Sport Laws – JSS2 Physical & Health Education Lesson Note (Third Term)

What is sports law?

Sports law is the body of legal issues at work in the world of both amateur and professional sports. Sports law overlaps substantially with labour law, contract law, competition or anti-trust law, and tort law. Issues like defamation and privacy rights are also integral aspects of sports law.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• define sports law;
• name the areas of law that sports law overlaps with;
• explain negligence, legal liability and torts;
• state the acts that count as assault on a sports official or athlete.

What are some terms under sports law?

Negligence

Negligence is a legal concept in the common law system. It is usually used to claim compensation for injuries (not accidents).

Legal liability

Legal liability is the legally binding obligation to pay a debt or to answer for an action done. A person is legally liable when they are financially and legally responsible for the action taken.

Torts

Torts are wrongdoings done by one party against another. As a result of the wrongdoing, the injured person may take civil action against the other party.

Assault in sports

A person commits the offence of assault upon a sports official at an athletic contest, in any sport at any level of amateur or professional competition, if the person does any of the following:

• Purposely causes bodily injury to a sports official.
• Negligently causes bodily injury to a sports official or an athlete with a weapon.
• Purposely makes physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature with a sports official or an athlete.

Evaluation

1. What is sports law?
2. Name three areas of law that sports law overlaps with.
3. When is a person said to be legally liable?
4. What are torts, and what may the injured person do?

Assignment

1. List the three acts that count as assault in sports.
2. Explain negligence in your own words.