Sports and the law briefed at UMKC symposium

AMATEUR & PROFESSIONAL SPORTS: EMERGING LEGAL ISSUES

By: Dan Stoud

Posted: 4/16/07

The University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law hosted the Inaugural Sports Law Symposium, which dealt with legal issues affecting both the collegiate and professional levels of athletic achievement.

Last week's event, spread over a 14-hour Friday at Bartle Hall, featured NCAA President Miles Brand and The New York Times sports columnist William Rhoden.

Kenneth D. Ferguson, associate professor of law at UMKC, served as symposium chair for the event but refused to take more than a little credit for his efforts.

"We really started talking up this type of an event back in October 2006," said Ferguson. "An advisory committee was then formed to see if we could create an opportunity for area students to see and experience many aspects of the sports-law industry."

Ferguson said the staff for the UMKC Continuing Legal Education (CLE) chapter, led by director Daniel J. McCarroll, really did a masterful job in coordinating the conference.

It was encouraging to Ferguson to see the enthusiasm speakers and moderators exuded during the symposium.

"I was fortunate to know Linda Salfrank [Spencer Fane Britt & Browne, LLP], who was able to persuade Dr. Brand to come as a keynote speaker," Ferguson said. "It was also very nice of Linda Greene [professor at University of Wisconsin School of Law] to use her pull to convince Mr. Rhoden to come for the event."

Ferguson, who teaches sports law and entertainment law at UMKC, said the symposium - Kansas City's first - could become a staple event in the future. He was equally enthusiastic about the possibility of the city becoming a future Midwestern hub for the practice and teaching of sports law.

"There is a wealth of people who practice sports law in the area," said Ferguson. "The possibilities are definitely there."

dstroud@unews.com