In a stunning win for equal pay between genders, the United States Women’s hockey team secured a major victory by coming to an agreement with USA Hockey on a new four-year labor agreement. This result came on the heels of the Women’s team plan to boycott the 2017 IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championship, which began Friday March 31, 2017. The move to boycott drew a large amount of support from athletes to politicians, who reverberated the argument that the women’s team should earn a …
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Sport Memorabilia Collector Faces Up to 20 Years for Memorabilia Fraud, Including Fake Heisman
An Arkansas sports memorabilia collector pled guilty in Chicago’s federal court to defrauding investors by selling fake and doctored items, even using a fake Heisman Trophy as collateral for a $100,000 loan.
As background, John Rogers sold fake sports memorabilia to his customers and secured loans by offering fake and inauthentic items as collateral. Rogers’ plea deal stated that he either “created the items himself or altered them to make them appear authentic.” Rogers admitted to defrauding the investors in his companies and the …
Continue ReadingWill President Trump Change the Course of Sports Betting in the United States?
Earlier this month, the United States Supreme Court chose not to strike down New Jersey’s challenge to the federal ban on sport betting, but rather called upon President Donald Trump and his administration to opine on the controversial issue. This decision comes after New Jersey’s multi-year long fight to convince the federal government to end its ban on sport betting, in order to benefit New Jersey’s struggling casinos and racetracks.
As background, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) has prohibited most states …
Continue ReadingNo Property Tax on Government-Owned Stadiums in New Jersey
As of November 21, 2016, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has amended New Jersey tax law to clarify that government-owned stadiums and arenas are exempt from property taxation.
The signing of this bill quells uncertainty following a decision by a New Jersey tax court which denied a non-profit hospital its tax benefits last year. The court’s decision was focused in part on the hospital’s mix of non-profit and for-profit activity. Up until this point, it was not clear whether the decision would bring forth similar …
Continue ReadingArbitration Panel Finds Anti-Doping Policy Violation, Issues One-Year Suspension for Jon “Bones” Jones
On November 7, 2016, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced that an independent three-member arbitration panel determined that UFC fighter Jon “Bones” Jones should receive the maximum one-year suspension for violating the UFC anti-doping policy. The ban is retroactive to when Jones’ test results were first issued on July 6, 2016, which means he will be eligible to return to the UFC beginning in July 2017.
Jones had argued that he believed he was taking a Cialis pill and had checked with USADA to …
Continue ReadingNew Jersey Betting Big on Legal Sports Wagering
After previous attempts to legalize sports betting in New Jersey have stalled, New Jersey appears to once again be pushing to make sports betting legal within its borders. Back in 2012, Governor Chris Christie signed legislation that purported to legalize sports betting in New Jersey. The proposed law was a partial repeal of anti-sports betting laws that carved out exceptions that allowed betting at specific locations; namely racetracks and casinos. The NCAA, NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB quickly took legal action against the new legislation. …
Continue ReadingNational Labor Relations Board’s Counsel Finds Some Limits on Players Unlawful
On October 10, 2016, the National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel declared that some Northwestern University football team rules were unlawful pursuant to an advice memorandum dated September 22, 2016. This ruling found that the players must be freely allowed to post on social media, discuss issues of their health and safety, and speak with the media.
While this ruling has no force of law on the other sixteen private schools, if a similar complaint is ever filed at one of those schools, this memorandum …
Continue ReadingAlberta CFL Players Seeking Right to Pursue Workers’ Compensation Claims
As high-profile claims continue to roil in various professional sports leagues in the United States, the Canadian Football League continues to litigate its own protections for injured players. In Alberta, a three-member panel was created to review existing workers’ compensation legislation to review whether coverage should be provided to injured professional football players.
Unlike in the U.S., where professional football players are provided with workers’ compensation coverage, players in Canada are exempt from those protections and afforded one year of rehabilitation. Given that the starting …
Continue ReadingThe IRS Takes Gold in Rio
America’s Olympic Medalists in Rio will return to an unpleasant reality: a tax bill. Each medalist will be taxed on their award from the U.S. Olympic Committee and the monetary value of the medal itself. The U.S. Olympic Committee awards cash prizes to medal winners in the following amounts: $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver, and $10,000 for bronze. According the IRS, all cash prizes and awards are taxed as income earned abroad. The awards are treated the same as a lottery payout or casino …
Continue ReadingThird Circuit Says “No” to Sports Betting in New Jersey
New Jersey’s hopes to legalize sports betting in the state were shut down by a Third Circuit panel on Tuesday, August 9, 2016. The panel, in a 10-2 decision, upheld a district court ruling that a 2014 law repealing New Jersey’s ban of sports betting violated the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). Additionally, the panel affirmed their 2013 ruling that PASPA is constitutional and does not infringe on state rights. Federal law enacted in 1993 prohibits states from regulating sports betting activity.
New …
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