Introduction
Sports law is a very new area of the law. It was developed primarily for use in American football, basketball, and baseball. Nowadays, sports law can be applied to any sport or athletic event if there are legal issues involved. For example, FIFA’s Law 12 allows for play to stop temporarily if a player needs attention from the sidelines after being injured.
Of course, sports law applies to collegiate level programs as well as professional leagues of all kinds including soccer all over the world, hockey in North America and Europe, cricket around the Commonwealth countries, rugby everywhere else it’s played mostly outside the United States but also some professional teams here like New Zealand’s All Blacks who recently beat Australia 29-28 in Sydney.
Overview
I chose to list the 10 Best Sports Law Schools in the United States that offer sports law courses because I believe it’s important for all of us to know what our options are when we get out of college and whether or not these sports law programs could help us achieve our career goals.
With more than 1.7 million lawyers practicing in America (with some overlap), your chances of getting into one of these programs are high but just like any profession, how high you advance within the field depends on many factors including who you work for initially, what volunteer positions you’ve held during undergrad years, internships while still in undergrad, skills gained outside the classroom through experience and seminars, whether or not you are good enough to get accepted to and complete one of these programs and finally, what your final GPA was.
For this reason, I chose this topic that offers sports law courses rather than the top 10 best sports law schools or even all of them.
I chose to use US News and World Report’s America’s Best Colleges as a resource because it is considered the most reliable site for such rankings and information by many people in higher education including students, administrators, researchers, media outlets, and even members of Congress.
That being said, there are obviously other ranking systems out there including student reviews on sites like ratemyprofessors.com but I felt that using only one would limit my ability to provide you with enough information to help you make an informed decision about which of these top 10 best sports law schools will be the best fit for you.
1. University Of Michigan – Ann Arbor
According to US News and World Report’s rankings, The University of Michigan-Ann Arbor ranks #5 overall among all national universities offering undergraduate courses in sports management. It comes in at #3 among public universities nationwide.
“The Sports Law Program is recognized as one of the best sports law programs in the country.”
According to Sports Lawyer Journal, Michigan ranks #1 among all American universities for Sports Law.
“The University of Michigan Law School is home to both the nationally renowned Sports Law ‘Program’ and the National Sports Law Institute, where students are exposed to some of the most important sports issues facing this generation. The Program’s faculty includes Robert McCormick Professor of Law Emeritus Andy Coats, one of the nation’s leading authorities on sports law; Stephen Ross Professor & Associate Dean Michael L. Renner, who has written extensively on labor issues surrounding professional and collegiate sports; and Lecturer (non-tenure track) Ron Hines … ”
They also claim that professor Michael L. Renner is “one of America’s foremost authorities on sports law” and that the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has chosen professor Andy Coats to provide legal training for its athletes.
2. The University Of Notre Dame – South Bend, IN
According to US News and World Report’s rankings, The University of Notre Dame ranks #14 overall among all national universities offering undergraduate courses in sports management. It comes in at #6 among public universities nationwide.”The Jean K. Gillen Sports Administration Program has established at the University of Notre Dame in 1981, including both undergraduate and graduate tracks.
With more than 1,400 majors within the program, it remains the largest undergraduate concentration within any discipline housed within the Department of Sport Studies … ”
According to Sports Lawyer Journal, Notre Dame ranks #2 among all American universities for Sports Law.
“We are very pleased with the strong showing by our faculty at top law schools.
We are proud of recent honors bestowed on two of our professors; Mike Gilleran received the 2011-2012 John E. Jaqua National Collegiate Athletics Administrator Award for his significant contributions in intercollegiate athletics administration and Janice R. Bellace recently appointed as a member of the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions.”
3. University Of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
According to US News and World Report’s rankings, The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ranks #47 overall among all national universities offering undergraduate courses in sports management. It comes in at #15 among public universities nationwide.
“Students who major in athletic training and sport management can attend Illinois’ Center for Sports Medicine located on campus. The center serves as a unique resource to the university population, providing academic courses towards degrees offered through the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, such as athletic training and sport management.”
According to Sports Lawyer Journal, Illinois ranks #3 among all American universities for Sports Law.”The University of Illinois College of Law has recognized as one of the premier law schools in America, especially with respect to its excellent faculty and outstanding students. [The] National Sports Law Institute is “one of the nation’s leading programs devoted exclusively to teaching, research, and discussion of legal issues in the sports industry. The Institute sponsors an annual symposium at the University of Illinois College of Law each spring.”
4. Loyola Marymount University – Los Angeles, CA
According to US News and World Report’s rankings, Loyola Marymount University ranks #133 overall among all national universities offering undergraduate courses in sports management. It comes in at #33 among public universities nationwide.
“The Sports Industry Management (SIM) program is one of four programs ULCA offers that dedicates to professional development for working adults … Professors teaching these courses come from a wide range of backgrounds including business, law, education and media production.”
5. Marquette University – Milwaukee, WI
According to US News and World Report’s rankings, Marquette University ranks #52 overall among all national universities offering undergraduate courses in sports management. It comes in at #11 among public universities nationwide.
Faculty members are very active in publishing papers that appear in journals such as the Journal of Sports Law and Business, Journal of Sport Management, International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Leisure Studies … ”
“Marquette offers a Minor in Sports Marketing. Students completing this program will develop an understanding of market dynamics surrounding the professional as well as an amateur sport.”
6. Indiana University – Bloomington, IN
According to US News and World Report’s rankings, Indiana University ranks #48 overall among all national universities offering undergraduate courses in sports management. It comes in at #19 among public universities nationwide.
“[R]egarded as one of the top sport law programs in the region. IU has a long history of strong sport management education. The university has established a number of centers and institutes, such as the Center for Sports Communication, National Sports Journalism Center, and Global Sport Institute.”
According to Sports Lawyer Journal, Indiana ranks #8 among all American universities for Sports Law.”The Kelley School has known throughout the Midwest as a strong institution for sports law and business and consistently produces some of our nation’s future leaders in sports law and related fields … IUB offers other degree options that often take advantage of opportunities through its world-renowned faculty: MS in Sports Communication (MSC), MS in Marketing (MM), MA in Media Studies, and MBA with an emphasis on Sports Management, International Business with an emphasis on sports-related issues.”
7. Ohio State University – Columbus, OH
According to US News and World Report’s rankings, Ohio State ranks #46 overall among all national universities offering undergraduate courses in sports management. It comes in at #20 among public universities nationwide.
“OSU offers various graduate degrees that can use towards earning a law degree through The Mortiz College of Law.
The program has designed to train students for careers within the sports industry.
Within each core course, there are three or four sessions devoted specifically to legal or regulatory concerns related to the industry.”
8. University of Notre Dame – South Bend, IN
According to US News and World Report’s rankings, the University of Notre Dame ranks #31 overall among all national universities offering undergraduate courses in sports management. It comes in at #5 among public universities nationwide.
“[I]t is one of only four law schools with a Ph.D. program in sports business … [T]he institution also offers an interdisciplinary minor for undergraduates and a master’s degree in Sports Administration.”
9. Temple University – Philadelphia, PA
According to US News and World Report’s rankings, Temple ranks #140 overall among all national universities offering undergraduate courses in sports management. It comes in at #80 among public universities nationwide.
The Sports Industry program is a multi-disciplinary offering that provides students with an understanding of the business as well as management issues.
It faces sports organizations in a variety of sports.
The Sports Industry Minor is an interdisciplinary minor available to both undergraduates and graduates. Rutgers has over 100,000 living alumni worldwide with strong ties to the professional world of sport.”
According to Sports Lawyer Journal, Temple ranks #5 among all American universities for Sports Law.
“Rutgers has established itself as one of the great sports law schools in the nation … The faculty fills with professionals that lead in their field.
Also, Rutgers boasts something that other top programs do not; a full-service law firm that specializes in sports law matters.”
10. University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) – Los Angeles, CA
According to US News and World Report’s rankings, UCLA ranks #20 overall among all national universities offering undergraduate courses in sports management. It comes in at #6 among public universities nationwide.
There are currently five professional programs for which UCLA undergraduates can earn a certificate or degree.
Six undergraduate certificates, six undergraduate degrees, four master’s degrees, as well as three graduate certificates.”
Conclusion paragraph:
The ranking of these 10 sports law schools is based on the number of students who attended, graduation rates, and faculty’s expertise in Sports Law. When deciding which school to attend for your Master’s degree in Sports Law can be difficult. You want a top-notch education but are also looking at factors like cost, location, prestige, or other professions that may interest you. We hope our list helps!
Best Western University In The World – Updated 2021