In Spring 2024, Associate Professor Kathryn Kisska-Schulze launched a new sports law course. The course examines legal issues applicable to U.S. amateur and professional sports. It provides students a better understanding of the interconnected relationship between sports and the law across three distinct areas: high school, intercollegiate and professional sports. Students are introduced to and analyze numerous current and historic U.S. court decisions that have impacted an array of sports-related parties, including athletes, teams, sports leagues, governing bodies, agents and third-party businesses. Legal topics that are explored in great detail include contract law, antitrust and labor law, gender and racial equity in sports, intellectual property rights, constitutional law and tort law. Due to the magnitude of students interested in taking this course, Kisska-Schulze will offer two sections of the class in Spring 2025.
To enhance students’ overall learning experience beyond the textbook and cases covered, Kisska-Schulze invited two speakers this past spring to discuss relevant legal issues in amateur sports. The first speaker was Coach Tommy Bell, Athletic Director (AD) at T. L. Hanna High School in Anderson, South Carolina. Prior to serving as the AD at T. L. Hanna, Bell worked as the AD at Hillcrest High School in Simpsonville, South Carolina for 13 years. Bell was also the head coach of the Hillcrest wrestling team for nine years, leading the team to eight region championships, seven appearances in the state dual semi-finals, two dual team state championships and two traditional tournament state championship titles. Bell was named Region Athletic Director of the Year four times and was the 2019 South Carolina Athletic Administrators Association statewide Athletic Director of the Year. His classroom discussion focused on relevant legal issues currently impacting high school sports, including gender equity and name, image and likeness rights.
Stephanie Ellison-Johnson also spoke to the class. Ellison-Johnson is the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director for Sports Administration/Senior Woman Administrator at Clemson. In this capacity, she oversees the daily operations for four of Clemson’s now 21 sports (women’s basketball, gymnastics, lacrosse and rowing), and the department’s student-athlete development area. She also manages the Athletic Department’s Title IX compliance for gender equity and represents Clemson Athletics as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference governance group. Her classroom discussion focused on the impact of Title IX in collegiate D-1 sports.
