DOES SPORTS LAW EVEN EXIST?

Hello readers! Welcome to the first edition of our Sports Law Talk with PNH, where we will discuss the
legal aspects of sports, among other sports-related topics. We will be publishing articles frequently for
your consumption. These articles would be for athletes, managers, agents, sports teams, sports
companies, sports enthusiasts, and other sports stakeholders.
Today, we will be discussing a topic that has caused hysteria amongst people. This topic has been an
argument for a very long time, and we are here to lay our opinions and views out and let you decide
which side you are on.
Our topic for today is “Does Sports Law Even Exist?” I remember a couple of weeks ago, my classmate
from my university posted an Instagram reel saying, “There is nothing like Sports Law, and it is just
business law at best”. It stirred up something in me as someone who sees that as my area of practice,
that I ended up typing an epistle trying to convince her, but I will try not to be emotional today.
Many people ask this simple question: Does sports law really exist, or is it just regular law given a fancy
name? It is a fair question, and even lawyers debate it. Some argue that there is no such thing as sports
law because it borrows rules from contract law, labour law, torts, arbitration, intellectual property law,
and even criminal law. According to this view, sports law is not “new law,” just old law applied to sports.
That argument is partly correct, but it is not the full picture.
First of all, what is sports law? When people talk about sports law, they are referring to the body of
rules that regulate sporting activities and protect those involved in sports, especially athletes. It covers
issues such as:
 Player contracts and salaries
 Agents and representation
 Transfers and registrations
 Discipline, suspensions, and sanctions
 Sponsorships and image rights
 Sports disputes and arbitration
In practice, sports law answers one key question: How are rights, duties, and disputes handled in the
sporting world?
Now, here is why Sports Law Exists in Reality:
Even if sports law borrows from other areas of law, it exists because sport is unique. Sport has its own
governing bodies, its own rules and regulations, its own dispute systems, careers that are short and
highly regulated. An athlete’s contract is not treated the same way as a normal office job. Disputes are
often resolved outside regular courts. Discipline can affect a career overnight. These realities demand
specialized legal thinking, and that is why sports law has developed.
Courts, tribunals, and arbitration panels around the world already recognize this uniqueness. This
recognition is what makes sports law real in practice. As sports continue to grow commercially, legally,
and globally, sports law will only become stronger and be widely accepted and recognized as a separate
field of law.
We are already seeing more discussions on athlete rights, stronger regulation of agents and
intermediaries, increased use of sports arbitration, and greater attention to welfare, mental health, and

image rights. The future of sports law is not about theory. It is about protecting athletes in an
increasingly complex industry.
Final Thought: You do not need to settle the debate to benefit from sports law. As stakeholders in
sports or as a sports enthusiast, whether you call it a separate field or not, the rules exist, and they
affect your career. Ignoring them does not make them disappear.
We have come to the end of today’s topic, and with our views, I hope we have been enlightened, or a
spark has been created in your mind concerning this argument. I hope to see you next time.
Bonnet S. Moses, Esq.
Sports Lawyer, Consultant, and Sports Enthusiast.