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Sport and the Law (LAWS20011)
Undergraduate level 2Points: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)
About this subject
Contact information
Semester 1
Overview
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This subject provides an account of how the law influences sport. Although the subject focuses on legal principles, it will bear in mind sport’s historical, cultural, social and economic context, including the drama and colour of sport’s major events and leading personalities. And although it is inevitably very much concerned with elite professional sports it is not dominated by them, and seeks to cover the widest possible range of sports, professional and amateur.
There will be two main themes to this subject: (1) sports organisation and governance and (2) sports scandals and regulations. The first theme will address the fundamentals of sports law – the organisation, dispute resolutions, contracts and employment, American model of sports. The second theme will then consider the main issues within sports, such as sports anti-doping, corruption, gambling and match-fixing, and human rights issues.
In sum, the subject is designed to cover fundamental and topical areas of sports law: sports law in general; sports organisation, contract and employment, dispute resolution, sports corruption; sports anti-doping; human rights. Finally, the module is designed around common law jurisdictions but is also informed by a comparative approach reflecting the global administration of sport.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject students should:
- Introduce students to the legal doctrines and principles that oversee, influence and impact upon sport and the human, communitarian and commercial relationships that exist within sport.
- Examine the legal responsibilities of sports governing bodies domestically and internationally with regard to the regulatory, participatory, and financial aspects of modern sport
- Explore ideas about the juridification and commodification of sport and the legal rights of individual therein; critically evaluating the legal tools, including access to alternative means of justice, to achieve the protection of such rights;
- Critique the extant sporting legal system domestically and globally through case study perspectives, and explore opportunities to reform "sports law" so that it might better achieve its objectives.
Generic skills
- Acquired knowledge of the legal principles and regulatory systems relating to sport and including the participatory, regulatory and financial aspects thereof;
- Been introduced to the fundamental premises of rights and responsibilities within a legal system as they relate to the self-regulatory ecosystem that is sport both internationally and domestically;
- Used critical analysis skills to independently reflect and synthesise acquired knowledge so to demonstrate understanding of the legal rights and responsibilities of the various actors, entities and stakeholders within sport;
- Drafted an opinion on a hypothetical and topical problem in sport (and similarly in an exam situation) from a legal perspective, using written, research and analytical skills to justify and present an independently formed perspective.
Last updated: 21 November 2024