Sports Justice for Roger I. Abrams

Americans, who have been brought up playing or watching sports, have absorbed the notions of fair play not just as integral themes of sportsmanship on the field, but also as values they try to carry into their everyday lives. In this accessible and fascinating look at law and sports, Roger I. Abrams shines a light on the uniquely complex and important legal issues that face both amateur and professional athletes. Abrams weaves a profoundly moving and immediately relevant story of ever-broadening access to, and expanding rights within, the field of sports. Through compelling storytelling and personal explorations of those involved, Abrams illuminates these legal cases, such as the case of Jeremy Bloom, the world champion mogul skier who was barred from playing college football because he had modeled clothes for Tommy Hilfiger, and the cases of Casey Martin, Renee Richards, and the young gymnasts from Brown University who sought access to the sports they loved, but found that their quest to achieve justice required judicial intervention. There is also the case of Al Davis, the renegade owner of the Oakland–Los Angeles–Oakland Raiders, who beat the National Football League cartel using the antitrust laws in his effort to gain the respect he was always denied. From cases involving Title IX, transgendered athletes, rights of the disabled, violence on the playing field, individual and franchise free-agency, amateurism and college sports, and the responsibility of leagues for the safety and lifelong health of injured players, Abrams has crafted an engrossing and surprising story of people battling for their careers and lives, and in the process changing the very nature of sports and society. Written for sports fans and legal scholars alike, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of law and sports.

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