In fantasy sports leagues, fans draft current major league players to create their own imaginary roster, with the success of each team hinging on how each player performs throughout the season.[1] Internet sites such as Yahoo! and ESPN pay several million dollars for the right to operate fantasy leagues.[2] Major League Baseball (“MLB”), and St. Louis-based CBC Distribution and Marketing Inc. (“CBC”) have been entangled in a legal dispute over whether MLB players’ names may be used in fantasy baseball leagues.[3] This dispute is noteworthy because the fantasy sports industry generates over $1.5 billion dollars annually.[4] Should MLB prevail, they will hold exclusive rights to players’ names and statistics and may withhold such, likely causing fantasy baseball to be much less appealing to fans.[5] [More]

Both the National Football League (“NFL”) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) have endured their fair share of high profile coaching defections either from one university to another, university to professional franchise, or professional franchise to university.[1] Among the high profile coaches who have abandoned their respective clubs under contract are Nick Saban, formerly of the Miami Dolphins and currently with the University of Alabama, Bobby Petrino, head football coach at Arkansas via the Atlanta Falcons, and Rich Rodriguez, the freshly minted coach at the University of Michigan.[2] The defections by Saban and Petrino received a fair amount of attention. However, the Rich Rodriguez situation may be enough to scare other high profile coaches from jumping ship too soon. [More]

This past National Football League ("NFL") off-season, four Pro Bowl-caliber defenders were eligible for free agency in some form. [1] Two received contracts that guaranteed approximately $20 million each, while the other two agreed to contracts that guaranteed less than half this amount. [2] The four defenders were linebackers - Adalius Thomas and Lance Briggs and corner backs - Nate Clements and Asante Samuel. [3] All of them hoped to sign lucrative contracts with a significant portion of that contract guaranteed. While Clements and Thomas cashed in, Briggs and Samuel were not as lucky - they were designated with the franchise tag. [4] Accordingly, Samuel and Briggs threatened to hold-out until deep into the season to voice their disgust with the stigma of franchise designation. [5] By holding out, a player refuses to take the field until his contract situation is remedied. [6] In light of this summer's high profile protests, the current system of franchise designation is crying out for reform. [More]

This past National Football League ("NFL") off-season, four Pro Bowl-caliber defenders were eligible for free agency in some form. [1] Two received contracts that guaranteed approximately $20 million each, while the other two agreed to contracts that guaranteed less than half this amount. [2] The four defenders were linebackers - Adalius Thomas and Lance Briggs and corner backs - Nate Clements and Asante Samuel. [3] All of them hoped to sign lucrative contracts with a significant portion of that contract guaranteed. While Clements and Thomas cashed in, Briggs and Samuel were not as lucky - they were designated with the franchise tag. [4] Accordingly, Samuel and Briggs threatened to hold-out until deep into the season to voice their disgust with the stigma of franchise designation. [5] By holding out, a player refuses to take the field until his contract situation is remedied. [6] In light of this summer's high profile protests, the current system of franchise designation is crying out for reform. [More]