SportsWise: A Podcast About Sports and the Law

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This episode previews the oral arguments in the NCAA v. Alston case—the first case involving college sports to reach the U.S. Supreme Court since the landmark NCAA v. Board of Regents case in 1984.  Alston could determine the fate of the NCAA’s amateurism model and fundamentally change college sports forever.  Or, at least until Congress gets involved.  The episode includes previous interviews I did with Jeff Kessler, outside counsel for the plaintiffs who will be arguing the case in front of the Supreme Court, and Jeff Mishkin, outside counsel for the NCAA.  

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

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On this episode I'm joined by Katie Hnida, the first woman to play in and score points in an NCAA Division I football game.  Katie and I talk about her path to playing college football at the highest level, why she enjoys the "few seconds of panic" that come with being a kicker, the highs and lows of her experience being a college football pioneer, including the sexual assault and rape she endured while at the University of Colorado, her history-making success on and off the field at the University of New Mexico, and her continuing advocacy work on violence against women issues.  

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

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This episode features a conversation with two legal heavyweights-- Chase Strangio and Neena Chaudhry.  Chase is Deputy Director for Transgender Justice with the ACLU and has successfully litigated a number of  cases on behalf of LGBTQ people over the last several years, including a landmark victory in the US Supreme Court last summer.  Chase was named to Time Magazine’s List of 100 most influential people in the world, among many other honors.  Neena is General Counsel and Senior Advisor for Education at the National Women’s Law Center, where she has focused on fighting sex discrimination in education with a special expertise in Title IX and women’s sports.  

Chase and Nina join the pod to talk about the legal battles over trans athletes playing sports and how this battle reflects the broader fight for the rights of transgender people in the country, and they help debunk some of the more harmful myths that exist about trans athlete participation in women’s sports.   

Whatever you think you know about the legal issues of trans athletes in sports, I promise you will learn something new in this episode.  

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

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Dr. David Chao, aka Pro Football Doc, the former team doctor of the San Diego Chargers for 17 years, joins the pod to look at some of the thorny medical, legal and ethical issues that have come up in high profile NFL injury  cases, discuss his transition from NFL team doctor to social media doctor and injury guru, talk about how his work might transform sports gambling and fantasy sports, and much much more.

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

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Legendary sports lawyer Jeffrey Kessler joins the pod to talk about the upcoming battle in the Supreme Court over college athlete compensation limits, the US women’s soccer players fight for equal pay, how he is partly responsible for the misery of Jets fans, and how bumping into Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the unlikeliest of places changed his career.  And 

Jeffrey is probably the most well known sports lawyer in the country.  He has represented every major players association in the country, litigated some of the most significant sports antitrust cases in history, including the Mcneil case in the early 1990s that led to the creation of free agency in the NFL, Brady v. NFL, which led to the end of the 2011 NFL lockout, is currently representing the plaintiffs in the Alston v. NCAA case that is headed to the Supreme Court, the women’s national soccer team players in their equal pay act lawsuit, and has represented the NFL union on behalf of Tom Brady, Ray Rice, Ezekiel Elliott, the players involved in the “Bountygate” non-scandal, and has also represented Oscar Pistorious, Castor Semenya, and countless other athletes and players associations.  

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

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Amy Trask, former CEO of the Raiders, current analyst for CBS Sports. author of "You Negotiate Like a Girl," Chairman of the board of the Big3 , and Queen of Twitter joins the pod to discuss the unique legacy and leadership style of Al Davis, her approach to negotiation, business relationships, and social media, the fractured relationship between the NFL and the NFL Players Association, and overcoming sexism and gender bias in the NFL.

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

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The Commissioners of the Big East (Val Ackerman), Big 12 (Bob Bowlsby) and Ivy League (Robin Harris) join to discuss the decisions to return to play (or not to play) college football and basketball, the future of name, image and likeness rights for college athletes, and the possibility of the Power 5 conferences splitting off from the NCAA.

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

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Journalist and author Melissa Korn joins the pod to tackle the Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, arguably the biggest non-political scandal of the century.   Melissa is a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and co-author of "Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit and the Making of the College Admissions Scandal," which was published earlier this year.  The book-- and this episode-- uncover the sordid details of the scandal and the collision between college admissions, college sports, overzealous parents, and the law.   

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

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Legendary sports lawyer Jeff Mishkin, outside counsel for the NCAA, joins the pod to take a deep dive into the NCAA’s ongoing legal battle over the amateurism model and the limits on athlete compensation.  Jeff represents the NCAA in the Alston v. NCAA case, which might end up in the Supreme Court next year.  In addition to his work with the NCAA, Jeff has been the outside counsel for the NBA for many years and has represented very major professional sports league in the country.  On the pod, he provides incredible insight into the NCAA’s legal arguments and also talks about his mentor and former colleague, David Stern.  Join us to hear everything you need to know about the NCAA’s legal battles…in 44 minutes or less. 

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .  

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Rich Eisen, longtime NFL Network host and former ESPN SportsCenter anchor, and Cousin Sal (21:50), co-host of Fox Sports’ Bet Live and the Guess the Lines Podcast with Bill Simmons, join the pod to discuss the future of sports media, the impact of legalized gambling on the NFL, sports in the time of covid, the misery of being a NY Jets fan, and much, much more.   

Thank you for listening! For the latest in sports law news and analysis, you can follow Gabe Feldman on twitter @sportslawguy .