The classes offered will be International Professional Sports Law and International Amateur Sports Law, and will be taught by someone who I certainly consider to be an expert in the field – Ralph Cindrich.   Cindrich is a former NFL player and has 30+ years in the business of sports, which gives him a unique insight and ability to apply real life experiences to the classroom such as landmark NFL cases, including the Will Wolford contract, which was highlighted in The Blind Side. This program will help you determine if the sports business is right for you while you earn 4 ABA approved credits in one of the most stunning cities in the world.

Please find the brochure and application embedded below.

Deadline Approaching To Study Sports Law In Florence, Italy from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The weather in East Lansing, MI has been around 20 degrees or under for what seems to be forever now. Every time I step outside of my house to go to the law library or to walk my dog I tell myself that spring and summer are right around the corner. And although it’s only January and I just say that to keep my mind off of how cold it really is, it is never too early to start thinking about the summer. Warm weather, BBQ’s, water, beach time, the sun, and now…great sports law programs are being offered in Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

South Texas College of Law/Houston is offering an amazing opportunity to study abroad in Florence, Italy from June 2nd-July 25th, 2011. Orientation for the program will be on June 3, 2011 and classes begin on Monday, June 26. Classes will meet at the CAPA Florence Center, housed in the Palazzo Galli-Tassi, which dates from 1400 and is located in the Santa Croce area of Florence near the Duomo. Courses that will be offered are International Amateur Sports Law, as well as International Professional Sports Law.

The classes will be taught by Professor James Musselman of South Texas College of Law and Ralph Cindrich, a former 5th round pick by the New England Patriots at LB and founder of Cindrich & Co. Athlete Management. Mr. Cindrich will have another Super Bowl Champion added to his impressive client roster as two of his clients (James Farrior- LB, Pitt and Marco Rivera- OT, Green Bay) will be facing off in Super Bowl XLV on February 6th at 6PM. For more information check out their website.

Mr. Cindrich is also teaching another Sports Law class in Hague, Netherlands & Lausanne/Geneva, Switzerland through Stetson University Law School. The program is from July 3rd- July 29th and will likewise feature classes in International Amateur Sports Law and International Professional Sports Law. For more information visit Stetson’s website.

For those of you who live in East Lansing or will be in the area on February 16th, Mr. Cindrich will be speaking at Michigan State University College of Law at 12PM in the Castle Boardroom of the Law College.

If you have information about any other sports law programs being offered this summer please feel free to share it with us and the SportsAgentBlog.com community. Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter at @ZaKurtz.

Study Sports Law Abroad This Summer from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

What could possibly be better than learning Sports Law during the day and having five course meals at night?  A few days ago, NFL agent and attorney, Ralph Cindrich, passed on some information about a Sports Law program he is participating in (as an instructor), which will be held in Florence, Italy this upcoming Summer.  It is being hosted by his law school alma mater, South Texas College of Law and will take place between June 27 and July 16.

A total of four credits are being offered, broken up into two classes: International Amateur Sports Law and International Professional Sports Law. These courses are an effective complement to the first year of law school study because they build on concepts learned in constitutional law, tort law, and contract law. They expose students to key differences between the European and North American models of professional and amateur sports, as well as the international legal environment of Olympic sports. These comparisons and contrasts allow students to gain a more nuanced understanding of the “globalization” of law.

Mr. Cindrich and Catherine Greene Burnett, Associate Dean and Professor of Law at South Texas College of Law, will serve as the faculty. The courses have been approved by the American Bar Association. You must have completed at least one year of law school to be eligible for the program, which anticipates a student body of about 25 total.

More information, including the cost and the actual application for enrollment is provided in the embedded attachment below.

2010 Sports Law Study Abroad Program in Florence, Italy from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

UEFA president Michel Platini has said:

“If results are fixed in advance, football has no further reason to exist”

A key component of sport, and perhaps the most essential, is the uncertainty of outcome. Without this, there is no competition, no entertainment and no value in sport whatsoever. It is for the same reason that performance-enhancing drugs are completely prohibited – to preserve healthy competition and to ensure that one competitor is not given an advantage of which the other is deprived.

Perhaps the most famous occasion of match-fixing was in Italy in 2006 where several prestigious European clubs brought the football world to a standstill. Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina, SS Lazio and Reggina were found guilty of influencing the football authorities on the appointment of referees to certain games.

It cannot be denied that cheating in sport is completely unacceptable. Punishment for cheating should be severe and should act as a deterrent to prevent future offenses from occurring. However, is the current punishment ruthless enough? Evidently not.

In the summer of 2006 (just weeks after the scandal in Italy came out), the Italian national team won the FIFA World Cup. Many questioned whether Italy should have been allowed to participate in the tournament altogether in light of the revelations on match-fixing in the country.

AC Milan was originally barred from entering the 2006-2007 UEFA Champions League tournament as a result of the scandal. On appeal they were allowed to enter the competition at the Third Qualifying Round stage. They went on to win the tournament that season.

Juventus was forcibly relegated from Serie A to Serie B in Italy. They comfortably won Serie B the next season and have been competing at the top of Serie A ever since. They are also participating in the Champions League again and narrowly went out of the competition in the first knockout round stage.

Fiorentina was entitled to remain in Serie A but were docked 15 points, an amount that would supposedly have the effect of preventing them from qualifying for a European cup the next season. They ultimately finished in sixth place and qualified for the UEFA Cup.

It is clear that the punishments handed out were far too soft and lenient. The above examples merely indicate to any person considering match fixing that it is almost worth the risk of attempting to cheat. If they get away with it, then the outcome is very favorable. If they get caught, the consequences are not going to be too severe. The risk of getting caught does not necessarily outweigh the benefit of getting away with cheating.

The penalties inflicted on persons who cheat in this way need to be far more serious. The outcome must be that the guilty party is completely crippled as a result of the wrongdoing. Are punishments not handed out to deter others from future and similar misconduct? The object of deterrence is not achieved where the outcome of a punishment is that the offending party is not really punished.

In 2005 UEFA said it was planning to implement betting legislation to prevent all players, management and referees from gambling on future games. Furthermore, after this week’s announcement UEFA has said it is launching a gambling investigation unit next season, monitoring 27,000 European matches in both the first and second divisions of each national association.

It is clear however that the problem lies not in detecting where/when match-fixing occurs, but in the punishment that results when it has been established that match fixing took place. Punish the cheating party brutally and ruthlessly, and others will be scared to do the same.

Match-Fixing Rears Its Ugly Head Again in Soccer from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

In a previous post, I described the predicament that Jennings was in.  Brandon Jennings was the first prep to pro basketball star from North America to play in Europe.  Because of low SAT scores and the coaching turmoil at Arizona, he decided to forgo playing college ball and headed to play professionally for Virtus Roma.

Jennings’ flashy play and high top hair cut attracted enough attention, but this unprecedented move to play in Italy for millions caused many to question Jennings.  Others thought he could be a trend setter for many future young players, who because of the NBA’s “one and done” college age restrictions, would rather make go overseas and make millions instead of playing one year of college ball.

Jennings signed with Roma for $1.65 million, but has a buyout clause in his contract that would allow him to leave after each season if he were to pursue his NBA dream.  Jennings has said multiple times that this the NBA is a definite for him.  He will likely leave Italy after this season and become an NBA lottery pick in 09′.  Many scouts and coaches have compared him to the Spanish star Ricky Rubio, who played in the same league. Comparisons to Europe’s best is great for Jennings, however players who have guarded both say that Jennings is even better than Rubio at 18.

Jennings and all his flash and hype came to Italy with high expectations.  He was soon humbled, where the real Brandon Jennings finally emerged.  His first week at practice in Italy, Jennings was kicked out of practice for “slacking” on his cuts during practice when going over the new plays.  Jennings was stunned and amazed.  He could act any way he wanted at practices in high school, but not in Europe.  After a conversation with Ray Allen, he quickly regained his composure and was able to step it up, giving himself and his teammates the confidence they needed in their million dollar point guard.

From that day forward, Jennings has continued to improve physically in the weight room and mentally with his decision making on and off the court.  And although he still spends a  lot of money of thousand dollar Gucci and Dolce backpacks and bags, he is learning the Italian culture and emerging as a potential NBA leader in the future.

Jennings’ personality really doesn’t match his flashy hair and upbeat style of play on the court.  He is a momma’s boy at heart and really only associates with his brother, mother and teammates in Italy.  It appears that Jennings is getting a real education overseas, and will surely be better off because of it.

Going overseas instead of attending college has its ups and downs, and although many others might not choose the route “Young Money” has taken, his voyage will certainly shed light unto the the rest of us.  We can see if and how many others follow in his shoes.

Visit Jennings blog, When In Rome to check out the latest updates on Brandon Jennings and how he is progressing in Italy.  His blog addresses the latest on-court issues, along with features such as his favorite music, movies, and the newst Under Armour gear.

When In Rome, Do As Brandon Jennings Does from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules