Mark Conrad speaking at a session at NU-Q.
Connections between business, law, and media make the sports industry unique, according to an expert on sports media law who spoke at Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q).
Mark Conrad, author of The Business of Sports and a professor at Fordham University in New York, spoke at a session at NU-Q where he discussed issues that make the sports industry unique from other sectors, while also addressing exclusive ethical issues and media laws that surround the business model for sports organizations.
NU-Q is in the process of designing an executive education and graduate programme in sports media and management. The program will serve as a link for professionals who want to begin or enhance a career in sports media and will include courses in finance, analytics, marketing, and law.
“Professor Conrad’s session on the significance and uniqueness of sports media law further emphasizes NU-Q’s commitment to exploring the development of Qatar’s media and sports sectors,” said Everette E Dennis, dean and CEO. “Many of our students are interested in being part of Qatar’s growing sports industry, and Professor Conrad’s visit provides them with insights from experts in the industry on how things work– from the media’s role to the laws that guide it.”
Conrad identified several reasons for the uniqueness in sports organizations, which included that it is talent-oriented, has exclusive governance through leagues or federations, includes exclusive broadcasting rights, and also has strong relations with governments.
“They have the power to control, exclusively, the teams that play in the league. They have the power to make exclusive franchises of leagues, negotiate their own sponsorship agreements, merchandise agreements, and broadcasting agreements. It is part of the monopoly or oligopoly influence they have,” Conrad said.
Conrad also noted that the legal affiliations between players and agencies are unique in that “athletes are restricted employees, who generally do not have the right to quit their job and join a rival team easily.” An additional area which highlights why sports organizations are different from most private organizations is the loyalty formed between audiences/viewers and their team, which makes the industry more powerful.
