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Boston College Law Review Symposium: Legal Perspectives on the NCAA

The hottest sports law topics at the moment seem to be conference realignment, NFLPA decertification, and the lingering athlete agent laws and NCAA regulations that are ineffective and ignored by many.  A future symposium aims to discuss the latter issue to an extent, and only concerning the NCAA.

What: Boston College Law Review Symposium: Legal Perspectives on the NCAA

When: Friday, October 15, 2010

Where: Boston College Law School

Description: The all-day symposium will examine some of the legal issues raised by the NCAA’s growth. The symposium will feature four panels during which distinguished law faculty will present academic papers that will be published by the Boston College Law Review. A commentator will then give us his or her thoughts about the paper with an eye to fostering an open give and take about the ideas presented.

The symposium will also feature a special lunchtime program during which William Hancock, executive director of the BCS, and Matthew Sanderson, executive director of PlayoffPac, will discuss postseason college football, the BCS, and the National Championship. Jeremy Schaap of ESPN will moderate.

Schedule:

  • 8:30 – 10:00 Panel I: The NCAA and Gender
    • Nancy Hogshead-Makar, Professor, Florida Coastal Law School
    • Erin Buzuvis, Professor, Western New England Law School
    • Moderator and Commentator: Debbie Corum Associate Commissioner, SEC
  • 10:00 – 10:15 Coffee Break
  • 10:15 – 11:45 Panel II: The NCAA and Students
    • Maureen Weston, Professor, Pepperdine Law School
    • Alfred Yen, Professor, Boston College Law School
    • Moderator and Commentator: Petrina Long, Senior Associate Athletic Director, UCLA
    • Discussant: Andy Staples, Sports Illustrated (Invited)
  • 12:00 – 1:30 Lunch: Postseason College Football, the BCS, and the National Championship
    • Roy Kramer, Former Commissioner of the SEC and founder of the BCS
    • Matthew Sanderson, Executive Director of PlayoffPac
    • Moderator: Jeremy Schaap, ESPN
  • 1:45 – 3:15 Panel III: The NCAA as a Commercial Enterprise
    • Michael McCann, Professor, Vermont Law School
    • Joseph Liu, Professor, Boston College Law School
    • Moderator and Commentator: Jon Wertheim, Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated
  • 3:15 – 3:30 Coffee Break
  • 3:30 – 5:00 Panel IV: The NCAA and Constitutional Law
    • Vikram Amar, Professor, UC Davis Law School
    • Richard Albert, Professor, Boston College Law School
    • Moderator and Commentator: Gordon Hylton, Professor, Marquette Law School
  • 5:15 – 6:00 Reception
  • 6:00 Dinner for Speakers and Invited Guests

*All of the events, except the speakers’ dinner, are open to symposium registrants.

Cost: Free. To register, please send your name, address, and affiliation to: bclrsymposium2010@gmail.com

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.