Shaq is from Leominster, MA (west of Boston), and counting the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, China will be his second international trip. A lover of music and dancing, Shaq is a DJ at WNEK-FM. Shaq practices martial arts, and is particularly interested in seeing wushu (Chinese martial art) demonstrations while in Beiji...

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Jake is from Plymouth, NH, and going to the Olympics is a dream-come-true. Having been to the Turks and Caicos Islands, Jake is interested in seeing and experiencing a different country and culture in China. Jake's motto is "if it's meat, I'll eat it," so we will put that to the test every day in Wangfujing Snack Street near our hot...

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Most people do not know that Bre, who is from Amherst, NH, is a twin sister (whaaaat?!). Her greatest fear on this trip is that she will get lost (memo to Jenn: do not buddy up with Bre!), but she is anxious to experience both a new culture and the Olympics. This will be Bre's second foreign trip, after Bermu...

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Ashley is from South Hadley, MA, and will be making her first trip abroad . . . to Beijing, China! As a political science major, Ashley is particularly interested in the role of the Chinese government in the organization of these Olympic Games. A closet cut up, Ashley is expected to keep the group entertained with her jokes based on famous Chinese fortune-cookie sayin...

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Jess has been to the UK and Ireland, and can't wait to visit China to personally witness the Olympics, which she has been watching on TV since childhood. Jess is from Bethlehem, CT (west of Hartford), loves to cook and eat, and says she will try almost anything . . . so we will see if that includes starfish, seahorse, and cica...

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AJ has been in Beijing since June 6, doing an internship with Club Football Ltd, a grassroots soccer program for adults and juniors. In his spare time, AJ is studying Mandarin so that he can order our meals when we get to China! He is from Northboro, MA, and has visited Canada, which he reports is quite different from Chi...

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Rob loves to play sports and is anxious to see the best athletes in the world at the Olympic Games. Rob is from Saugerties, NY (south of Albany), and is looking forward to adding China to his list of foreign destinations outside of Canada, as he begins his campaign to see the world and learn about different cultur...

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Since visiting France, Whitney caught the travel bug and now wants to see the the rest of the world. Even though she believes going to the Olympics in China will be an amazing experience, Whitney is a bit nervous about the plane ride over to Beijing. Whitney is from East Falmouth, MA, or simply "the Cape," as they say in New Engla...

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Mike is from Colonia, NJ, and has for many years wanted to go to the Olympic Games. Having previously traveled to Canada, Mike is eager to venture beyond North America, and is ready to experience China's culture and the excitement of the Olympics. Mike's next big event on his to-do list is to attend a Super Bo...

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Amanda is from Stamford, CT (also home to other notable people such as Benny Goodman, Bob Crane, Christopher Lloyd, and Bobby Valentine), and is anxious to experience the Olympic Games and China up close and personal. She has been to Mexico and Aruba, and hopes to get a job that will allow her to travel the wor...

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Lauren has been to Italy, Germany, and Costa Rica, and with the addition of China, will be well on her way to achieving her travel goal of visiting every continent. She is from Wolcott, CT (west of Hartford), and is passionate about travel, soccer, and food (though not necessarily in that order...

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Jenn has traveled to Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia, and is excited to add a fourth country to her passport! Her greatest fear about going to the Olympics is that she might get lost among Beijing's 15+ million people, all the while not being able to speak Mandarin! Jenn is from Rensselaer, NY (near Alban...

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Marti is a veteran globetrotter, having traveled to France, Germany, Mexico, Canada, Switzerland, and Israel; and being from the Philly area, she is a big-time fan of the NHL Flyers. Since she is a prolific texter, Marti volunteered to head up the student BOG (Beijing Olympic Games) bl...

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Cool People

This next series of posts will introduce readers to the group of eager learners and intrepid travelers to the Beijing Olympics, who signed up for this seminar abroad program last fall and filled the roster within days of the announcement. Although competition tickets have been sold out for US tourists for nearly a year, we managed to score tickets to soccer, track & field, beach volleyball, tennis, softball, boxing, basketball, baseball, water polo, and badminton. In addition, we will visit the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Temple of Heaven,...

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Serendipity - Welcome Bella

December 1st 2005 is a date I would prefer to forget as it is the day that I got the awful phone call telling me that my beautiful foundation broodmare 'So Gentle' (Genna, pronounced Jenna) had died whilst in the 'care' of someone else. Not only had she died suddenly but she had died after foaling a dear little filly foal who was left and orphan.Very long story short, I raised...

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Random Thoughts on Various Subjects

1. SCOTUS AND GUNSOnce in awhile, the SCOTUS gets it right, and they did so in striking down the DC gun ban. I think their reasoning is shaky as hell, but guns are an essential component to personal liberty. An armed citizenry is a free citizenry. Outlawing guns is stupid and hurts people while making them easy prey for criminals. I can only hope the SCOTUS will go further with gun rights.2. SCOTUS AND CHILD RAPEThis is when the SCOTUS gets it wrong. Child rape is deserving of th death penalty. As it stands, most child rapists are going to be killed...

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Nike vs. Adidas

Reminiscent of the cola wars between Coca-Cola and Pepsi, the titans of sports footwear, Nike and Adidas, have been waging a high-stakes campaign in China against the backdrop of the coming Olympic Games. While Adidas is an Olympic Games sponsor and Nike is not, they appear evenly matched with some 3,000 stores each throughout the country. The leading athletic shoemakers are pitted in a marketing frenzy to gain a stronger foothold (no pun intended!) in China and a greater share of the $27.5 billion industry. Combined, Nike and Adidas account for...

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Hey Prime Minister this applies to you

I know you think your above the law, but please, stop parking in a Handicapped spot, unless your trying to tell us something.Can ya imagine what blogs like thestandard.org would be saying, if John Key did this. ...

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Hosting the Olympics: Investment or Insanity?

A recent Worth Magazine article ("Fool's Gold," 3/1/08) asserted that at a whopping $34 billion, this summer's Olympics in Beijing "are going to be the most expensive games in history." To put this in perspective, the most recent Olympic Games just four years ago in Athens -- with its massive cost overruns and security expense -- carried a then-hefty price tag of $8 billion, while the last summer games in the U.S. (Atlanta in 1996), came in at a mere $1.8 billion. Of course, the paradigm shift attributable to the events of 9/11 has driven some...

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Finally the Blackcaps show Passion!

Finally the Blackcaps have shown passion. After Collingwood decided not to call back Elliot, the Blackcaps were fuming and they let their disgust be known. Then when they took the winning run off the last ball, the celebrating begun, not since the 80's have I seen a kiwi cricket team so fired up, wanting to win, and it meant so much to them.For too long now, we have had a...

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Bad Duke Football Team Wins in Court

Being a bad football team paid off for Duke University, which won a breach of contract lawsuit because in large part because of its unsuccessful track record and a contract clause that required the plaintiff, the University of Louisville to find an adequate substitute school after Duke backed out of a obligation to pay the better school.Duke's football team has amassed a record...

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Justice Alito’s Comments on Holmes’s Opinion in Federal Baseball

"That to which it is incident, the exhibition, although made for money would not be called trade or commerce in the commonly accepted use of those words. As it is put by the defendants, personal effort, nor related to production, is not a subject of commerce."Justice Holmes, Federal Baseball Club of Baltimore, Inc. v. National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, 259 U.S. 200, 209 (1922).Howard Wasserman posted a reference on June 3 to comments by Justice Samuel Alito before a Supreme Court Historical Society gathering on the opinion of Justice...

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Olympic "Ambush" Marketing: Fair or Foul?

Today's Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese sportswear company Li Ning, which is not an Olympic sponsor but which has an exclusive contract to outfit sportscasters of China's CCTV (broadcaster of the Olympics in China), withdrew a provision in its agreement that would have seen the company's logo -- a stylized "L" -- prominently displayed on apparel worn by sportcasters...

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Hank Steinbrenner, Chien-Ming Wang, Salary Arbitration and the DH

On Sunday, June 15, New York Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang tore a tendon in his right foot and suffered ligament damage while rounding third base during a 13-0 victory and the finale of a series sweep against the Houston Astros. Wang improved his record to 8-2 for the season while lowering his ERA to 4.07. Wang was on the base paths after a fielder’s choice, and one of the results was the ire of Hank Steinbrenner concerning the National League’s refusal to adopt the designated hitter.Kevin Kernan of the New York Post agreed with Steinbrenner’s...

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Green Bag Call for Papers: Baseball and the Law

We are seeking submissions for our 2010 Almanac & Reader, which will have a baseball-and-the-law theme.We want scholarly essays on topics related to baseball and the law. We hope to select 12 essays, each between 1500 and 5000 words long. Topics in which we are particularly (but not exclusively) interested are: (a) baseball and … civil rights law; criminal law; defamation law; intellectual property law; international law; labor law; media law; property law; tax law; tort law; transportation law; (b) baseball players who were or became lawyers;...

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I guess it must be winter ...

Woke up this morning to this ......

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Golden Bear

I should mention that we will be taking our mascot to China with us! Here's "Golden Bear" in its cozy backpack perch, from where it will take in all the sights, sounds, and aromas of Beijing's attractions, traffic, people, restaurants, and mo...

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Delegation Roster

I will post more about each student later, but for now . . . here's the crew:JENN ASHLEY, Rensselaer, NYMARTI BLUM, Huntingdon Valley, PALAUREN BROUILLETTE, Wolcott, CTWHITNEY DePRIZIO, East Falmouth, MAJESSICA DiPIETRO, Bethlehem, CTAMANDA GOLDSMITH, Stamford, CTROB HORTON, Saugerties, NYMIKE KUCHNO, Colonia, NJAJ PAPPAS, Northboro, MAASHLEY RICHARD, South Hadley, MABREANNE ROCHE, Amherst, NHJAKE ROY, Plymouth, NHSHAQIM WALKER, Leominster,...

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Seminar Abroad '08

This summer, my faculty colleague, Dr. Dan Covell, and I will be taking a group of 13 Western New England College students to Beijing August 8-17 during the Olympic Games, which undoubtedly will be an experience-of-a-lifetime. I am looking forward to seeing some of my friends from the international sporting community (I was the director of International Relations for the US...

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Does Shaq Have First Amendment Claim Against Phoenix Sheriff Who Took Away His Badge Over Kobe-Rap?

We've blogged before about Shaq's amusing part-time role as a volunteer reserve sheriff (see my post here and Mike's post here). After moving from Miami to Phoenix as part of the "worst trade ever", Deputy Diesel resumed his part-time law enforcement career with the Maricopa County Sheriff.The Sheriff was not pleased, however, with Shaq's recent "freestyle" Kobe-dis, which...

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Andrew Saville and the NZ media disgrace themselves

The way the NZ media have reported the story of gang rape by four members of the English rugby team is a disgrace.Saville needs to be dumped for his reporting of the last two weeks, the editors of stuff should hang their heads in shame.Headlines such as "Hijinks at the Hilton" or Saville saying "Sex romp" is sick, this is an allegation of Rape.If the woman was saying it was...

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I am officially soft!

Today I caved completely and, with the threat of snow and appalling weather I rugged the horses up to the nines, including Kenzie, Meg and Twinkle. For Kenzie it was her very first time wearing a rug but she's such a cruiser, I knew it would not be an issue. Meg and Twinkle had a brief introduction to rugs in the autumn but today were re-introduced in the paddock and, showed...

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More on Sonics Lawsuit

Jim Brunner of the Seattle Times has a terrific new piece on the increasingly-acrimonious lawsuit between the Sonics and the city of Seattle. The article is entitled "Sonics Trial: What's Under All the Drama?" He interviews my good friend Professor Al Brophy and me, along with others, for the story. Here's an excerpt of our comments:* * *"I think the truth is the Sonics...

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George Carlin and some sports

Comedian George Carlin died yesterday of heart failure at age 71.At Concurring Opinions, Deven Desai links to one of Carlin's funniest routines--comparing baseball with football. Worth a wat...

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The New Republic's Feature Article on Sonny Vaccaro

In this week's The New Republic, Jason Zengerle has a terrific, in-depth (nearly 6,000 words) article on basketball legend Sonny Vacarro and his arguments against the NCAA and the current age eligibility rule for the NBA draft. I was interviewed for the article, which is entitled The Pivot. Here are a few excerpts:* * *As a shoe company executive, an all-star game organizer,...

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5000 Hits!!!!!

Yehaa!!! My wee blog has passed the passed the 5000 hits ma...

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Hey Labour have ya Seen Auckland Airport shareprice lately?

Thanks a lot Labour, have ya seen the share price of AIA Lately? Thanks to you guys trying to appeal to your xenophobia base and to people who have never bought shares in thier life, your party has cost tens of thousands of Kiwis, hundreds of Millions of dollars.Once again, Aunty Helen and her supporters, haven't figured out, that decent Kiwis, have no problem with the Government...

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Book Recommendation: Money Players

I recently enjoyed reading Marc Isenberg's Money Players: A Pro Athlete's Guide to Success in Sports, Business & Life. I enthusiastically recommend it to any sports fan, but particularly any player, team executive, agent, or prospective agent.Over the course of 23 chapters, Money Players thoughtfully details every imaginable business aspect of becoming and being a professional...

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New Sports Law Scholarship

Recently published scholarship:James J. LaRocca, No trust at the NFL: league’s network passes rule of reason analysis, 15 UCLA ENTERTAINMENT LAW REVIEW 87 (2008) Mitchell Nathanson, What’s in a name or, better yet, what’s it worth? Cities, sport teams and the right of publicity, 58 CASE WESTERN RESERVE LAW REVIEW 167 (2007)Justin F. Paget, Comment, Did Gebser cause the metastasization of the sexual harassment epidemic in educational institutions? A critical review of sexual harassment under Title IX ten years later, 42 UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND...

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Writer's Block

I have run out of things to write about. Actually, that is bullshit. The truth is I have been writing nonstop all day today, and I am simply scorched. They say if you have writer's block you need to write about having writer's block. It is a sure cure for what ails you.I have a ton of projects going on, but everybody thinks I am goofing off or something. They only see the visible side of what I do because I keep the rest hidden. I will say that this is not the only blog that I keep. I can safely say that I generate about 100 pages of content each...

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The Essence of Success - Sports and Otherwise

Every now and then we get a glimpse of the essence of something – that special ingredient among many that is most responsible for whatever it is. Without malt powder, it’s only a milk shake kind of stuff. Tiger Woods by all accounts is a successful golfer. At only age 32, he is winning major tournaments at a pace faster than anyone in the history of the sport.[1] Around the water cooler we try to capture his essence by saying “He’s a great athlete”. But upon the revelation that he not only won the U.S Open while hurt, but with a broken leg and...

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Faux News Interviews Obama

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Article on Coach Liability in Pro Athlete Injury Cases

From the Tort Law Professor Blog:Sports law casebook author and Wake Forest Professor Timothy Davis has posted Tort Liability of Coaches for Injuries to Professional Athletes: Overcoming Policy and Doctrinal Barriers. Here's an abstract of the article:The resolution of seemingly straightforward disputes that arise in sports often require courts to invoke rules from several...

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The Latest Odds on the US Election

The latest odds on the US Election are...Obama: $1.50McCain $2.80Independent $13.00Go Obama...

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NCAA "Singles Out" Baseball Player for Not Paying Advisor

Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (OSU Case Raises Questions About NCAA Rules for Agents, 6/16/08) reports that Oklahoma State University pitcher Andy Oliver was declared ineligible late last month by the NCAA after he received a bill for $113,000 from his "advisor," MLB certified agent Robert Baratta. Oliver recently terminated Baratta, and hired Scott Boras as his advisor. According to Mullen, "Baratta maintains that by charging Oliver for 325 hours of advice at $350 an hour, he was following NCAA guidelines that state a student athlete...

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Seattle Pins Hopes on Specific Performance to Keep Sonics in Town

Specific performance is one of those rarely-invoked contract remedies that makes for interesting reading. Because the remedy is limited to contracts involving "unique" items, it forces courts to determine the level of irreplacability and scarcity before imposing the remedy. Specific performance cases often involve cases of contracts involving rare works of art or real estate.But...

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Random Thoughts on Various Subjects

1. TIM RUSSERTThis came out of nowhere. Dead from a heart attack. I liked Russert. NBC lost a good one. There will be a huge hole at Meet the Press.2. RON PAULRon Paul called it quits, but the vows to keep on with a campaign for liberty and try to work within the GOP. Say what you will, no one has done more for libertarianism in terms of an election than Ron Paul. I voted for him, and he inspired a lot of people and their support.I am a bit lost again. I can't deny that I am not overly enthusiastic about Bob Barr or the LP. I am very frustrated,...

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Calvin and Hobbes

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More winter ponies - clompety clomp

Why? Again, because I can. Here are the clompetys doing what they do best (clompetying) in their paddock today. Debi is definitely looking every inch the expectant mum, God love her! Robbie has gained back all the weight he lost over last breeding season and is starting to look more than a little portly. No doubt he will burn it all off soon enough so, for now, he's allowed...

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