Legal Aspects of Sports Blog

I finished grading Book Review #2.  Of the 33 students in the class, 32 handed in Book Review #2.  As you know, Book Review #2 is worth 15% of your final grade.  The work product was significantly better than Book Review #1.  The scores earned reflect this fact:

15 - three students

14.5 - two students

14 - eighteen students

13 - four students

12 - three students

11 - two students

I will hand back copies of Book Review #2 at the start of class on March 31, 2008.

NOTE - I will put together questions for the Q & A portion of your presentation this weekend.  Because I am drafting the questions before your presentations, there is a chance there may be some repetition.  Remember, your presentations are limited to five minutes.  They can be shorter if you elect.  I will have a one page presentation scoring sheet for each student that I will hand back before the final exam on April 28, 2008.   

I just finished grading Quiz #4.  As expected, the grades earned were good.  Thirty-two students took the quiz.  The quiz is worth 5% of your final grade.  The breakdown of scores is as follows:

5.0 - twenty students

4.0 - twelve students

At the start of the quiz, I reminded everyone to read the directions carefully.  Twelve students failed to (correctly) read the second question’s directions.  The fact pattern put you in the shoes of an NCAA employee.  You were asked to write a response to William C. Rhoden’s New York Times article attacking the NCAA.  Ignoring this, eleven students wrote a response that agreed with Mr. Rhoden.  One student wrote a response to Myles Brand instead of Mr. Rhoden.  In an abundance of genorisity, the students who mis-read the directions were granted partial credit.  Such generosity will not be extended on the final exam.  I have yet to draft the final exam, but will likely include a similar type of hypothetical question that requires you to defend a position you may not necessarily agree with.

I will hand back copies of Quiz #4 at the start of class on March 31, 2008.

As I’ve said in class many times, there is never a shortage of interesting news on the college sport front.  The first article sheds more light on the “Flutie Effect” and George Mason basketball.  The second article pertains to independent study classes at the University of Michigan.  Please read both.

I. Introduction

A. Book Review #2 Due

B. Review

II. Legacy of Confessions of a Spoilsport

III. The Role of Athletics in Higher Education

IV. Looking Ahead

A. March 31, April 7, and April 14

B. April 21

C. April 28

V. Quiz #4

I. Introduction

A. Mid-term Exam Feedback

B. Book Review #1 Feedback

II. State Action in Amateur Sports

III. Cheering, Obscenity, and the First Amendment in College Sports

IV. Ivy League Model for College Sports

V. Looking Ahead

A. March 24

B. March 31, April 7, and April 14 

The mid-term exam has been graded and the accompanying scores have been recorded.  All 33 students in class took the mid-term.  The mid-term is worth 10 (percentage) points.  The score breakdown is as follows:

10.0 - thirteen students 

9.5 - thirteen students

9.0 - one student 

8.5 - two students 

8.0 - one student 

7.5 - one student 

7.0 - one student

6.0 - one student

I will hand back copies of the mid-term exam on March 17, 2008.  Feel free to stop by my office during Spring Break if you would like to pick up a copy of the exam earlier. 

Have a good Spring Break!

I just finished grading Book Review #1.  The scores earned were good, but not great.  Thirty-one out of thirty-three students in the class handed in the book review when it was due.  Book Review #1 is worth 15% of your final grade.  The score breakdown is as follows:

15 - one student

14 - fourteen students

13 - six students

12 - four students

11 - three students

10 - two students

9 - one student

Like any written assignment, it is not just what you write, but how you write it.  If your paper contains brilliant ideas, but is full of typos and other mistakes, the accompanying score earned won’t be as high as it could be.  In the course of grading the book reviews I noticed: (i) four students who didn’t even bother to staple their paper; (ii) at least six students who failed to use “spell check;” (iii) two students who spelled the title of the book incorrectly; (iv) three students who spelled Dr. Dowling’s name wrong; (v) nine students who didn’t put a published work in italics (e.g. New York Times, Personal Fouls, and Confessions of a Spoilsport); (vi) two students who exceeded the 1,200 word limit; and (vii) four students who ignored the guidelines regarding the use of 12 point Times New Roman font.   These types of mistakes are easily corrected…and I fully expect everyone to avoid such errors when writing Book Review #2.

If you want a (graded) copy of your book review before I hand them out during class on March 17, 2008, feel free to stop by my office during Spring Break.  I will be around the entire week working on a research paper.

The New York Times has an investigative piece here.  Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports follows-up here.  Please read both articles before class on March 17, 2008.