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MLS - Sports Law and Compliance

MLS - Sports Law and Compliance

Now you can earn a master’s degree with a concentration in Sports Law and Compliance.

Designed for non-lawyer professionals at all levels of the sports industry, courses cover current laws and regulations applicable to the changing legal landscape of sports, coupled with a foundation in basic legal principles like the law of contracts and business associations,professionals who complete the coursework demonstrate to employers that they are capable of navigating the complex legal and regulatory environment that guides and shapes decision-making in this ever-evolving industry.

From streaming professional football games, college conference expansion, the advent of "name, image, and likeness" deals providing compensation to college athletes, the integration of legalized sports betting across the globe, the press for greater autonomy for athletes, the rise of mega stadiums, record sale prices for professional franchises, to the globalization of sports – nothing in the business of sports is as it was even a year ago. Now is the time to join or advance in the sports law field.

Browse our sports law courses below. All online courses are designed by a team of Seton Hall Law faculty and industry experts with experience in sports law and regulations.

 

Course Requirements

Course requirements for this degree are listed below. Contact us using the form on this page if you have additional questions or view our admissions requirements here.

Football on field with players in the background

 

Required Courses

Must take all in sequence.
All courses are offered ONLINE only.

Introduction to Law and Legal Writing

Students will learn to:

  • Identify relevant facts, legal issues, rules of law, and holdings in judicial decisions
  • Assess and apply statutes, regulations, and the common law to select issues
  • Convert legal research and analysis into a precise, accurate, and readable written product
Torts: Liability for Civil Wrongs

Students will learn to:

  • Explain the basic principles underlying the law of negligence
  • Recognize the factors courts consider in determining the causes of a particular outcome
  • Evaluate how a victim’s contribution to his or her injury may affect the determination of liability or damages
Fundamentals of Business Law

Students will learn to:

  • Explain the basic elements of enforceable contracts
  • Recognize the circumstances in which courts will refuse to honor particular agreements
  • Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different types of business associations
Constitutional Law Survey

Students will learn to:

  • Explain the role of the Supreme Court in interpreting and enforcing the U.S. Constitution
  • Identify the circumstances in which individuals and organizations can obtain judicial review of potential constitutional violations
  • Assess the implications of the due process clause for laws and policies that affect intimate decisions
  • Evaluate the Supreme Court’s approach to laws that have the purpose or effect of discriminating against individuals on the basis of race, gender, or other characteristics

Core Courses

Must take four courses.
Students may substitute appropriate in-person courses offered at Seton Hall Law School's Newark campus in place of courses listed below with the prior written permission of the Associate Academic Director.

Collegiate Athletics Law & Policy

Students will learn to:

  • Recognize the intersecting role of federal law, state law, and NCAA policies in defining the relationship between student-athletes and universities or colleges
  • Evaluate the continuing relevance of the principle of amateurism in collegiate athletes
  • Identify the scope of athletes’ rights to profit from their names, images, and likenesses
Cybersecurity and Privacy I: Law & Policy

Students will learn to:

  • Identify key sources of law applicable to the Internet as a decentered, community-standards focused network system
  • Assess risks to cybersecurity from mismanagement, crime, terrorism, and war
  • Evaluate proposed changes in the law related to cybersecurity and assess their implications for the industry and civil society
Cybersecurity and Privacy II: Compliance & Risk Management

Prerequisite: INDL7550 Cybersecurity I

Students will learn to:

  • Apply industry-leading data security and privacy compliance frameworks to realistic examples
  • Conduct qualitative and quantitative cyber risk assessments and transfer cyber risks
  • Prepare for and comply with legal requirements relating to data breaches and other legal process for digital information
Gaming Law I

Students will learn to:

  • Explain the general social, political, and legal history of gaming in the United States
  • Analyze and apply state gaming regulations and determine what activities are permissible
  • Differentiate the powers granted to the states and the federal government as they pertain to the regulation and control of gaming
Gaming Law II
 
Professional Sports Law & Policy

Students will learn to:

  • Identify the powers of leagues and league commissioners
  • Design sports contracts in light of relevant labor law considerations
  • Analyze the implications of antitrust law for decisions about leagues’ membership or franchise location
Sports Betting & Fantasy Sports

Students will learn to:

  • Evaluate the historical arc of sports betting in the United States from cultural, political, and legal perspectives
  • Assess the constitutional litigation leading to the repeal of PASPA
  • Explain how sports betting is regulated in the United States and what considerations operators, compliance officers, regulators, and consultants must consider when operating in this space
Title IX and Gender Equity in Sports

Students will learn to:

  • Apply the three-part test for determining compliance with Title IX’s requirements for effective accommodation of athletic interests
  • Evaluate an institution’s compliance with Title IX’s requirements for equal treatment and benefits
  • Assess the validity of wage discrimination claims in coaching contracts and professional sports contexts

Elective Courses

Must take two courses.
Can be from any of the concentration areas (including the sports law courses above).

View Complete Course Information in the University Catalogue →
The Seton Hall University Catalogue is the definitive source for up-to-date course offerings and degree requirements.


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