I am always looking to expand my journalistic portfolio.  While this site is my baby, I had a brief stint as a contributing writer for ESPN and have been a part of many different radio shows in the past.  Most recently, I wrote a piece for The Bulletin, a newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  The topic is Temple University football.  It just hit the web yesterday, and is a little outdated (Temple went on to beat Akron), but hopefully you still think it is a good read.  If you are in Philly, you can read it on those things still being printed on paper (they’re called newspapers).  For those of you outside of the City of Brotherly Love, go ahead and check it out here: It’s Time To Rally Around The Cherry And White.

Here is the first paragraph from the article:

At this time last year, the only reason that I would have been talking about Temple, was to find out which one I would be attending for Friday night Shabbat services.  But this year, I have a new reason to mention that six letter word, and it is in relation to the Owls.

Adidas and UCF discussed this matter again last week and could not find a middle ground on this situation. Before  making the decision to halt the contract extension with the University, Adidas spokeswoman Andrea Corso said, “We are in negotiations for a future relationship regarding the broader UCF athletic program. What I can say is that these relationships are based upon agreed deliverables for both parties.” Ultimately, Adidas said they were not willing to bend the rules, even for a Jordan.

If UCF did not allow Marcus to wear Nike’s, they could have lost Marcus Jordan as an athlete. Jordan was very persistent and was never seen wearing anything but Air Jordan’s. He even said that this issue was discussed on his recruiting trip to UCF. The only real option the University had was to amend the prior contract between Adidas and allow Marcus Jordan to be the exception to this sponsorship agreement. UCF athletic director Keith Tribble said Jordan could make his own choice on what shoes to wear.  He also mentioned that he wouldn’t be the first athlete at the school to get permission to wear something other than Adidas (a football player wore a different pair of shoes because of a better fit). However, the athlete in this situation was Michael Jordan’s son and the media attention and spotlight were shining bright on the athletic company.

This may seem like a silly dispute over shoes, but the effects of little Jordan’s actions are much more serious. The real issue here is a contract dispute; however the attention this story received will surely have an underlying effect on the current debate about intellectual property rights for NCAA athletes.

Are all student athletes bound by what sponsor the school has chosen or do they have any individual rights? What rights are college athletes giving away by signing with a school and playing college sports?

This is only one of the many conflicts that have arisen lately around the nation regarding college athletes and the rights they have while in school. Last year Nebraska University quarterback Sam Keller filed a lawsuit against video-game company Electronic Arts and the NCAA stating that they were illegally using the images of college football and basketball players in video games without their permission or compensation. Other related intellectual property cases are still pending and awaiting trial. The court will soon have to address the broad range of activities that athletes consent to give the universities when sign their name on the dotted line and agree to play for that school.

Personally, I think MJ’s son has a legitimate reason for not wearing his team shoes.  But isn’t college basketball more about the team and not the individual?  How would it look if Marcus was the only one on the team wearing brand new Jordan’s that haven’t been released yet?

On a more serious note, the University of Central Florida has a 3 million dollar, six-year contract with Adidas.  This contract  requires all UCF athletes and coaches to use only Adidas apparel and equipment.  If Marcus wears his fathers Nike’s this will clearly be a breach of contract and with the last name of Jordan, it is likely to cause a big scene.

Adidas said they were aware of Marcus Jordan’s attendance at UCF and on the basketball team, and will be working to resolve this “unique” situation without causing too much controversy.

Although this may not seem like a big deal and some of you may think little MJ should be able to wear his fathers shoes, it has very serious legal and athletic ramifications for UCF.  If Adidas and UCF can’t find a middle ground with this situation and Marcus wears Nikes, the University may be liable for breach and owe  damages up to $3 million dollars to Adidas.  On the opposite side, if UCF does not allow Marcus to bend the rules and amend the contract, they may lose Marcus Jordan (if he cannot be persuaded to switch to Adidas).

The battle of the footwear seems silly but surely has some serious ramifications for UCF.

The video is below.

Ashwin Krishnan (Editor-in-Chief) and Josh Podoll (Submissions Editor) at the Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law (JSEL) are currently soliciting and reviewing submissions for the very first edition of its Journal.  Their plan is to publish the inaugural issue of the Journal in Spring 2010 and they believe that you kind people reading this blog might have written just the type of piece they are looking for.

JSEL will provide the academic community, the sports and entertainment industries, and the broader legal profession with scholarly analysis and research related to the legal aspects of the sports and entertainment communities.  The Journal is accepting articles, essays, book reviews, notes, and comments regarding legal and/or public policy issues from academics and legal practitioners for its upcoming inaugural issue.  JSEL is one of the few journals in the United States that focuses exclusively on legal topics related to sports and entertainment.

Legal topics that affect sports and entertainment include antitrust law, civil procedure, constitutional law, contract law, corporate law, copyright law, labor law, and real estate law.  In addition, there are many other legal topics that have an impact on the sports and entertainment industries, or otherwise have an application to sports and entertainment.

Submissions are being accepted on a rolling basis.  To be considered for the first issue, please send completed submissions no later than November 15, 2009.  The editors also made a point to note that an indication of your interest before that date would be greatly appreciated.

All submissions must be sent to Josh Podoll, Submissions Editor, as an attached Microsoft Word document via email to jselsubmissions@gmail.com.  Also, please feel free to contact Josh regarding any questions you may have concerning citation format, topic, or other issues involving the submissions process.

Texas Tech has come out of the NCAA gates softer than expected this season, as they have a record of 2-2 at this point. Last season the team compiled 11 wins and produced star wide out Michael Crabtree, who has yet to officially begin his NFL career after being a hot commodity in the previous draft when the 49ers attempted to sign him. Crabtree and a couple of his former teammates have been glimmering in the spotlight, but not for the right reasons.

The 2-2 Texas Tech squad expected to re-live the glorious season they had last year, but after being defeated by Houston in their last game, players have demonstrated signs of frustration through their Twitter accounts. Marlon Williams posted his reaction on his account after losing the game against Houston and it goes as follows: “WTF I can’t believe what happened man my senior season isn’t goin anything like what I busted my azz for …. New week now F$&@.” Also, Brandon Carter, a senior offensive lineman, had similar comments on his twitter account that have been deleted after fueling some interesting stories. All in all, the frustrations and use of Twitter to exemplify those feelings have resulted in Brandon Carter, a Texas Tech leader, losing his captaincy and also the ability to play next week against New Mexico. Coach Mike Leach has decided that the suspension is appropriate and has banned the team from using Twitter in the future. Leach was noted earlier in July making statements about the detrimental use of Twitter, MySpace, and Facebook and concluded with the statement that he really doesn’t even send emails. A bit ironic for a school with the word TECH in it’s title.

Rough job market, but the University of Texas is hiring.  The school’s College of Communication just posted multiple positions that it is looking to fill, with screening beginning as early as October 15.  Full descriptions of the openings may be found on the link above.  Only one of them is sports-specific, but I will post information about all three opportunities.  Here are some short descriptions:

• Director, School of Journalism – In charge of 850 undergraduates and 120 graduate students in the master’s and doctoral programs.
• Senior Professor Position in Journalism -Tenured full professor to start in Fall 2010.  Current associate professors and full professors are encouraged to apply.  A Ph.D. in a relevant academic field and a record of mentoring doctoral-level graduate students is preferred.
• Director, Texas Program in Sports & Media - This looks like a really neat position. The Director will teach 1-2 courses a year in the general area of sports and media with a concurrent appointment as senior lecturer, oversee a small administrative staff, and help build a program endowment.  He/she will oversee the development of an Olympic archive, organize an annual symposium on sports and public policy, and provide long-term planning for the Program.  A bachelors degree along 10 years of experience in the general area of sports and media is required.  A masters degree is preferred.

The NCAA’s agenda in certain situations involving schools and athletes is certainly questionable.

Grassroots basketball enthusiast Sonny Vaccaro made some interesting points recently in an interview with Henry Abbot here.

On the topic of Derrick Rose and the wins vacated from Memphis, it is possible the NCAA came down hard on the Tigers because the school is not a traditional powerhouse Bowl Championship Series school. Vaccaro feels that some other schools in the BCS generally are let off easy because of the revenue the schools generate for the giant entertainment conglomerate that has become the NCAA.

The specific case of Reggie Bush is cited, pointing out that while Memphis was quickly penalized, the University of Southern California has yet to be sentenced for the school’s actions from 2006 with Bush, which Vaccaro finds “interesting.”

Vaccaro then goes on to make a huge point against the NBA’s age limit rule. The reason for the supposed beneficial rule is to force talented young athletes to go to college and become more well-rounded individuals. But in many cases, the main justification coaches give to recruits on reasons to come to the school is because the coach can get them to the NBA.

Would Tyreke Evans, DeMar DeRozan, or Jrue Holiday have needed any help getting to the NBA if there was no rule? Doubtful. Brandon Jennings definitely did not and still managed to be a lottery pick.

So why are many coaches using the lure of the NBA to recruit players when the supposed reason for the age rule is the lure of college? It’s probably because college doesn’t seem as sexy when you are earning absolutely nothing. But having these NBA-ready talent forced to go to college makes a lot of money for the NCAA.

Does the NCAA really want these kids to get an education? The association can’t believe that most of these players will be staying for more than one, or even two, years. Free labor, though, for the collegiate entertainment industry is very beneficial for the NCAA.

Rose isn’t the first and won’t be the last player the NCAA has used to dictate how it wants business conducted.

A young-adult receives many benefits from going to college.  The education attained from living on your own for the first time, sitting in on lectures taught by the best of their trades, drinking too much certain nights, etc. is tough to learn elsewhere.  However, for talented high school baseball players, college is an experience that may be put aside…at least for the time being.  If offered a signing bonus in the 6 to 7 figure range and the opportunity to live your dream by having a chance at an early start with an MLB affiliate, how do you say no?  It’s definitely tough to decline.  But what about giving up your senior year of high school?  No prom, no homecoming, no graduation with your best friends you have known your entire life.  Is it worth it?

Bryce Harper and his parents think so.  If you think Stephen Strasburg received a lot of hype leading up to the 2009 MLB Draft, you ain’t seen nothin yet.  Baseball columnists are already speculating what kind of bonus Harper will receive when he is selected #1 overall in the 2010 Draft.  That’s right…you can already pencil his name in…he is apparently THAT good.  But again, is it worth skipping senior year of HIGH SCHOOL to be the #1 overall pick in 2010 instead of the #1 overall pick in 2011?

While the Harpers think so, a man named Landon Powell disagrees.  And he knows best, because he missed the prom to start playing pro ball a year early.  Unfortunately for Landon, that did not work exactly according to plan.  While he did not end up signing with an MLB team until many years after making his decision, Harper will undoubtedly be picked #1 overall next year.  That being said, Landon still makes a good point.

“I was still young and not making my own decisions. My dad and Boras did, and my name was getting dragged through the mud. When you tell an 18-year-old kid, ‘If you do this, you’ll get paid millions,’ any 18-year-old kid will say, ‘Yeah, let’s do that.’ I had no idea what would hang with me my whole career. I get asked every year about weaseling my way through the draft.”

I just hope that Bryce has played this important decision out many times in his own head.  Landon also had Scott Boras as an agent and both Boras and his father were advocates for him leaving high school early.  Bryce will get paid millions.  I hope that in his mind, that is fair compensation for losing the last dance.

Schools are on the look-out for unauthorized sports agent communication, money transfers to student-athletes, the signing of agency contracts, etc.  If a student-athlete violates a rule, he may lose his NCAA eligibility, but the entity that gets hit the hardest, is the educational institution.  Thus, schools are starting to get creative in educating its athletes on what is and is not permissible.

Some are even employing their mascots.  Just keep Conan O’Brien’s masturbating bear out of mind.