Trade, Sports & Professional Associations

Rigging the Game: After charges of athletes throwing games to influence wagers, some blame prop bets

Betting scandals have rocked Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association in recent months, raising questions about the risks of so-called “prop bets.” The term refers to a wager on a specific individual performance or occurrence within a game, which does not necessarily depend on the final score. Microbets are seen as a faster subset of these wagers.

Dec 4, 2025 2:13 PM CST

What to know as Michael Jordan’s dispute with NASCAR heads to trial

A trial starting Monday in a Charlotte courtroom will pit NASCAR against two racing teams—including one co-owned by Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan—in a case that could reshape how stock-car racing operates in the United States.

Dec 1, 2025 1:19 PM CST

Associate general counsel is fired after ‘call ICE’ taunt at baseball game goes viral

A Milwaukee Brewers baseball fan is no longer employed as an associate general counsel after her “call ICE” taunt directed at a Los Angeles Dodgers fan went viral.

Oct 23, 2025 9:09 AM CDT

Hitting the Books: Law school can be taught with just baseball cases, retired judge says

Lou Schiff, 70, is the co-author of Baseball and the Law: Cases and Materials, a 1,000-page book that tags many of the law school bases. Earlier this year, he published Attorneys in the Baseball Hall of Fame, featuring biographical essays of the 11 individuals who have turned this double play.

Oct 21, 2025 10:13 AM CDT

Lawyer goes to bat for son over Little League suspension for celebrating home run

When a 12-year-old baseball player hit a home run in the sixth inning of a game, he did something to celebrate: He flipped his bat in the air. An umpire ejected him from the game for tossing his bat. Under Little League rules, an ejection also required him to be suspended for one additional game. The boy’s father, a lawyer, decided to take the league to court.

Oct 16, 2025 9:11 AM CDT

Judge tosses Drake’s suit over Kendrick Lamar’s rap song calling him ‘certified pedophile’

A reasonable listener would conclude that rapper Kendrick Lamar was “rapping hyperbolic vituperations” when he called rapper and singer Drake a “certified pedophile” in his 2024 song “Not Like Us,” a federal judge said last week in an order tossing Drake’s defamation lawsuit over the statement.

Oct 14, 2025 11:19 AM CDT

How to become a sports lawyer

Holly Shick regularly receives messages on LinkedIn from law students and young lawyers who want to know how to get into sports law.

Oct 1, 2025 2:05 AM CDT

A League of Their Own: Lawyers represent sports organizations in many roles as the industry evolves

Many lawyers gravitate toward the industry because of their personal involvement in or passion for sports. They fill diverse roles, including representing teams and leagues in private practice, serving as in-house counsel for sports organizations, working as agents, and managing compliance for universities or athletic associations.

Oct 1, 2025 12:00 AM CDT

Maritime lawyer has second job as Miami Heat dancer and team captain

Law firm associate Chelsea Varsaci has a professional and a performance life, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Aug 12, 2025 2:26 PM CDT

Supreme Court to review bans on trans athletes in female sports

The Supreme Court announced Thursday that it will take up a pair of cases next term dealing with the contentious issue of transgender athletes competing in school sports.

Jul 3, 2025 9:31 AM CDT

Drake alleges Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance defamed him in amended suit against music company

Rapper and singer Drake has alleged that the Universal Music Group “has tripled and quadrupled down on its defamation-for-profit strategy” in part by arranging for fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar to perform his 2024 song “Not Like Us” at the 2025 Super Bowl, according to an amended lawsuit that he filed April 16.

Apr 23, 2025 12:42 PM CDT

Whistle While You Work: Pursuing passions that elevate your legal career

"Whistle while you work." That's what one of my mentors routinely told me as I trained to become a better football official. He would remind me that, even at your lowest point, when it feels like the whole world is against you, it is important to remember the reason you are there.

Apr 3, 2025 9:24 AM CDT