Brace yourselves, employers: March Madness is upon us. Thursday, March 20, is the first full day of the 2014 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men’s Division I Basketball Championship Tournament games, and the tourney does not conclude until the Championship Game on Monday, April 7, in Arlington, Texas. During the tournament’s three weeks, the United States economy will lose an estimated $1.2 billion in productivity as employees watch early round games, participate in office pools, and discuss the outcomes with co-workers. (Fantasy sports activity in …
Continue ReadingAuthor: Sean P. Beiter
NFL Bullying: Boys Will Be Boys?
How bad could things be for Jonathan Martin? The 24-year-old received a signing bonus of $1,919,468 from the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League last year after leaving Stanford as a second round draft pick. He is guaranteed his entire 2013 salary of $479,867. He is one of approximately 1,800 individuals fortunate enough to be on an NFL roster. He is a starting offensive tackle, one of the most lucrative positions in all of professional football. Considering that the franchise tag for an …
Continue ReadingBurden on MLB to Justify A-Rod Suspension
A disgruntled former employee of Biogenesis of America, a Coral Gables, Florida “Anti-Aging Clinic,” angry over unpaid wages, leaked records indicating that as many as 20 Major League Baseball (MLB) players were purchasing banned performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), including Human Growth Hormone (HGH), testosterone, and anabolic steroids. Biogenesis was an “anti-aging” clinic owned by Anthony Bosch, just across U.S. 1 from the University of Miami, housed in what was once a motel. Biogenesis offered its mostly wealthy clients assistance in weight loss, physical fitness, and …
Continue ReadingNCAA Litigation May Lead to Compensation of Student Athletes
It is well known that student athletes do not receive any of the revenue that their schools generate from ticket sales, television revenues, jersey sales, or similar profit-generating business transactions arising out of college athletics.
However, former University of California at Los Angeles basketball player, Ed O’Bannon has commenced an action in the Northern District of California against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Collegiate Licensing Company seeking to recover damages from the licensing of his likeness to entities such as EA Sports…
Continue ReadingRyan Braun Situation Illustrates How Arbitrators Can Lose Perspective
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig announced that the 2011 National League Most Valuable Player, Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers, has been suspended without pay for the rest of the 2013 season for violating the league’s drug policy. Braun, who will not contest the suspension, has admitted to wrongdoing and apologized for his actions in a statement, saying:
… Continue ReadingAs I have acknowledged in the past, I am not perfect… I realize now that I have made some mistakes. I am willing to accept
Analysis: Patriots’ Release of Hernandez Avoids Issue with MA Law
Although it may not have been the motivating factor in the decision, the New England Patriots decision to release Aaron Hernandez following his Wednesday, June 26, 2013 arrest for murder allow the team to avoid problems with Massachusetts law on criminal records. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 15l B, Section 4; 804 CMR 3.01 makes it illegal for an employer to ask certain questions about a job applicant’s or employee’s criminal record. Employers may not ask about, maintain a record of, or base any employment decision
Game On
At 4:40 a.m. on Sunday, January 6, 2013, the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association reached a verbal agreement on the framework of a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement.
Negotiations
- The new agreement is the product of a 10-day flurry of negotiations that began with a comprehensive proposal from the league on Friday, December 28, 2012. Prior to that, there had been no negotiations between the parties since Thursday, December 6, 2012.
- The parties met in person at league offices
As Clock Ticks Down, a Closer Look at the NHLPA’s Threat to Decertify
The National Hockey League Players Association is considering the aggressive move of disclaiming interest in representing National Hockey League Players in collective bargaining negotiations with the league. That move would technically end negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement and open the avenue of anti-trust litigation for the players. Essentially, the NHLPA would be turning over representation of the players to the agents and the attorneys and risk desertion by groups of players that may be adversely affected by anti-trust litigation.
The act of decertification …
Continue Reading