SPORTS LAW SEMINAR
Professor Thomas R. Hurst
Spring Semester, 2015
Office hours: Room 278 Holland Hall: I encourage you to meet with me as often as need be to discuss your
choice of topic and progress on your research paper. My regular office hours are Thursday, 12:00 to 1:00 and I
am also available most other times by appointment: E-mail: hurst@ufl.edu. Phone 273-0922.
Coverage of the course: This is intended to be a research and writing seminar in which the precise content of
the course may vary from year to year depending on the students’ choice of research topics. In past years,
topics have included: NCAA Regulation of Athletes Employment, State and Federal Regulation of Sports
Agents, Trademark Licensing Issues, Collective Bargaining and Salary Caps, Gender Equity and Title IX,
Drug Testing of College Athletes, NCAA Proposition 16 and Eligibility Requirements for College Athletics,
NCAA Enforcement Procedures and Due Process. A list of topics chosen by students recently is being handed
out separately. However, you are free to choose any topic you wish subject only to my consent.
Pre-requisites: There are no specific prerequisites for enrolling in this course However, it is strongly
recommended that students take one or more of the following courses which will provide a solid background
for your research paper: Anti-trust Law, Gender and the Law, Intellectual Property, Administrative Law,
Collective Bargaining, Labor Law, Employment Discrimination.
Materials: No textbook is required. Duplicated materials will be distributed in class, posted on TWEN or
placed on reserve in the library. Announcments will be posted on the course TWEN website and sent by email distribution list to everyone. You must register for the seminar on TWEN or you will not receive the
e-mail notifications of important course information.
Procedure: Meetings during the first half of the seminar will normally last one to two hours and will consist
of discussion of assigned readings. Also, students will be required to attend outside speaker presentations from
time to time. The second half of the course will consist of individual presentations by students together with
class discussions, as detailed in the next paragraph.
Requirements: Each student must prepare a research paper on a topic of his or her choice with the approval of
the instructor. There is no specific length requirement but papers have averaged approximately 25-30 pages,
including footnotes. Everyone must meet with the instructor and choose a topic during the first three weeks of
the course and no later than January 22 A detailed outline of your paper, which must include a bibliography
listing all of your primary and secondary sources, must be submitted by February 19. All research should be
completed by that time. If you wish me to review a final draft of your paper it must be submitted by March 19.
Final copies of your paper which must be submitted both in hard copy and by e-mail attachment, are due April
23. Satisfactory completion of your paper will satisfy the College of Law senior writing requirement.
In addition, each student must orally make a presentation of his or her research topic during the last half of the
seminar. Students will also be required to be “discussion leaders” for one seminar meeting in which they are to
take the lead in questioning the students presenting their papers.
Attendance: Attendance will be taken at each seminar meeting. Two un-excused absences are allowed.
Additional absences will be allowed only in extenuating circumstances with the approval of the instructor.
Grading: The final grade will be based on the following factors: (1) The final paper, (2) oral presentation (3)
class participation and (4) quality of discussion leader assignment. According to faculty policy, the mean
GPA of seminars and other small classes may be no higher than 3.60.