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Unit outline_

LAWS3463: Sports Law

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal evening] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

The law of sport is a commercial law subject. This is to be expected in an industry that is a major economic driver, generating revenue in the billions of dollars each year in Australia. Indeed, with the rise of the digital media, internationalisation and the elevation of female competitions, sport is one of the world's fastest growing enterprises. With that growth comes recognition of how the law guides and affects the business of sport and, in consequence, reflects a growing demand for lawyers with pertinent expertise. The establishment of a Federal Sports Tribunal by the Australian government, to run from 2020, underlines further the role of the law in sport and the increasing need for specialised expertise. Major sporting events such as an Australian grand final or an international fixture rely on legal advice touching on areas as diverse as event management, marketing and intellectual property, the avoidance of tortious law suits and the prosecution of on-field criminal assaults. Moreover, the public interest and financial stakes involved in sport disputes often leads to litigation within a few weeks of a cause of action arising. The increasing number of law journals in North America and Europe publishing on sport is testament to the importance of the law of sport and is some recognition of a developing 'lex sportiva'. Legal issues within in the context of sport are myriad, and almost inevitably find their way into media discussion, for example: when can an athlete's contract be terminated for off-field misconduct; when can an athlete be jailed for on-field violence; what legal rights of appeal are there for non-selected athletes; when can an athlete be prosecuted for corruption or doping; to whom do team doctors owe a duty of care; are athletes illegally exploited by major sporting organisations; are sport disciplinary tribunals entitled to cancel an athlete's contract; what role does reasonableness and proportionality play in athlete discipline; how can a sporting organisation deal with claims of discrimination; are coaches and clubs legally liable for the actions of their athletes; is it legal to exclude an athlete or member of the public from a sporting venue; when is a referee legally liable in the tort of negligence? A great advantage of this subject it that complex legal issues are discussed in a factual setting most are familiar with, thereby promoting meaning, interest and understanding.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Law
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
LAWS1012 and LAWS1015 and LAWS1017
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator David Thorpe, david.thorpe@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Presentation hurdle task group assignment Recorded class presentation
Oral presentation
20% Multiple weeks 12 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO2
Assignment hurdle task group assignment Written paper
Written report based on class presentation
20% Multiple weeks 1200 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO4 LO5
Assignment hurdle task Research project
Written report
60% Week 13
Due date: 25 May 2020 at 16:00
3600 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
hurdle task = hurdle task ?
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

  • Class presentation: Students, either individually or in teams of (usually) two, will be given an article or case by the lecturer from which to record a class presentation and submit a written paper.
  • Research project: Students are required to write a research project on a topic of their choice pertinent to sports law. This task
    requires students to present a written argument in a structured and analytical manner about an issue, policy or principle of sports law which currently is, or recently has been, the subject of public debate. In the alternative, students may select a topic on a theoretical or historical aspect of sports law provided it is approved by the lecturer.
  • Written paper: Students will prepare a written submission based on their class presentation, that critically reviews a chosen article or case.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

  • Completely answers the question.
  • Contains striking originality of approach or analysis.
  • Demonstrates exhaustive or innovative research (where independent research required).
  • Exceptionally well written, structured and expressed.
  • Is otherwise exceptional in some way.

Distinction

75 - 84

  • Completely answers the question.
  • Achieves a critical and evaluative approach to the issues.
  • Content and structure is well organised in support of the argument.
  • Demonstrates extensive research and analysis to support a well-documented argument.
  • Generally well expressed and free from errors.
  • Has a clear structure and is well articulated.

Credit

65 - 74

  • Covers main issues fairly well in answering the question.
  • Contains no significant errors.
  • Demonstrates an attempted critical approach to the issues.
  • Demonstrates reasonably sound research and analysis in addressing the key issues.
  • Has a clear structure and reasonably clear expression.

Pass

50 - 64

  • Identifies the key issues, but does not follow through with a reasoned argument.
  • Contains some significant errors.
  • Displays satisfactory engagement with the key issues.
  • Offers a descriptive summary of material relevant to the question.
  • Superficial use of material, and may display a tendency to paraphrase.
  • Demonstrates little evidence of in-depth research or analysis.
  • Adequate expression.
  • Overall, demonstrates the minimum level of competence in the assessment and satisfies the requirements to proceed to higher-level studies in the degree or subject area.

Fail

0 - 49

  • Does not answer the question.
  • Contains significant or numerous errors.
  • Few or no identifiable arguments.
  • Content that is inappropriate or irrelevant.
  • Lack of research or analysis.
  • Difficult or impossible to understand through poor grammar, expression or structure.
  • Overall, does not demonstrate the minimum level of competence in the assessment.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

The late submission of a piece of assessment, which has not been granted an extension, will attract a penalty of 10% of the total marks available for the piece of assessment per calendar day or part thereof.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Multiple weeks The course will cover the following topics: violence in sport; disciplinary and arbitral tribunals; discrimination in sport; doping; negligence and civil liability; corruption and gambling; behavioural misconduct; restraint of trade and anti-competitive practices and sport; athlete selection; and athlete and player agents. Seminar (39 hr)  

Attendance and class requirements

  • Attendance: See Canvas for details. 
  • Word count penalty: A piece of assessment which exceeds the prescribed word limit will attract a penalty of 10% pf the total marks available for the piece of assessment for every 100 words, or part thereof. The total word count for essay and other written assessments will exclude: bibliography; footnote numbers; footnote citation; cover page and include: body text; headings and sub-headings; quotations; anything other than numbers and citations in footnotes.

  • Referencing guide: The Sydney Law School expects you to use the most recent version of the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (4th edition, 2018) for your footnoting style, although you should confirm this with your lecturer, and a link to the website where this is set out comprehensively is available at About the Australian Guide to Legal Citation (AGLC).



With the move to online delivery the Law School attendance requirement no longer applies. Students should refer to Canvas for details of class engagement in individual units of study.
 

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

  • Thorpe, Buti, Davies, Jonson, Sports Law, 3rd ed. 2017, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. appreciate the impact law has on the industry of sport and identify and critically analyse the legal issues sporting organisations and athletes face
  • LO2. identify and evaluate links between the sports law content and other areas of law
  • LO3. locate and synthesise research relevant to critically evaluate factual and legal sporting issues
  • LO4. construct clear, original and persuasive oral and written arguments that are supported by research and textual readings
  • LO5. identify and analyse sports law issues from facts and offer modes of resolution.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

No changes made since last offered.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.