There is usually a downer moment when the law hits the sports headlines. Such was the case in most of the big sports law related moments of 2012. How big of a player was the law in sports in 2012? As this list will remind you, the law interjected itself in multiple stories of the games we follow. This list, unlike David Letterman's nightly roll call, is presented in no particular order and there is no big crescendo at the end. Further, like all year-end lists, opinions should and will vary on the topics included. I looked largely to the legal impact and newsworthiness of the sports law events that occurred throughout the year.
-- Kenneth L. Shropshire is the David W. Hauck Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Faculty Director of its Wharton Sports Business Initiative. He joined the Wharton faculty in 1986 and specializes in sports business and law, sports and social impact, and negotiations. He also practices law as Special Counsel at the global law firm Duane Morris LLP. His works include the foundational books, In Black and White: Race and Sports in America, The Business of Sports and The Business of Sports Agents. He has consulted for the NCAA, National Football League, the United States Olympic Committee and others.