The Center for the Protection of Athletes’ Rights, Inc. (“CPAR”) is a not-for-profit organization founded in the spring of 1994.  CPAR was designed to serve as a guardian angel of the rights of non-professional and professional athletes, coaches, administrators, and others involved in athletic and sports activities (the “Athletic Community”) to protect their rights of participation in their chosen athletic and sports activities. CPAR helps protect and increase the opportunities for economically disadvantaged members of the Athletic Community to participate in sports activities through programs of fact-finding, information gathering and dissemination, research, education, mentorship, advocacy, and dispute resolution.

Specifically, CPAR’s website maintains an online database of resources, including a library of amateur sports rules and regulations, relevant articles, and news. CPAR plans to host informational and educational programs to assist the Athletic Community in understanding their rights, legal educational programs for attorneys, dispute resolution programs, referrals to pro bono attorneys, and provision of mentorship programs for students and athletes, among other programs that benefit the Athletic Community.

CPAR’s Board of Directors and Advisory Board consist of executives from the sports and business industries, lawyers, coaches, athletes and sports enthusiasts. All bring to the organization a desire to support the participation and activities of the Athletic Community.

MISSION STATEMENT

CPAR’s mission is to protect and enhance the rights of the Athletic Community to participate in its chosen sports and athletic activities by:

– Providing education to the Athletic Community (particularly children and young adults) and those
seeking to assist the Athletic Community, including, without limitation, lawyers, business people, coaches and athletic directors, about the laws, rules and regulations governing participation in such athletic activities via the CPAR website, educational programming, newsletters and other means;

– Assisting low income members of the Athletic Community (particularly children and young adults) whose ability to participate in athletic and sports activities is being challenged or prohibited in finding legal advice, counsel and representation; and

– Working in conjunction with, and assisting and cooperating with, other individuals, groups, associations, corporations, government officials and agencies to achieve the above-described goals.