From the Director: Uncertainty in sports world creates opportunities for Tulane Law students

Dear Tulane Law community,

I hope you and your families are doing well and staying safe.  Despite all of the ongoing challenges, I am immensely proud of the work our sports law students and alumni continue to do as our Sports Law Program grows and thrives.

The past year has been filled with significant legal developments in the sports world—from the Supreme Court’s momentous decision in NCAA v. Alston, to the new name, image and likeness rights of college athletes, to the continued proliferation of legalized sports gambling and the never-ending legal challenges faced by professional sports leagues.  Our work has never been more important, and our Sports Law Program never been more relevant.

I was proud to represent the Tulane Sports Law community in speaking on these issues to NPR, The New York Times, NBC News, Sports Illustrated, the Associated Press, and many other national outlets as well as at legislative hearings.  The changing landscape in college and professional sports has created a period of great uncertainty, but also great opportunity, for our students to become leaders in this new era of sports.

We continue to expand our Sports Law Program, providing our students with a growing number of avenues to learn about and explore the ever-expanding sports industry.  Among many other things, we are excited to add an international soccer negotiation competition this year to enhance Tulane’s international reputation and to provide students with greater opportunities to explore career opportunities overseas. 

Our students have already hosted three speaker events this semester, launched our sports law mentorship program, organized social events, wrote and edited our Sports Law weekly and monthly newsletters, and we have a very busy spring semester ahead. 

In addition to our Annual Women in Sports Law Symposium, we will be hosting our annual baseball arbitration competition and football and basketball negotiation competitions, the Tulane Sports Law Mardi Gras Moot Court Competition, our Entertainment and Sports Law Symposium, and a series of events during the Men’s Final Four weekend in New Orleans.

Thank you all for your continued interest in the Tulane Sports Law Program and for your support of our students.  Your leadership, guidance, and expertise is why Tulane is the national leader in sports law. I look forward to continuing to work with you as we bring the program to even greater heights in 2022.  Be safe and be well.

Best,

Gabe Feldman

Sher Garner Professor of Sports Law and Paul and Abram B. Barron Professor of Law

Director, Tulane Sports Law Program Co-Director, Tulane Center for Sport

Associate Provost, NCAA Compliance and Director, Sports Law Program