Congrats to ESLS Executive Board Members Brandon and Gianna!

It is with the utmost pride that, as President of The Entertainment and Sports Law Society, I extend congratulations on behalf of the Executive Board and the general membership, to two of our first year e-board members. Brandon Fierro, SBA Representative, and Gianna Cricco-Lizza, Committee Chair, have successfully landed positions on the Interscholastic Moot Court Board. Both Brandon and Gianna have been selected as one of eight first year students to make the team, and will be continuing in the competition in the weeks to follow until a winner is determined. Brandon and Gianna will have the chance to compete around the country on behalf of the Law School. Congratulations to you both!

Medal Tallies- 2.25.2010

Day 14 of the 2010 Winter Olympics Games, and so much has happened! USA upset Team Canada in a hockey matchup of the last half century. Therese Rochette dedicated a heart-wrenching performance to her mother, having just passed Sunday evening, and unable to see her daughter compete in the Games. Rochette is skating for the Gold in the Medal program this evening. Shaun White soared to new heights as he reached his personal best in his gold medal half pipe runs.

Thus far- the medal count is as follows:

USA: 28 medals (7 gold, 9 silver, 12 bronze)

GERMANY: 24 medals (7 gold, 10 silver, 7 bronze)

NORWAY: 18 medals (6 gold, 6 silver, 6 bronze)

Not exactly...

Dear Internets:

Count me among the nation of converted, apparently. Last Wednesday's primetime telecast of NBC's Vancouver games coverage did a stupid number: 29.4 million viewers! For those of you who want to scoff at that rating, it's 2.2mil BETTER than the closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing games, the culmination of what NBC touted at the time as "the most watched television event in American TV history." Hyperbole, be damned....

This is certainly some of the chillier humbler pie Winter games detractors have eaten in a while...170.6mil viewers for the week ending Sunday has to be better than NBC thought they were going to do...Just shy of 24.4mil viewers a night is within spitting distance of the 27mil plus the Peacock averaged a night during the Beijing games.

Why? Maybe there was a slingshot effect to that poor luger biting the bullet the afternoon before the opening ceremonies. The (unedited) footage was all over the TV, so a certain sector of the population may have said, "wait, there are Olympics going on right now?" when they saw that dude careening off the unpadded support beem at 80+ miles per hour (the family elected not to file a wrongful death suit stemming from the accident BEETEEDUB; this is a sports law blog after all). Maybe NBC stubbornly sticking to its network formula: TD+FT+ID+MIB-H = E (tape delay + Flying Tomato + ice dancing + men in blouses - hockey = eyeballs) really makes sense. Maybe it was Tiger Woods reminding everybody on Friday that amateur athletes may be the only role models left in all of sports.

For some reason, my dear internets, a games devoid of names like Phelps, filled with HOURS of curling (the only event where one can take down five Molson XXXs and still walk away with gold), and putting NBC by some accounts $250mil IN THE RED has to be considered a smashing success up until this point. Unless you're Yevgeny Plushenko. That dude's a prick.

Sports Law Study Abroad Opportunity

University of South Texas School of Law is hosting its Summer Sports Law Study Abroad program in Florence Italy from June 27, 2010- July 16, 2010. Two courses will be offered, and students can earn four credits from their university during the three week program. More information can be found HERE

Medal Tallies- 2.18.2010

The United States remains on top in the medal count! Check out the medal tallies for countries as of 10:00am EST on February 18, 2010!

United States- 14

Germany- 10

France- 9

Canada- 6

Korea / Austria / Norway-5

Switzerland / China / Italy- 4

It's sure to be an exciting weekend with lots of medal ceremonies throughout the weekend! Best of luck to all the competitors! Go USA!

Seton Hall Sports & Entertainment Law Symposium

2010 Sports & Entertainment Law Symposium

Date of Symposium: February 26, 2010
9:00am-5:00pm

The Seton Hall Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law will be hosting its annual Symposium on February 26, 2010, to address current sports and entertainment issues. Specifically, this event will examine the National Football League's Rooney Rule, discuss financial and estate planning for athletes and entertainers, and consider the bankruptcy and relocation issues related to the Phoenix Coyotes bankruptcy litigation. The Symposium will address these topics in the form of three panels, moderated by Professor Timothy Glynn, Seton Hall University School of Law, Lance T. Eisenberg, Esq., Drinker Biddle & Reath, LLP, NFLPA Registered Player Financial Advisor, and Professor Geoffrey C. Rapp, University of Toledo College of Law, respectively. Additionally, Lou Lamoriello, CEO, President, and General Manager of the New Jersey Devils, will appear as the Symposium's keynote speaker. 5 CLE credits will be awarded for full day attendance.

Featured speakers include:

Professor Robert Boland, New York University Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism, and Sports Management

Robert Talley, Head Football Coach, Stonehill College

Rich Ensor, Commissioner, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Charlotte Westerhaus, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, NCAA

Robert Raiola, CPA, Van Duyne, Behrens & Co., P.A., Co-Author, Winning Tax Strategies and Planning for Athletes and Entertainers

Justin McCarthy, RR Advisory Group, LLC

Jim Spanarkel, Financial Advisor and former Duke Basketball Player

Brian Leonard, Fullback, Cincinnati Bengals (Rutgers University)

Aaron Van Duyne III, Senior Principal, Van Duyne, Behrens & Co., P.A.,(Entertainment Industry Issues)

Professor Stephen J. Lubben, Seton Hall University School of Law

J. Gregory Milmoe, Esq.,Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher, & Flom, LLP

Professor Marc Edelman, Barry University School of Law and Sports Attorney

Andrew Sroka, Esq., Senior Associate, Brown Rudnick LLP

Medal Tallies- 2.15.2010

As of 2:30pm EST, a tally of medals by country is as follows:

• United States of America: 2 Gold, 2 Silver, 4 Bronze
• France: 2 Gold, 0 Silver, 2 Bronze
• Germany: 1 Gold, 3 Silver, 0 Bronze
• Canada: 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze
• Switzerland: 3 Gold

USA v. BCS.... could it happen?

On Friday, Senator Orrin Hatch (R- Utah) received a letter from Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich indicating that the United States Justice Department is reviewing the Senator's request to determine whether to open an investigation that would examine whether the BCS violated anti-trust laws according to The Sherman Act.

During President Obama's campaign, he indicated various times that he is not a fan of the BCS system for college football. However, did anyone ever think that this would seriously be investigated for its illegality? As it turns out, BCS may have something to worry about. Could college football be heading towards a playoff system?

General Weich indicated there there are several options that could be considered if BCS is found in violation of anti-trust laws: encouraging the NCAA to take control of college football post-season, asking a governmental or non-governmental agency to review the costs/benefits/feasibility of a playoff system, and legislative efforts aimed at prompting a switch to playoff college football.

Bill Hancock, executive director of the BCS, indicated that "[w]e are confident that the BCS structure complies with the laws of the country."

What could this mean for college football? The BCS? The Obama administration? Stay tuned, America, because it looks like we're about to find out!