baseball Club rejects nearly one hundred years of American jurisprudence by declining to adopt the baseball rule in New Mexico, 17 SPORTS LAWYERS JOURNAL 267 (2010)

Glenn M. Wong, Warren Zola and Chris Deubert, Going Pro in Sports: Improving Guidance to Student-Athletes in a Complicated Legal and Regulatory Environment, 28 CARDOZO ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT LAW JOURNAL 553 (2011)

Glenn M. Wong and Chris Deubert, National Basketball Association General Managers: An Analysis of the Responsibilities, Qualifications and Characteristics, 18 VILLANOVA SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT LAW JOURNAL 213 (2011)

Mike Mahler - Mastering the Double Kettlebell Snatch

Great video from Mike Mahler on Mastering the Double Kettlebell Snatch



The double KB Snatch has been one of my favourites in the past, it's a great core strength builder and awesome for all round fitness.

Mike Mahler detais the most important parts of the technique for both (inside and outside the legs) techniques.

Check out my double kettlebell snatch video

SPAIN 1 BELARUS 1 | U-21 INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY

The SPANISH U-21 FOOTBALL TEAM played a friendly match against BELARUS in Madrid with the final result a 1 - 1 draw. Spain used this match to fine-tune themselves for the upcoming U-21 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS in Denmark next June where team also play for a place in the upcoming London Olympic Games.



Spanish U-21 International Bojan 

The Spanish team started with the following 11:

De Gea;

SPAIN 5 NORTHERN IRELAND 1 | EURO U -17 GROUP QUALIFIERS

The Spanish U-17 National Football Team played Northern Ireland today & won 5 – 1 in their Group qualifier for the upcoming U-17 European Championships. The Spanish Team clearly dominated & was 3 – 0 after 45 minutes. The second half saw Spanish Coach Gines take off some important players (the main name being Deulofeu) & give others a run. This did not seem to halt the Spaniards momentum as they

SPANISH FOOTBALL | UPDATE ON THE 2º DIVISION

Spanish Football Sports Blog is a "hobby" written by a Spanish Football - Sports lover who finds time to spread, contact with & let non-Spanish speaking Sports fans around the World,  who admire along with me my Sporting passions,  to stay in touch daily with the most important news. I would love to have more time to expand further beyond the popular news pieces & Clubs, especially the fantastic

MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Panel on "The Coming War: Sports Labor Relations"

Earlier, this month I joined several panelists -- Russ Granik (former NBA Deputy Commissioner), Tom Penn (ESPN analyst and former Blazers Assistant GM), George Postolos (former President and CEO of the Rockets), and Andrew Zimbalist (noted sports economist at Smith College) - at the 2011 MIT Sloan Sports Analytics conference to discuss labor wars in the NBA and NFL. The panel was moderated by Jackie MacMullan, an ESPN columnist and author of several books, including a forthcoming one on Shaquille O'Neal.

Here is the video of our panel discussion:

FORMULA 1 SEASON KICKS OFF | ALONSO 4TH - ALGUERSUAR 23RD

The Formula 1 season kicked off in Melbourne Australia with Current World Champion Sebastian Vettel starting as he finished last season; untouchable & winning the Australian GP 2011. Englishman Lewis Hamilton came in second & the surprise was Petrov with his third.



Fernando Alonso : photo Ap

However, although I congratulate the winners, the main concern here for obvious reasons is to describe

BELGIUM 1 SPAIN 3 | U-17 EURO GROUP QUALIFIERS

European Nations in the U-17 catagories are playing their qualification Group matches in order to have the right to participate in the U-17 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS FINALS coming up in Serbia.



Gerard Deulofeu star for Spain 

SPAIN defeated BELGIUM away 1 - 3 with a comeback after the home team got ahead in the 48th min mark via CALVAHLO against the grain as Spain was dominanting. The goal

DAVID VILLA BECOMES THE HIGHEST GOAL SCORER IN THE HISTORY OF THE SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM

SPANISH FOOTBALL player DAVID VILLA went into the History books last night against the Czech Republic for SPAIN after he become the "Highest Goal scorer in the History" of the Spanish National Team. He started the match equal with the last record holder, Raul, with 44 goals & finished the night as the new record holder with 46 goals.

David Villa has a few years left in his carreer & will not

Dr. John Carlos to Speak at the West Virginia University College of Law

Dr. John Carlos, who along with Olympic teammate Tommie Smith were criticized for protesting on the medal stand at the 1968 Mexico City Games, will discuss the evolving role of African American athletes in American culture and politics in a speech sponsored by the West Virginia University College of Law Sports and Entertainment Law Society.

Carlos will speak at noon on Thursday, March 31, 2011 at the Marlyn E. Lugar Courtroom in the WVU Law Center.

Specifically, Dr. Carlos will discuss the national platform athletes are given, as the American public has become more and more enthralled in the commercialized sports industries. He will discuss how and if African American athletes utilize this platform as he and Smith did in 1968. Carlos won the bronze medal in the 200-meter dash behind Smith and Australian Peter Norman. While receiving their medals, Smith and Carlos raised gloved fists as a silent protest of racism and economic depression among oppressed people in America. In response, International Olympic Committee president Avery Brundage banned the two men from the Olympic Village and forced them from the United States Olympic team. Carlos and Smith were embattled for years following their bold and meaningful protest.

The event is free to the public and will be webcast live at http://law.wvu.edu/carlos.

SPAIN 2 CZECH REPUBLIC 1 | EURO 2012 GROUP I QUALIFIER MATCH RESULT

The SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM & current European & World Champions defeated the CZECH REPUBLIC 2 - 1 in a difficult & at times frustrating game as the visitors put Spain on the ropes for 69 mins before solving the "situation". The victory opens up a significant gap between Spain,  which now leads Group I ,  & second placed Czech Rep with a 6 point margin. 

There were two milestones tonight

LILILE PLAYER GERVINHO HEADING TO ATLETICO DE MADRID ?

Ivory Coast winger & French Club LILLE player GERVINHO has not as yet signed his renewal contract offer. This has been interpreted, especially by Spanish Sports press, that the player is seriously considering an apparent offer from Spanish Club ATLETICO DE MADRID.



Gervinho for Lille

The speculated price is around 10M€ & Lille would welcome the injection of cash. The player seems to feel that

FRANCE 3 SPAIN 2 | U-21 INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY RESULT

The SPANISH U-21 NATIONAL TEAM played FRANCE in a friendly match & lost 3 - 2 to the "Blues". The Spanish side was a bit of an experiment with players lined up who habitually don´t play together, but this is no excuse at all. The French side played better & deserved to win, but suffered towards the end & were nearly equalized.

The French U-21 team were 3 - 0 up by the 35th min thanks to some

SPANISH INTERNATIONAL PLAYER XAVI HERNANDEZ REACHES HIS 100th INTERNATIONAL GAMES WITH SPAIN

Tomorrow when XAVI HERNANDEZ runs onto the field to represent his country with the SPAINISH FOOTBALL TEAM that plays against the Czech Republic in their important Euro 2012 qualifying Group I match, the FC Bareclona midfielder will have reached a personal & prestigious milestone in his spectacular professional Football career: the 100th International Cap for SPAIN.



Xavi Hernandez with his

Top Rank v. Golden Boy -- the Sequel

Although legal disputes involving boxing do not occupy a large portion of my class time, there have been cases, notably involving breaches of contracts among boxers and promoters, that make for interesting reading and discussion. I use one or two to prove breach, damages and remedies. One of my favorites is Lewis v. Rahman, a courtroom brawl (if you will) that involved heavyweights Lennox Lewis and Hasim Rahman, where the court enjoin Rahman from engaging in any other fights over a 18-month period under he fight Lewis for the championship. For those teaching, it merits discussion of the outer limits of a "negative" injunction.

Here's another potential case. One of my MBA students pointed to potential controversy involving the promoters Top Rank (of Bob Arum fame) and Golden Boy Promotions (founded by Oscar de la Hoya about 10 year ago). The dispute involves the signing of highly-touted Philippine bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire by Golden Boy this week. Reports state that Golden Boy offered Donaire a bigger purse for an upcoming fight for the WBA bantamweight championship. However, Top Rank claimed he is presently under contract and is considering legal action.

According to the article, the issue involves the expiration date of Donaire's present contract with Top Rank. Signed in June 2008, it would normally expires this June, but Top Rank is claiming that the expiration date tolled due to two "medical suspensions" of six and four months of Donaire during the contract period. Top Rank was quoted as saying that such a tolling provision was in Donaire's contract.

The stakes are high because Donaire already won the bantamweight championship of two of boxing's myriad governing bodies last month, the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization, raising his profile and market value. Yet, the case is reminiscent of a similar dispute about five years between the same parties of the fate of another Philippine boxer, Manny Pacquiao. That case was settled by arbitration in 2007, although there is subsequent litigation over claims that Top Rank underpaid Pacquiao.

The Donaire - Top Rank dispute will also likely go to arbitration. Issues would involve the meaning of a "medical suspension," whether Donaire's injury constituted such a suspension (difficult to prove to the contrary since he was suspended by one or more boxing bodies) and what remedy or remedies may apply if the arbitrator concludes a breach occurred.

Since both contracts are promising to arrange the same bout, injunction is not a practical remedy. But, just to hypothesize, what is the Golden Boy deal offered a different fight in June? Would Donaire be determined "unique" to stop him from boxing? My guess would be yes -- as a boxing champion and a potential moneymaker.

[Thanks to Hermogenes Perez for alerting me to the case]

2011 Southwestern Law School Sports Law Symposium

Darren Heitner has the story over on Sports Agent Blog (one of my favorite blogs, by the way) on this excellent upcoming symposium at Southewestern Law School in Los Angeles. Sports Law Blog contributor Warren Zola is one of the panelists and there are many other great panelists, too:

* * *

What: Business of Amateur Sports Symposium at Southwestern Law School

When: April 8, 2011 (9:15 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.)

Where: Southwestern Law School (map)

The Business of Amateur Sports is a one-day symposium featuring leading experts exploring some of the most timely and important questions facing collegiate sports today: regulation of agents and discipline of student athletes; the latest medical science on sports-related concussions, and how it may impact safety rules and legal liability; media deals and marketing in college sports, including the use of student-athlete names and likenesses; and the federal antitrust implications of college football’s Bowl Championship Series.

Schedule

9:15 - 10:00 a.m.: Check-in/Coffee

10:00 - 11:30 a.m.: Pre-Professional Athletes in an Amateur World: NCAA Rules, State Laws, Agents and Extra Benefits

• Bob Myers, NBA Agent, Wasserman Media Group
• Warren K. Zola, Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs, Boston College’s Carroll School of Management
• Marc Isenberg, Principal, INsight Sports Business and Author, Money Players: A Guide to Success in Sports, Business & Life for Current and Future Pro Athletes and Go Pro Like A Pro
• Moderator: Darren Heitner, CEO, Dynasty Athlete Representation and Associate, Koch Parafinczuk & Wolf

11:30 - 11:45 a.m.: Break

11:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.: Concussions, Law and Amateur Sports: Implications of Emerging Medical Science for the Regulation of Student Athlete Safety

• Dr. Jason P. Mihalik, Assistant Professor, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Daniel E. Lazaroff, Director, Loyola Law Sports Institute, Professor of Law and Leonard Cohen Chair in Law and Economics, Loyola Law School
• Moderator: David Fagundes, Associate Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School

1:00 - 2:30 p.m.: Lunch and Special Guest Conversation

• Jim Harrick, Former NCAA Basketball Head Coach and Broadcaster, in conversation with Jeff Fellenzer, Adjunct Professor, USC’s Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism

2:45 - 4:15 p.m.: Big Brands and Bigger Budgets: Marketing, Merchandising and Media Rights in College Sports

• Alonzo (“Al”) Wickers, IV, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine
• Stuart M. Paynter, The Paynter Law Firm
• Jeremy Langer, Vice President Collegiate Sports and Rights Acquisitions, Fox Sports
• Moderator: Debbie Spander, Vice President, Business Affairs, MTV Entertainment and Director, Sports Lawyers Association

4:15 - 4:30 p.m.: Break

4:30 - 5:30 p.m.: The BCS and Competition: An Antitrust Analysis of College Football’s Bowl Championship Series

• Gary R. Roberts, Dean and Gerald L. Bepko Professor of Law, Indiana University School of Law – Indianapolis
• Alan G. Fishel, Partner, Arent Fox
• William (“Tripp”) L. Monts, III, Partner, Hogan Lovells
• Moderator: Vered Yakovee, Law Offices of Vered N. Yakovee and Adjunct Associate Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School

5:30 - 7:00 p.m.: Cocktail Reception

Cost: $85 (General admission), $25 (Students). Register here. 6 CLE credits offered.

EURO 2012 GROUP I - SPAIN HINTS AT STARTING 11 AGAINST THE CZECH REPUBLIC

There is European Football action tomorrow & Saturday with Euro 2012 Group qualifiers & the SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM & current FIFA World Champions in action. Their first scheduled encounter is tomorrow night in the magical Spanish city of Granada & against the fellow Group I squad of the CZECH REPUBLIC


David Villa & Fernando Torres

The Spain squad under Coach Vicente Del Bosque has been

BigMac Kettlebell BUP

Found a new way to add some difficulty to the BUP

45kg (20kg bell on the bottom 9kg discs and 16kg on the top) Stacked BUP with some plates in the middle.

The hard part comes in balancing the weight to get loaded and is also a bit more difficult at the top (which needs to be kept very flat to stop the bell from sliding off into yer face)

Rutgers-Camden School of Law Sports Law Panel

Next Monday, March 28, the Rutgers School of Law Camden Sports & Entertainment Law Society will be hosting a sports law panel with an NFL-focus:

Join us for an evening with a distinguished group of sports law industry professionals.

Monday, March 28th, 7pm - 9pm
Rutgers School of Law Camden
Rutgers Camden Campus Center – Multi Purpose Room
326 Penn Street, Camden NJ

Prior to the panel, all guests are invited to attend a reception and dedication of the Clark Commons at 5:30 pm on the law school Bridge (the Clark Commons).

Panelists include:

George Atallah
NFL Players Association Assistant Executive Director of External Affairs

Domonique Foxworth
Baltimore Ravens, NFL Players Association Executive Committee Member

James Ivler
Registered NFL Agent, Sportstars, Inc.

Adam Taliaferro
Associate at Duane Morris, former Penn State football player

Please RSVP to Terry Moffett (tmoffett@camden.rutgers.edu or 856.225.6430).

Sponsored by the Rutgers School of Law Camden Sports & Entertainment Law Society, Rutgers Camden Law Recent Graduate Council, the Rutgers School of Law Camden Office of Career Planning and the Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Sweet 16 Predictions

With 2 (or 3, depending on who you ask) rounds complete, it is time to make some predictions on who will make the Final Four.

EAST

1 Ohio St over 4 Kentucky
The Wildcats are just as talented as the Buckeyes, but there is no making up for the experience difference. When toughness is needed, I trust guys like William Buford, David Lighty, and Jon Diebler more than I trust anyone on Kentucky.

2 North Carolina over 11 Marquette
I think UNC caught a bit of a break when Marquette knocked off Syracuse, because UNC would have struggled with the Orange zone. Buzz Williams is one heck of a coach, so expect this to be a tight game, tighter than the talent difference would indicate. But in the end, Marquette doesn't have anyone as good as Harrison Barnes.

1 Ohio St. over 2 North Carolina
Much like the Buckeyes previous game against Kentucky, the Heels have the talent to stick with Ohio St., but not the experience. Buckeyes will not be denied, as nobody has looked better so far in the Tourney.


WEST

1 Duke over 5 Arizona
Arizona is very fortunate to have gotten this far. They needed a last second block by Derrick Williams to get past Memphis (when there arguably could have been a foul called on the rebound), and they needed a 5 second call on Texas (which arguably should have been a timeout granted for the Horns) before their winning basket. Derrick Williams is the X Factor, because he is playing as well as anyone in the country, but Duke just has too many horses for Arizona to stick around.

2 San Diego St over 3 UConn
The Aztecs won perhaps the worst March Madness double OT game in history, but don't hold it against them, they simply win. They got a bad game from their star and still beat a good Temple team. Against SDSU's big and athletic front line, Kemba Walker could find those holes to the basket closing more quickly than he is used to.

2 San Diego St over 1 Duke
If there is anyone that Duke is susceptible to, it would be an athletic team with a talented front line. The Aztecs fit that bill. While Duke will have a decided edge in the backcourt, look for SDSU's frontcourt to take command. Also, this game will be in Anaheim, making it a virtual home game for the winner of the Mountain West.


SOUTHWEST

1 Kansas over 12 Richmond
Richmond is a great story, but they simply don't have the horses to compete against KU. The Jayhawks will be able to throw plenty of athletes at Kevin Anderson, and the Spiders need big things from him to advance. Not going to happen.

11 VCU over 10 Florida St.
The Seminoles were extremely impressive in their win over Notre Dame, but they had perhaps their best offensive game of the year, something we have not seen consistently from them. I don't think we will see it again this week. VCU is playing as well as anyone.

1 Kansas over 11 VCU
Don't feel bad for Shaka Smart though, he appears ready to cash in on a big payday.

SOUTHEAST

4 Wisconsin over 8 Butler
Everyone (including myself) underrated the Badgers for their miserable Big 10 performance, but this is a very quality team. They don't turn the ball over, are efficient on offense, and have two studs in Jordan Taylor and Jon Leuer. This will be a slow game and won't be one to tell the grandkids about, but I like Wisconsin. First to 50 wins.

3 BYU over 2 Florida
Don't underestimate Jimmer. Not sure how BYU will be able to slow down Florida inside, but I like them to get up and down, and for Jimmer to score just enough. Hopefully we get another game like their first round battle last season.

4 Wisconsin over 3 BYU
The Badgers become the second Big Ten team in the Final Four, as Bo Ryan shows his genius by controlling tempo and frustrating Jimmer.

What are your picks?

REAL MADRID 2011 | ANYONE KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH KAKA?

I am certain that you like myself are baffled or at least curious with what is going on with REAL MADRID Brazilian midfielder KAKÁ. The player has virtually "disappeared" from the Football Planet since his Coach Mourinho announced in a press confrence that Kaka was "dropped" from the squad & would only return we the player thought he was in condition to give his maximum. Since then "puff",

How I got into sports law and the NFL Lockout

Jared Pendak of the Valley News (serving Hanover New Hampshire and surrounding community) interviews me about how I got into sports law and also about the NFL lockout. Here's an excerpt:

Valley News: Overall, how much leverage do you feel like the players have?

Michael McCann: I think they have a lot of leverage until they start missing game checks. When the fall comes, if they're not getting paid their normal salaries like they would during the season, it will be interesting to see how unified they are. Right now, they're unified in the offseason, but when the game checks are missed, the players will be relying on $60,000 lockout insurance from the Players Association. For us, that sounds good, but if you're making $1.9 million, which is the average salary in the NFL, I don’t know how that’s gong to play out. Will players have enough savings?

They've been encouraged to save, particularly during the last several years with the future of the CBA unclear, but I think a lot of players live lifestyles that are very expensive and don't lend themselves to going a long stretch of time without getting paid.

Owners generally have the leverage there, because they have more wealth, their pockets are deeper and they have other businesses that generate income for them. Some of the owners would suffer, yes, especially the ones who need to pay off debt for their stadiums, but the owners generally are more equipped to withstand a long period of no football than the players.

To read the rest, click here.

LIONEL MESSI HIGHEST MONEY EARNER IN WORLD FOOTBALL 2010 | MOURINHO HIGHEST PAID COACH IN 2010

According to “France Football”, FC Barcelona Football player LIONEL MESSI repeats again in 2010 as the “Highest Paid Player in the World”. This takes into account his Club salary, different incentives & bonuses & other monetary concepts ( such as publicity, sponsorship, merchandising …etc)


Lionel Messi

Top 10 money earners in World Football Players:

1.Messi, 31 million €2.Cristiano Ronaldo,

REAL MADRID HAS DE ROSSI ON THEIR AGENDA - AGAIN ?

It´s that time again of the season when it has turned the final curve & the finish line is in sight that Football Clubs begin to think about the next season & Football players representatives position themselves to put their "stock" on sale & in the prime points on the shopping shelves. REAL MADRID,  as always,  is talked about now & all year round, as rumours begin to appear on a daily basis.

Barry Bonds Trial Begins

Jury selection in the Barry Bonds perjury trial takes place today, with opening statements by the prosecution and defense set for tomorrow. I discuss the trial with NPR today on the Morning Edition program.

Update: I have a new column for Sports Illustrated laying out the prosecution's case against Bonds. Please also check out George Dohrmann' SI column laying out the defense.

Update 2: I have an interview with Maggie Gray of Sports Illustrated Video to discuss the trial.

ATLETICO DE MADRID STARTING 11 - ONE OF THE MANY - TEAM PHOTO 2011

Found this photo of one of the many starting line-ups this 2010 - 2011 season of ATLETICO DE MADRID. One of the characteristics of current Coach Quique Sanchez Flores is his high number of differing starting line-ups; up to 59 different since he took over.

Here is one of the most recent ones for all the global Atletico fans.



Atletico de Madrid 2011
Top: De Gea, Forlán, Mario Suárez, Ujfalusi,

REAL MADRID 2011 | MESUT OZIL

Spanish Sports paper "AS" has given prime space on todays edition to REAL MADRID 22 year old German midfielder MESUT OZIL, & rightly so i my opinion. The youngster has settled in nicely to Spanish Football & with his team to cement himself a place in the squad. The player is important & has the full confidence of his Coach Mourinho, his team-mates & the difficult to please "Santiago Bernabeu"

TENNIS | NOVAK DJORKOVIC DEFEATS RAFAEAL NADAL IN FINAL OF MASTERS 1000 INDIAN WELLS

Spanish Tennis World Nº1 Tennis player RAFEAL NADAL could not manage to defeat a magnificent & strong NOVAK DJOKOVIC in the final of the MASTERS 1000 INDIAN WELLS Tennis Tournament. The Serb went from less to more taking Nadal to three sets & winning 6 - 4, 3 - 6 , 2 - 6  as the Spaniard experienced a radical drop in play & form after losing the second set. Djokovic finally manages to defeat

SPANISH LEAGUE - FOOTBALL | ROUND 29 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL LEAGUE action tonight with all seven games left of Round 29 scheduled. Here is a brief summary of match events, the results & the scorers.



Racing - Real Sociedad

Great match between RACING DE SANTANDER & REAL SOCIEDAD with the home team taking the three points with a 2 - 1 result. A hard days work by both teams that saw individual actions sway things to one side or the other

MOTOGP 2011 | SEASON KICKS OFF IN QATAR | SPANISH RIDER NICO TEROL LEADER IN 125CC

Have to be honest, its been a too long a break & waiting for the start of the 2011 MOTOGP season. Tonight the season kicked off in Qatar under lights with mixed results for Spanish riders , but with an overall positive taste as we race through the summary of all catagories.



Jorge Lorenzo Qatar 2011: courtesy of motogp.com

The GP catagory saw Australian & new Honda rider Casey Stoner fly pass

Sports Law Blog Sparring Session Round I

This is the first post in a series of posts that will review of legal, regulatory, and contractual Issues in Boxing and MMA from the past several months. These posts are largely taken from a longer article I wrote for 8 Count News.


Could Tyson Get Crapped on for Keeping Pigeons in New York?

In honor of the debut of Animal Planet’s “Taking on Tyson,” I took a moment to research whether it is illegal to raise pigeons in New York, Mike Tyson’s home state. The answer, in short, is no, unless he does so without a permit or in contravention of local law, or the government or administrative body in question finds the subject pigeon coop to be a “menace to public health” or a “public nuisance.” Pigeons are also not permitted to be taken “in a manner which will endanger other animal life, persons or property.” As far as other legal rights and issues facing “Taking on Tyson,” PETA has, of course, exercised its rights under the First Amendment to oppose the show since they believe that Tyson’s housing of pigeons and use of them for sport constitutes cruelty to animals. This author, for one, would not want to be the person to throw animal’s blood on Tyson in any protest.


Not Everything is Coming Up Sweet for “Kid Cinnamon” This Year

He might have laid waste to Matthew (Magic) Hatton this past weekend, but there is one opponent on the horizon that may score a knockout over surging junior middleweight contender Saul (Canelo) Alvarez: All- Star Boxing. Back in late January, All-Star Boxing filed a lawsuit against Canelo (Spanish for “cinnamon tree”) and his promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, in Florida alleging breach of contract as to Alvarez and tortious interference in contractual relations against Golden Boy. Here’s assuming that Golden Boy will find some sugar to sprinkle on All-Star Boxing (or bury it in dispositive motion papers) to make sure that Canelo will be free and clear to add a jolt of flavor to their events for many years to come.


Daniel Podiatrist de Leon?

The co-main event of Alvarez-Hatton featured one of the more novel corner instructions that the author can recall: step on his foot. As translated by HBO, that is exactly what Daniel Ponce de Leon was told to do early in his mysteriously unsuccessful bout against undefeated super featherweight prospect Adrien (The Problem) Broner. And that is exactly what Ponce de Leon did, quite conspicuously, over the next several rounds. Should the referee have admonished Ponce de Leon, or have taken away a point for his repeatedly stepping on, or trying to step on, Broner’s foot? Under New York law at least, deliberately stepping on your opponent’s feet is not listed as either a major or a minor foul. Stomp on then, young warriors!


Michigan Leaves No Room for Mishegas in its Enforcement of Its MMA Regulations

Michigan, which began regulating mixed martial arts last year, made headlines back in late January when it was reported that it has now filed its inaugural complaint for violations of its new regulations. The respondent to this complaint was Stephen George Daher, a licensed timekeeper in the employ of the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission, who was accused of not timely stopping the first round of the middleweight bout between Maiquel Falcao and Gerald Harris during UFC 123. The author will keep an eye on this matter to see if Michigan gets to successfully send a message to stay in strict compliance with its new rules.

Will 2011 Be the Year That Jack Johnson Scores His Final Knockout?

Arizona Senator John McCain and New York Representative Peter King announced recently that they plan to reintroduce a Congressional resolution urging a pardon of former heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, who was convicted in 1913 of violating the Mann Act for allegedly transporting a woman across state lines for immoral purposes by an all-white jury. A racially polarizing case for generations and blot on the history of the American jury system, here’s hoping the resolution finally passes after several previous efforts and President Barack Obama, the first African-American president, takes the opportunity to pardon Johnson, the first African-American to win world heavyweight championship.

SPANISH LEAGUE - LA LIGA | ROUND 29 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS

Three games of Round 29 scheduled down tonight  of the Spanish Football League that included the big Madrid derby. Here are "bullets" of events at the three grounds, the final results & the scorers.



Real Mallorca scores goal

REAL MALLORCA defeated REAL ZARAGOZA 1 - 0 from a brilliantly taken free-kick in the 67th min by DE GUZMAN from the semi circle. Before this, Zaragoza goalkeeper Doblas

SPANISH FOOTBALL | DERBY NIGHT ATLETICO - REAL MADRID

Spanish Football action today with three games down as part of Round 29 of La Liga. Important Saturday afternoon - night of Football as FC Barcelona plays Getafe at 20.00 & Atletico de Madrid plays Real Madrid in the big local derby. There is currently 5 points that seperates Barça from Real Madrid & there are various possible outcome combimations beforehand: Barça loses Real Madrid wins...draws.

EUROPA LEAGUE Q/FINALS DRAW | VILLAREAL WITH TWENTE

Hi guys, been out away from a PC terminal, but apart from the Champions League draw this midday there was also the important EUROPA LEAGUE quater finals, semis & of course by logic, the final draw. The competition has VILLAREAL representing Spanish Football & they were matched with Twente as the diagram perfectly highlights. The Q/Final dates are 7th of April for the 1º leg & the 14th of April

Ranking college sports loyalties

My Prawfs co-blawger Matt Bodie offers a ranking of college sports loyalties--covering everything from undergrad institution to law school to current employer to spouse's teams to hometown team. Offer your comments here or at Matt's post.

2011 Tulane Law School Moot Court Mardi Gras Invitational Sports Law Competition

Congratulations to the all of the participants in the 2011 Tulane Law School Moot Court Mardi Gras Invitational Sports Law Competition. All of the judges were impressed with the quality of the teams from the first round through the finals. I hope you enjoyed the competition and were able to find some time to take advantage of all that New Orleans has to offer (well, maybe not all of it) during Mardi Gras. Special thanks to Mary Jones and the Tulane Moot Court and Diana Taylor and the members of the Sports Lawyers Journal for the help in putting together the competition. Thanks also to Stan Kasten for serving as our celebrity guest judge in the finals.

Finally, congratulations to the winners of this year’s competition. As always, the winning brief will be published in The Sports Lawyers Journal. Here are the results:

The Winner of the 2010 Competition was: Florida Coastal School of Law (Drew Parrish-Bennett and Dazi Lenoir Williams)

The Runner-Up: Loyola New Orleans (Matt Cutrer and Luke Larocca)

Semi-finalists: Southwestern School of Law and Emory Law School

The best brief was submitted by: University of Arizona College of Law.

Best Oralist: Sarah Gale-Barbantini (Wayne State University Law School)

2nd Best Oralist: Drew Parrish-Bennett (Florida Coastal School of Law)

3rd Best Oralist: Mark Ellinghouse (UC Davis School of Law)

Competitor of the Year: Drew Parrish-Bennett from Florida Coastal

REAL MADRID vs TOTTENHAM | FC BARCELONA vs SHAKHTAR D | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE Q/FINAL DRAW

The CHAMPIONS LEAGUE draw for the quarter finals, semi finales & the final have been held at UEFA Headquarters in France with Spanish Club REAL MADRID CF matched up with English Premier League Club TOTTENHAM HOTSPURS & the other Spanish representative FC BARCELONA to meet SHAKHTAR. D in the quarter finals.

The Q/Final dates are the 1º leg games the 5 / 6 th of April with the return 2ºleg down

SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM | DEL BOSQUE GIVES LIST FOR EURO 2011 GROUP QUALIFIERS

Spanish Football National Team selector & Coach Vicente Del Bosque has handed in his list of Spanish Football players for the upcoming EURO 2012 Group qualification matches with the Czech Republic on the 25th of March (at home in the city Granada ) & Lithuania on the 29th of March (away at the city of Kaunas).



Spanish National Team Selector Vicente Del Bosque 

The novelty was the re-call of

REAL MADRID CF STARTING 11 TEAM PHOTO | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE vs LYON - 2º LEG | 2011

Thought the many Spanish Football Sports readers who are REAL MADRID CF fans around the globe may be interested in this almost "historic" REAL MADRID starting 11 line-up team photo of yesterdays 3 - 0 victory over Olympique de Lyon ( 2º leg) that took the Spanish Club into the quater-finals of the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2010 - 2011 after six years of being knocked out. 



Real Madrid CF team photo

EUROPA LEAGUE RESULT | VILLAREAL 2 BAYERN LEVERKUSEN 1 ( 5 - 3 AGG) | VILLAREAL MOVES INTO QUARTER FINALS

SPANISH FOOTBALL managed to get another Club into the Quarter Finals stage, in this case, the EUROPA LEAGUE competition after VILLAREAL won 2 - 1 German Club BAYERN LEVERKUSEN in their return 2º leg clash ( 5-3 on aggregate)



Great match by Spanish International Cazorla

The Germans played their best Football the first 30 mins of the first half were they looked dangerous & seemed like they may

2011 Yale Law School Panel on Sports and the Law: Current Issues

On Monday, April 4, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., the Yale Law School Sports and Entertainment Law Society will be hosting a panel on contemporary sports law issues. The panel will be open to the public.

Topics will include the NFL lockout, the possible NBA lockout, age and autonomy restrictions on professional athletes, digital media and the law, antitrust and sports, and many other topics.

Yale Law School

Yale Entertainment and Sports Law Association hosts a Panel Discussion on Sports and the Law: Current Issues

April 4 2011 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Room 120

Moderator:

MICHAEL MCCANN (Vermont Law School Professor of Law/Director of Sports Law Institute & Sports Illustrated Legal Analyst)


Panelists:

ALAN MILSTEIN (Sherman Silverstein Co-Managing Shareholder; has represented Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, Eddy Curry, Maurice Clarett, and many other star athletes in litigation and other matters)

ERIC NYQUIST (NASCAR Vice President of Strategic Development)

CHRIS PARK (Vice President, Labor Economics and Deputy General Counsel, Labor for the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, Major League Baseball)

JAY REISINGER (Farrell & Reisinger partner; manages firm's sports law practice; has represented Josh Hamilton, Alex Rodriguez, K-Rod, Andy Pettite, Sammy Sosa and many other star players, either before Congress, the media, or in arbitration)

BRAD RUSKIN (Proskauer partner; head of the litigation section of firm's Sports Law Group; represented ATP in Deutscher Tennis Bund, et al vs. ATP World Tour)

MIKE ZARREN, Boston Celtics Assistant General Manager and Associate Counsel (plays key role in talent evaluation and salary cap management for the team, including in the famed deal for Kevin Garnett)

Excellent work by Benjamin Aronson and Javier Zapata, the Yale Entertainment and Sports Law Association Co-Chairs, in putting this event together.