This past week the NFL and the NFLPA scheduled their first meeting regarding collective bargaining negotiations. Although over the course of the past negotiations the NFL has held, and used, considerable bargaining power over the current NFL players subject to the CBA, new professional leagues may have eroded some of this bargaining power. Players may... Continue Reading →
As previously discussed, last week the AAF decided to suspend operations, raising questions about the future of the league. Lost in the shuffle of stories about the significant sums of money lost by investors was the uncertain future of the league’s players. Each player’s gamble on playing in the league may, in the short term,... Continue Reading →
On Tuesday, the AAF officially suspended operations for the 2019 season. Notwithstanding profitability concerns, the palpable unwillingness of the NFL to support the organization was leaked as a reason for the league’s uncertain future. But AAF’s aspirations of becoming a developmental league were doomed from the start. Every few years a wealthy investor attempts to... Continue Reading →
Early Tuesday Morning, Conor McGregor sent out a tweet stating he was retiring from the UFC. Other than losing a revenue stream, retiring can place significant obstacles in the way of a comeback. All successful professional fights, whether boxing or mixed martial arts, have two aspects that significantly boost profits. There is the fight itself... Continue Reading →
In landmark decision, Murphy v. NCAA et al, the United States Supreme Court struck down a federal law that prohibited States from legalizing sports betting. Seizing an opportunity to generate taxable revenue, states have begun to legalize sports betting. This has opened the door to athletes increasingly becoming targets of individuals looking to manipulate games... Continue Reading →
Conor McGregor’s most recent arrest highlights how the UFC has created and fueled its own image problem by making unilateral exceptions for star athletes. Few athletes have grown in popularity faster than Conor McGregor. His brand resembles an empire with revenue pouring in from various industries, the least of which coming from actually fighting in... Continue Reading →
On February 28, 2018, a tearful Shawn Oakman exited a courtroom in Waco, Texas a free man, and in the process creating the perfect storm in the NCAA and NFL. Baylor University, located in Waco, Texas is not known as a football powerhouse. It isn’t one of the pillars that the NCAA builds its ratings... Continue Reading →
The current collective bargaining agreement governing the NFL disenfranchises college athletes entering the draft process, leaving them at the mercy of management. In late February every year, NFL owners and their respective staffs flock to Indianapolis to see an athletic showcase, labeled a Combine, with select draft eligible collegiate football players. To be clear, this... Continue Reading →
Using their voices and social media presence, Major League Baseball players can achieve change in the workplace for industries involved in baseball. Over the course of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the American economy has changed significantly, largely in response to technological advances applicable to industry. These changes in conjunction with societal values can be... Continue Reading →
State Athletic Commissions’ attempts to regulate professional athletes’ speech erodes their bargaining power and ability to build a brand. The bedrock of a civil society is the right to criticize those in power. This principle is incorporated in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Specifically, the First Amendment states: Congress shall make no... Continue Reading →