Shows
Let's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRThe E-Sports Hijack: Diminishing the Player’s AgencyThis episode is also available as a blog post on https://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2023/05/14/the-e-sports-hijack-diminishing-the-players-agency/
The E-Sports Hijack: Diminishing the Player’s Agency
With internet connectivity reaching almost all households globally, E-sports has gained soaring support. After being featured as a demonstration sport in the Asian Games, in 2018, E-sports has built a strong foundation for being recognized as a real sport. Moreover, the International Olympic Committee intends to initiate an 'Olympic Virtual Series.' Although no formally recognized governing body for E-sports yet exists, International Esports Federation (IESF) has been co...
2023-05-1507 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRROnline Gaming (Regulation) Bill, 2022 – A progressive step with a regressive frameworkThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2023/04/10/online-gaming-regulation-bill-2022-a-progressive-step-with-a-regressive-framework/
The lack of a uniform regulatory structure for online gaming business has led to criminal activity, financial loss, privacy infringement, and data theft. A rigorous regulatory structure for online games is needed, as affirmed by the Madras High Court and Gujarat High Court. The Lodha Committee also advocated regulating betting and gaming to reduce unethical betting.
The Online Gaming (Regulation) Bill, 2022 was introduced to regulate such business. The proposed Bill aims to develop an effective regulatory mechanism for the virtual gaming...
2023-04-1012 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRREGULATION OF DRIVER CONTRACTS IN FORMULA ONE: IS IT TIME TO DEVISE NEW METHODS?This episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2023/02/14/regulation-of-driver-contracts-in-formula-one-is-it-time-to-devise-new-methods/
Sports, particularly team sports, have long seen the woes of unequal bargaining power between the management of teams and the athletes. Although Formula One is not a conventional team sport, tales of the power disparities between the constructers and drivers are almost fundamental to the sport. Generally, it is the drivers who are on the bleaker side of things, which means they are vulnerable to the whims of the constructors. Therefore, instances of drivers being dropped suddenly and surprise announcements of drivers jumping teams...
2023-02-1411 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRChelsea’s Recent Transfer Window Controversy – an Eye Opener for FFP?This episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2023/02/08/chelseas-recent-transfer-window-controversy-an-eye-opener-for-ffp/
Chelsea’s Recent Transfer Window Controversy – an Eye Opener for FFP?
Ever since American businessman Todd Boehly and a consortium of investors completed the record £4.25 billion takeover of Chelsea FC, he has left no stone unturned to bring the club back to winning ways. After letting go of key club figures like director Marina Granovskaia, technical advisor Petr Čech, and Champions League winning manager Thomas Tuchel, he has taken the transfer market by storm by signing almost 20 players in 2 transf...
2023-02-0806 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRLOOT BOXES – GAMBLING OR GAMING?This episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2023/01/22/loot-boxes-gambling-or-gaming/
Loot Boxes purchasable with in-game or real currency deliver randomized in-game item(s) which could be cosmetic, performance based or even a combination of the two. An estimated revenue of $48 Billion was generated from the sales of loot boxes alone in 2018. The contents of the loot boxes remain unknown to the player until the purchase is actualized. While there exists a chance that the loot box may contain an extremely rare and invaluable item, there also exists a significantly greater chance t...
2023-01-2209 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRDECONSTRUCTING THE AIFF SUSPENSION CONUNDRUM– ANALYSIS OF FIFA’S APPROACH ON THIRD-PARTY INTERVENTIONThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2023/01/07/deconstructing-the-aiff-suspension-conundrum-analysis-of-fifas-approach-on-third-party-intervention/
With FIFA holding such an extreme position of importance within the footballing ecosystem, associations have come to be at the mercy of the organisation, without whose support and backing, the associations are left in a state of isolation from the footballing world. Through the establishment of this governance system, FIFA has been successful in autocratically exercising control over member confederations and associations, with no questions being asked pertaining to the extent of this control, as a result of which the federations might often get...
2023-01-0714 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRNATIONAL ANTI-DOPING AGENCY, INDIA’S FAILURE IN DISCHARGING ITS POSITIVE DUTIES: ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION DISSEMINATION AND ATHLETE AWARENESSThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/12/27/national-anti-doping-agency-indias-failure-in-discharging-its-positive-duties-analysis-of-information-dissemination-and-athlete-awareness/
The sporting world has seen various instances wherein Athletes have resorted to the use of performance enhancing drugs in a bid to achieve an edge over their competitors. Using drugs or other processes for performance enhancement is justly considered to be unethical, considering that it essentially distorts the spirit of sports. This deliberate use of a substance or a process/method, banned by the medical commission of the World Anti-Doping Agency (‘WADA’) is what amounts to doping, and it is one of the most seri...
2022-12-2714 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRCONCUSSION CLASS ACTION SUIT AGAINST RUGBY FOOTBALL LEAGUE – A QUESTION OF NEGLIGENCE?This episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/09/03/concussion-class-action-suit-against-rugby-football-league-a-question-of-negligence/
he unwritten rule of football “If you can walk, you can play” has resulted in serious brain damage for many players. Studies reveal that out of the retired NFL players who were examined, 99% showcased signs of CTE. Former NFL players brought a class-action suit against NFL contesting that NFL was negligent as it did not disclose the risks of CTE, and also buried the relevant medical data.
Presently, Rugby Football league (“RFL”), a sport governing body that regulates professional rugby in the UK is hi...
2022-09-0309 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRContemporary Labour Law Issues in the Indian Sports Industry – A Comparative StudyThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/07/17/contemporary-labour-law-issues-in-the-indian-sports-industry-a-comparative-study/
The development and commercialisation of sports has been complex and fragmented in the Indian context, which has posed several challenges in this area, some of which are related to labour law.
The need for labour law in sport is felt largely due to the existence of multiple entities that govern sports and sportspersons, and therefore the various interests at play. Broadly, these may include the interests of the club, for instance, whereby they would not want to pay a player who is...
2022-07-1712 min
Let's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRSPORTS DIPLOMACY IN GLOBAL POLITICS – A CASE STUDY OF BANS IMPOSED ON RUSSIAN MOTORSPORT ATHLETESThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/06/28/sports-diplomacy-in-global-politics-a-case-study-of-bans-imposed-on-russian-motorsport-athletes%ef%bf%bc/
With the proliferation of international sports, sporting events have become an attractive medium of expressing messages on global as well as domestic issues. Governments can be actively seen using sports as a policy instrument to either promote their own ideologies and political orientations or to condemn those of some other countries. Confrontational use of politics in sports is not uncommon, as also evidenced by numerous instances which have been discussed in this article.
However, as powerful as sports diplomacy is...
2022-06-2810 min
Let's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRAre Personality Rights of Athletes Protected in India?This episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/06/22/are-personality-rights-of-athletes-protected-in-india%ef%bf%bc/
Last year, the news of Indian shuttler PV Sindhu being the first Indian woman to win two Olympic medals for the country was flooding the social media and news channels. While the whole country was celebrating the win, simultaneously the headlines “PV Sindhu takes 20 brands to court for using her name and image without permission” was being circulated. This sparked a much-needed discussion in the Indian Sports Law community about Personality Rights of Athletes in India.
India like most nation...
2022-06-2205 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRBREAKING DOWN THE LEGAL CHALLENGES FACED BY THE E-SPORTS INDUSTRY: A LEGAL PUZZLEThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/06/14/breaking-down-the-legal-challenges-faced-by-the-e-sports-industry-a-legal-puzzle/
BREAKING DOWN THE LEGAL CHALLENGES FACED BY THE E-SPORTS INDUSTRY: A LEGAL PUZZLE
E-sports has evolved from being a fringe teenage hobby to the fastest-growing area of the entertainment business over the last decade. The ecosystem involves top athletes, multimillion-dollar contracts, celebrities, popular sponsors and huge rewards. Multiplayer gaming was severely limited when video games initially became available in homes around the world. With the advancement of technology and the internet, people are able to compete among themselves in a multiplayer mode...
2022-06-1411 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRCorruption and Controversy in the world of Football – Recurring cases of Bribery in FIFAThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/05/23/corruption-and-controversy-in-the-world-of-football-recurring-cases-of-bribery-in-fifa%ef%bf%bc/
Corruption and Controversy in the world of Football – Recurring cases of Bribery in FIFA
In this article, we have discussed and analysed the global problem of corruption specifically in the context of the world of football. Time and again, the world has witnessed major corruption cases relating to the most popular sport on the planet, which not only violates the integrity of the beautiful sport, but also devoid countries of opportunities for development, especially considering the economic benefits this sp...
2022-05-2313 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRThe Privilege of Morals Clause: Endorsement Deals and Associated ScandalsThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/05/18/the-privilege-of-morals-clause-endorsement-deals-and-associated-scandals%ef%bf%bc/
The Privilege of Morals Clause: Endorsement Deals and Associated Scandals
If the athletes aspire to make a living out of playing competitive sports, they must learn the skill of marketing themselves. The athletes in recent times are not just considered as players but also celebrity personalities - they gain immense amount of publicity and garner millions of followers which boosts their marketability. This further leads to gaining several sponsorships or endorsement deals. Endorsement deals are a great way to...
2022-05-1811 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRA case of reinstatement for Ajax’s ‘Three Little Birds’ – A counter to UEFA’s narrow interpretation of the Equipment RegulationsThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/05/06/a-case-of-reinstatement-for-ajaxs-three-little-birds-a-counter-to-uefas-narrow-interpretation-of-the-equipment-regulations%ef%bf%bc/
A case of reinstatement for Ajax’s ‘Three Little Birds’ – A counter to UEFA’s narrow interpretation of the Equipment Regulations
One of the most powerful bonds of the sporting world is the connection between fans and their team culture. Over time, sports such as football have seen innumerable forms of expression being meted out by fans for their respective clubs and national teams. This bond is undoubtedly expressed in different ways with the underlying aspect of love for the Beauti...
2022-05-0807 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRHidden Scorecards – An Unsolved Mystery of MMAThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/04/26/hidden-scorecards-an-unsolved-mystery-of-mma%ef%bf%bc/
Hidden Scorecards – An Unsolved Mystery of MMA
MMA has been on a path to portray itself as a legitimate sport around the globe and attract more spectators. Since its introduction, the violent sport has been tweaking regulations to ensure that the general market audience is onboard to watch and enjoy it. As the years have passed, giant organizations like the Ultimate Fighting Championship have helped in making the sport global. Following boxing, like most of its other rules, MMA ha...
2022-04-2606 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRDRAFT NATIONAL AIR SPORTS POLICY, 2022: A NEW DAWN OF SPORTS LAW IN INDIA?This episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/04/18/draft-national-air-sports-policy-2022-a-new-dawn-of-sports-law-in-india%ef%bf%bc/
DRAFT NATIONAL AIR SPORTS POLICY, 2022: A NEW DAWN OF SPORTS LAW IN INDIA?
Sports in India has evolved from the age-old Mahabharata sport Chatrang to an ever-evolving age of air sports. While the industry accounts for almost $620 billion, the Constitution of India [State List, 7th Schedule, Entry 33] reflects the power of the legislature to formulate laws in the sports domain. Apart from this, India does not have any concrete law on a national scale for regulating sports. The...
2022-04-1813 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRThe Interjection of European Football and World Politics: The Newcastle United Football Club Takeover Amidst the Saudi Arabia–Qatar IPR DisputeThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/04/05/the-interjection-of-european-football-and-world-politics-the-newcastle-united-football-club-takeover-amidst-the-saudi-arabia-qatar-ipr-dispute%ef%bf%bc/
The Interjection of European Football and World Politics: The Newcastle United Football Club Takeover Amidst the Saudi Arabia–Qatar IPR Dispute
The Middle East influence on European football has increasingly become apparent in recent years. One of the significant reasons that these Gulf countries have started investing in football is to increase their soft power in Europe. They usually inject much-needed funds into all these clubs to help them make high-profile signings and thereby get better results in all com...
2022-04-0510 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRAnalysis of Karnataka High Court’s Decision to Strike Down the Ban on Online GamingThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/03/26/analysis-of-karnataka-high-courts-decision-to-strike-down-the-ban-on-online-gaming%ef%bf%bc/
Analysis of Karnataka High Court’s Decision to Strike Down the Ban on Online Gaming
The Hon’ble High Court of Karnataka, recently in the case of All India Gaming Federation v. State of Karnataka and Ors. [W.P No. 18703/2021] has struck down certain provisions of the Karnataka Police (Amendment) Act, 2021 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Amendment Act’). The Amendment Act essentially prohibited as well as criminalized betting on and playing of all forms of games, including games of skill and...
2022-03-2608 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRUnilateral Termination of Employment Contracts on the Basis of Injury in FootballThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/03/15/unilateral-termination-of-employment-contracts-on-the-basis-of-injury-in-football/
Unilateral Termination of Employment Contracts on the Basis of Injury in Football - From the Editors' Desk
We keep hearing about instances of Players getting injured and the Clubs terminating their contracts on that ground. Given the short term career of football players, this is extremely problematic especially in light of their livelihood being dependent on the same. Furthermore, Clubs slyly put injury/permanent incapacity clauses in the employment contracts which players tend to overlook while entering into such agreements; the Clubs l...
2022-03-1507 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRMatch Fixing and Associated Deterrence Mechanisms – Need for a Special Legislation in IndiaThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/02/10/match-fixing-and-associated-deterrence-mechanisms-need-for-a-special-legislation-in-india/
Match Fixing and Associated Deterrence Mechanisms – Need for a Special Legislation in India
The uncertainty of the result is an essential part of a sport’s desirability. When matches are fixed, there is a loss of integrity in the sport, and fans feel distanced from the sport they love. Matches get fixed when inducements are offered to players/teams to underperform to drive the game to a particular result. Fixers tend to bet on the match, knowing the result which they have alrea...
2022-02-1013 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRUnearthing all the Red Flags in the UEFA’s Swiss ModelThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2021/10/02/unearthing-all-the-red-flags-in-the-uefas-swiss-model/
Unearthing all the Red Flags in the UEFA’s Swiss Model
Despite being the face of competitive balance and the European Super League’s (ESL) ardent attacker, Aleksander Čeferin is receptive to reforming the UCL rules. The organization is predicted to pick a path for the UEFA Club Competitions (UCC) by 2021, applicable from 2024-25 which would witness an increase of four teams in a championship instead of groups.
The reforms fail to reconcile the wants of fans with those of the clu...
2022-02-0409 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRSUPER SHOES AND THE CONTROVERSY AROUND TECHNOLOGICAL DOPINGThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2021/10/24/super-shoes-and-the-controversy-around-technological-doping%ef%bf%bc/
SUPER SHOES AND THE CONTROVERSY AROUND TECHNOLOGICAL DOPING
If you watched the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, you would have noticed that athletes wearing Nike’s super shoes dominated athletic events. The runners wearing Nike Vaporfly super shoes won over 60% of the total medals at the Olympics. The athletes using these shoes were also involved in multiple records being broken in the 1,500-metre, 5,000-metre, and 10,000-metre events.
This raised a question of whether the shoes are a form of technological dop...
2022-02-0405 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRUEFA Club Competitions – Financial background of the new structureThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2021/11/03/uefa-club-competitions-financial-background-of-the-new-structure/
UEFA Club Competitions – Financial background of the new structure
The new cycle of the UEFA club competitions kicked off in this 2021/22 season, bringing drastic changes to European football’s landscape. While the premier competition, the UEFA Champions League (UCL), remains untouched, the governing body shook up the format of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) with the inception of a tertiary continental competition, the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL). The new tournament features smaller European clubs, who most likely would have not been able...
2022-02-0408 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRDeconstructing the controversy around the Saudi takeover of Newcastle UnitedThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2021/10/26/deconstructing-the-controversy-around-the-saudi-takeover-of-newcastle-united/
DECONSTRUCTING THE CONTROVERSY AROUND THE SAUDI TAKEOVER OF NEWCASTLE UNITED
The English Premier League is at a crucial juncture in football history right now. The takeover of the historic Newcastle United Football Club, a process that commenced in April 2020, was completed on 7th October 2021. Marred by controversies for 19 months, a consortium led by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) has finally got ownership of the club for a price of $413 million. However, the legal challenges are far f...
2022-02-0412 minLet's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRThe 2021 Faux-rmula 1 World Championship – A legal analysisThis episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/01/18/the-2021-faux-rmula-1-world-championship-a-legal-analysis%ef%bf%bc/
The 2021 Faux-rmula 1 World Championship – A legal analysis
The 2021 Formula 1 world championship has been one of the most entertaining and controversial seasons in F1 since its inception. The reigning world champion, Lewis Hamilton had seemed to run out of the dominant car that won him 6 world titles and the young lion, Max Verstappen always claimed that a competitive car would prove that he was world championship material and this season his team, Red...
2022-02-0407 min
Let's Talk Sports Law - A Podcast by SLPRRIs Your Favourite Sport Under Threat?This episode is also available as a blog post: http://sportslawandpolicyreviewreporter.com/2022/01/21/is-your-favourite-sport-under-threat/
Is Your Favourite Sport Under Threat?
The short answer is yes, but the important question is how? It’s important to understand how climate change is a threat to sports and most important of it all, how sports can be an asset and a flag bearer in the extremely urgent cause of global warming. Additionally, sport is not only vulnerable to climate change, but is also one of the highest contributors to greenhouse emissions and pollution.
2022-02-0409 min