This module provides an overview of the legal and regulatory framework of professional sports in national and international contexts. It covers governance systems, ownership structures, and key contractual relationships, including player, coach, transfer, sponsorship, and endorsement agreements. Further topics include intellectual property, media and digital rights, sports labor law, athletes’ rights, compliance, integrity, and liability issues. International aspects, including CAS proceedings, EU law, and competition law, are examined. Students develop the ability to apply legal principles to complex scenarios in professional sports. The course concludes with a practical case simulation.
- Explain and contextualize the legal and regulatory structures of professional sports
- Analyze and evaluate key contractual forms and commercial agreements in sports from a legal perspective
- Assess issues related to labor law, liability law, media law, and digital law within the sports context
- Apply compliance, integrity, and dispute resolution mechanisms – particularly in international sports law – to practice-oriented case scenarios
- Analyze legal challenges in professional sports and develop well-founded solutions
Dr. Hermann Schlindwein
Dr. Hermann Schlindwein is a Frankfurt-based lawyer specializing in sports law, corporate law, and M&A with over 30 years of experience advising sports federations, football clubs, and marketing agencies. He has been involved in more than 180 player transfers and worked with clients including DFL, IMG, Sportfive, FC Schalke 04, VfL Bochum, HSV and various national sports federations (e.g. table tennis, fencing, cycling). He is a former Managing Partner Germany at Ashurst, holds a doctorate in tax law from Heidelberg University and is the author of numerous publications on sports and corporate law.