Age Limits in Sports

March 3rd, 2010

On April 2, 2010, I will serve as a panelist at a Vermont Law School conference focused on the legality of age eligibility rules in sports.  I will post conference details soon.  Mike McCann will moderate the panel.  Alan Milstein and Mike Zarren are the other panelists.  I will likely share some of the empirical results from my dissertation entitled “Precocity in Sports and the Efficacy of Age Eligibility Rules.”   

The Dark Side of Sports - Gambling, Bias, and Corruption

March 3rd, 2010

On March 5, 2010, I will deliver a speech entitled “The Dark Side of Sports - Gambling, Bias, and Corruption” at Pacific Lutheran University’s Wang Center Symposium. Conference details here.

Age Fraud Among Chinese Gymnasts

February 27th, 2010

In news that should hardly surprise anyone, gymnastics officials have determined that a bronze medal-winning Chinese gymnast at the 2000 Olympics was underage at the time of competition. 

Interesting Tennis Lawsuit

February 26th, 2010

I am looking forward to seeing what the resolution of this lawsuit is.

Winter Olympics - Luge Accident

February 18th, 2010

The Wall Street Journal ran a story today with a focus on some of the commercial and legal aspects stemming from the tragic accident involving the luge event at the Olympics.  I was interviewed for the article.  My commentary can be found in the penultimate paragraph.

UPDATE (2/22/10): Ashby Jones of the Wall Street Journal has a blog post about the luge tragedy here.  In addition, Mike McCann of Vermont Law School and Sports Illustrated has a column here

Book Review: Daniel Coyle’s The Talent Code

February 16th, 2010

My review of Daniel Coyle’s The Talent Code is forthcoming in the Journal of Sports Sciences.  A copy should be posted here soon.  In the interim, please email me if you would like a copy. 

Floyd Landis: Computer Hacker?

February 15th, 2010

If I had read this New York Times article on April 1, I would have guessed that it was an April Fools joke.  Not the case.  Apparently, a French judge has issued a warrant for the arrest of Floyd Landis, the bicyclist who was stripped of his title at the Tour de France several years ago after failing a drug test.  The arrest warrant alleges that Landis tried to hack into a computer at the doping lab handling his drug test.     

O’Bannon v. NCAA Update

February 9th, 2010

Pete Thamel of the New York Times provides an update on the litigation here.   

UPDATE (2/15/10) - Tom Hoffarth’s witty op-ed about the case in the L.A. Daily News is here.

Top 50 Sports Business Blogs

February 9th, 2010

The 2010 edition of First and Goal’s “Top 50 Sports Business Blogs” can be found here.

Gambling Mirrors Wall Street?

February 6th, 2010

The Wall Street Journal has an intriguing article about a casino that looks like a huge room for day traders.  The article reminded me of a fascinating paper by Steve Levitt investigating why gambling markets are organized differently than financial markets.  Recommended reading!