Category: Sports Law

There are more universities offering sports law as a separate module than they did ten or twenty years ago.  This is, perhaps, recognition that sports law has gained its own place as an area of law on its own like tort, contract or crime.  It is, however, commonly accepted that there is no specific definition of sports law (as James readily accepts) but, like the proverbial bus, everyone knows sports law when they see it.  To try and lead the reader through the laws affecting sporting activities, which can be of general and specific application, comes this second edition of Sports Law by Mark James.  Its aim (which it easily achieves) is to provide a comprehensive overview of the ways in which the law has impacted on how sport is played, administered and consumed.

Sports Law is split into four parts: origins and sources of sports law; sports participation and the law; stadiums, spectators and the law; and the commercialisation of sport.  Each part includes a number of chapters.  Part 2 includes chapters on: liability for injuries causes by other participants; liability for injuries caused by non-participants; and the legality of fighting sports.  Part 3 includes chapters on: liability for dangerous premises and dangerous events; and stadium disasters and spectator safety.  Part 4 includes chapters on: regulating sporting relationships in English law; the fan as consumer and the commercial exploitation of sport; and Olympic law and sporting mega-events.

Written in a practical and engaging way, Sports Law provides an excellent overview of the various principles of law which apply to sports.  Each chapter adopts a familiar style: a chapter summary (which is an excellent road map to the chapter), then an explanation of key terms, then the body of the text, then ‘hot topics’ and then (finally) suggested further reading.  This is a superb approach and really helps with the reader’s understanding.  Sports Law also comes with a companion website (available from: http://www.palgrave.com/law/james2e/) which, even though the text was only published in June 2013, includes a number of updates (which were posted in July 2013).  It is hoped that the companion website continues to be updated so that the reader can ensure he or she is fully up to date.

If you are interested in sports law, or the legal issues which apply to sport, you should not be without a copy of Mark James’ Sports Law.  It is clearly and succinctly written and explains the principles in a thought-provoking way.  I have always been a fan of Palgrave’s Law Masters series and this text follows in the great tradition of others.  Its companion website is also impressive; already including an update so soon after the text’s publication.  I have no doubt that Sports Law will continue to receive excellent reviews from students and practitioners alike; all of them will appreciate the layout and the clarity of the written style and the more experienced ones will enjoy the debates around the latest hot topics.

Reviewed on 27 December 2013

For the past decade or so, sports law has developed into a distinct area of law.  It is, however, surprising that there are so few dedicated texts dealing with this fascinating and topical area of law.  Sports: Law and Practice, edited by Adam Lewis and Jonathan Taylor, aims to provide a comprehensive, authoritative and accessible account of the relevant principles.  To my mind, it achieves this aim with considerable ease and aplomb.

Whilst edited by two leading practitioners, Sport: Law and Practice also boasts an impressive list of contributors.  Written in an engaging and accessible way, the text is divided into seven distinct parts: the constitutional structure of the sports sector; European Community law and sport; human rights and sport; issues for individual sportsmen and women; drug use in sport; the organisation of sports entities; the commercialisation of sports properties; and the 2012 Olympics.  Each part is then subdivided into specific chapters.  The editors should be commended for this approach because it lays out the material in a logical way which allows the relevant information to be quickly located.

Like the first edition, Sports: Law and Practice is a thoroughly researched and authoritative text.  It has impressively detailed footnotes which are an excellent starting point for further research.  It also impressively considers the leading sports law cases, together with some lesser known ones, and includes a number of excellent check-lists and precedents which readers can adapt or use as a basis for drafting.  For example, in the section on sports grounds, there are a number of precedent clauses which the reader can built into their own commercial agreements.

Readers will be pleased that Sports: Law and Practice is, like the first edition, a wonderfully written and authoritative account of sport law and practice.  The editors and contributors should be commended because its title explains exactly what the text is: a practical and accurate account of sport law for the busy practitioner.  No practitioner should be without this text, nor anyone interested or advising on this complex, interesting and topical area of law.

Reviewed on 1 December 2008