The Mississippi Sports Law Review is proud to announce the publication of our second issue of the 2012-2013 school year! Volume 2, Number 2 focuses on the role and responsibility of the Faculty Athletic Representative (FAR), an essential element to each NCAA athletic program. Each NCAA-eligible school must have a FAR in place to regulate the balance between academics and athletics among student-athletes at each member school.

This issue includes a number of articles by FARs from around the nation including representatives from schools such as the University of Georgia, the University of Mississippi, the University of Nebraska, and Texas Tech University. In addition to the FAR articles, Sekou Campbell, Esq. explores the implications of Univ. of Alabama Bd. of Trustees v. New Life Art, Inc., 683 F.3d 1266, (11th Cir. 2012).

The Mississippi Sports Law Review is proud to include a number of student articles on important sports law issues such as the National Letter of Intent and First Amendment Rights of student athletes.

For more information and the complete text, please follow this link: Volume 2, Number 2.

The Mississippi Sports Law Review is proud to announce the publication of Volume 2, Number 1. This issue is primarily dedicated to exploring issues surrounding concussions and head trauma in sports. It includes the transcript from our October 2012 symposium, “The Impact of Concussion Lawsuits on the Future of Football” and articles from prominent legal minds andre douglas pond cummings, Doug Abrams, and Hanna Kong. In addition, there are a number of student papers we are proud to include in this issue.

For the complete text, please follow this link: Volume 2, Number 1.

The Mississippi Sports Law Review is proud to congratulate Doug Abrams, lawyer, University of Missouri School of Law professor, and longtime youth hockey coach, on his honor as the recipient of the 2013 USA Hockey’s Excellence in Safety Award. Each year, USA Hockey honors an individual for his or her outstanding contributions through many years of service to make hockey a safer game for all participants. Abrams is the first recipient in the legal field as typically, this award is given to a medical professional.

Professor Abrams submitted an article for our Fall 2012 symposium, The Impact of Concussion Lawsuits on the Future of Football. His article, “Confronting the Youth Sports Concussion Crisis: A Central Role for Responsible Local Enforcement of Playing Rules” appears in the Mississippi Sports Law Review Volume II, Number I.

Read more: http://www.momsteam.com/team-experts/doug-abrams-receives-usa-hockeys-excellence-in-safety-award

The Mississippi Sports Law Review is pleased to announce the newly elected 2013 – 2014 executive board. We are looking forward to continue to improve the SEC’s only sports law review.

Taylor Hanks, Cullen Manning, McCauley Williams, Katherine White, Mary Kate Zekert (not pictured: Woods Drinkwater)

Katherine White · Editor-in-Chief

Katherine is a current second year student from Richmond, Virginia. She graduated from Virginia Tech in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and minors in Classical Studies and Historical Humanities. Since starting law school in 2011, she has interned in the Compliance Office at the University of Richmond and is a current intern in the Compliance Office here at the University of Mississippi.

Taylor Hanks · Executive Editor

Taylor is a 2L from Burnet, Texas.  After graduating from Texas A&M University with a B.S. in Sports Management and a minor in Business Administration, Taylor spent a year as an assistant marketing director for the Stephen F. Austin State University athletics department. Taylor likes spend his free time playing golf and watching his beloved Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, and Texas A&M Aggies.

McCauley Williams · Business Editor

McCauley is a second year law student from Memphis, Tennessee. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Virginia in 2011.  While in college, McCauley wrote online basketball recruiting articles for CampPros.com. Most recently, he interned in the department of Athlete Management and Marketing at Wasserman Media Group, LLC in Beverly Hills California. McCauley will be splitting his summer, working as a Summer Associate for Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, and Berkowitz in Memphis and interning with Tudor Investment Corporation in Greenwich, Connecticut.  He will be heading the Mississippi Sports Law Society in the fall.

Cullen Manning · Senior Articles Editor

Cullen is a rising 3L at the University of Mississippi School of Law. He graduated from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Psychology and taught elementary school for a year before deciding to attend law school. Cullen is actively involved in a variety of organizations including the Military Justice Society, Ole Miss Civil Law Clinic, Dean’s Leadership Council, and National Sea Grant Law Center. In his free time, he enjoys playing intramural sports and hunting. Cullen is a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan whose fondest memories are of going to games with his three younger brothers.

Mary Kate Zekert · Senior Notes Editor

Mary Kate is a third year law student from Richmond, Virginia. She graduated from Virginia Tech in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a minor in Professional Writing. Mary Kate has been involved with Mississippi Sports Law Review since 2012.  Having grown up amongst a long lineage of Hokies, Mary Kate has followed college sports for most of her life. Additionally, she played lacrosse, field hockey, and basketball in high school. In her spare time Mary Kate enjoys running, Ole Miss football, and of course anything Virginia Tech sports related. Mary Kate hopes to pursue a career in litigation.  Mary Kate serves as the Notes Editor for the Mississippi Sports Law Review.

Woods Drinkwater · Managing Online Editor

Woods is a second year law student at the University of Mississippi. He graduated from Loyola University, New Orleans in 2007 with a B.S. in Music Industry Studies. Between undergrad and coming to law school, he worked as an audio engineer, tour manager, and production manager for touring and local musical acts, earning a Grammy Award in 2009 for his work at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest. He is interested in IP issues and is a die hard New Orleans Saints fan.

Recently, the Mississippi Sports Law Review’s own Wesley Shelley was published in Arizona State University’s Sports and Entertainment Law Journal. His article “The Big Picture: Balancing the First Amendment with Trademark Interests of Sports Teams,” found on page 42, discusses the difficulties of protecting trademark interests of sports teams in the setting of sports art as transpired in The University of Alabama v. Daniel Moore.

It reviews statutory language of the Lanham Act as it relates to trademark law and the First Amendment’s artistic expression protections, lists circuit court cases that provide precedent to the intersection of trademark and First Amendment law, and gives an overview of the factual history of Daniel Moore’s relationship with the University of Alabama as well as a conversation of the procedural history surrounding the lawsuit.

The article gives a detailed explanation of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals’ opinion in The University of Alabama v. Daniel Moore case and discusses the remaining questions and problems concerning the intersection of sports trademarks and artistic expression in light of the circuit court’s opinion. The article finishes with by arguing that the balance is currently too far in favor of First Amendment protection and proposes an amended test to give trademark holders greater deference in cases pitting First Amendment against trademark law.

To read the full text of the article, please follow this link to page 42 of the December 2012 issue of the Arizona State Sports and Entertainment Law Journal.

Shelley is a third year student from Raleigh, NC. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2010 with a degrees in Political Science, Criminology, and Criminal Justice, with a minor in Sport and Entertainment Management. Wesley works in the Compliance Office in the University of Mississippi Athletic Department and has authored multiple sport and entertainment law journal articles. He serves as the Senior Articles Editor in his second year on the Mississippi Sports Law Review.

On National Signing Day, you may be asking yourself, what exactly is involved in the National Letter of Intent? At its most basic level, it is an agreement to enroll in school and participate in its athletic program. More than that, though, are Financial Aid ,Basic Penalty, Coaching Change, and Eligibility Requirement provisions. For an 18-year-old high-school senior, it can be an intimidating document.

Click below for the text of the 2010-2011 National Letter of Intent. See what the top prospects are signing today!

2010-2011 National Letter of Intent

On Friday, November 9, the Mississippi Sports Law Review hosted its second annual Fall Symposium: The Impact of Concussion Lawsuits on the Future of Football. Over 200 students, faculty members, attorneys, and other members of the community attended the Symposium. The Mississippi Sports Law Review would like to thank all those that attended the annual event.

The esteemed panelist held a great discussion about the ramifications of the pending concussion lawsuit and the future of sports. A special thanks is owed to the panel for participating. The panel consisted of Dean andré douglas pond cummings, Dr. Andrew Gregory, Dean Jeffrey A. Standen, Philip Thomas, Esq., and Todd Wade.

The Mississippi Sports Law Review will continue to host an annual Fall Symposium focused on the cutting edge legal discussions in sports.

If you were unable to attend the Symposium, please watch the event here.