Do Athletes Have Rights?

Part I

Lawsuits involving athletes have dominated the sports-media reporting landscape over the past year.  The major focus in many of these news reports and commentaries is the theme of “Athletes’ Rights.”  From arguments centering on the right of an athlete to be compensated for the use of his or her likeness, to the discussion of the right of an athlete to receive superior medical treatment; regardless of the subject matter category . . . Read more . . .

St. Louis native, Andrew Buescher, excels in America’s pastime, but what are his rights as an athlete, if any at all?

Part II

By Cole Buescher

As mentioned in Part I of this series, the media and general public tend to believe athletes are entitled to some class of inherent rights, but rarely do they clearly define the nature and source of these rights.  In Part I of this article, we approached the topic of athletes’ rights by first addressing the importance of identifying the class of athlete: adolescent or adult.  We now turn to the equally important distinction between amateur and professional athletes . . . Read more . . .

Part III

By Justin Gelzayd

Continuing on from Parts I & II of the Athletes’ Rights article series above, any discussion of “athletes” should clarify the category of athlete based on age, competition level, and other distinguishing criteria such as amateur or professional status. The extent to which categories of athletes are entitled to “rights” related to their sport depends upon a number of factors. The reader must be clear that “rights” in a sports competition context differ significantly . . . Read more . . .