ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and the W.P. Carey School of Business will launch graduate degree programs that combine sports law and business with the opening of the new law building downtown in 2016.
The program will offer two master’s degrees and one doctorate degree. Classes will be taken in both the law college and the business school.
The Center for Law and Society is under construction in the square block between First and Second streets and Taylor and Polk streets.
Moving the law college closer to sporting venues where the Suns, the Mercury and the Diamondbacks play will positively impact the new program, said ASU law professor Rodney K. Smith. He said it will also be easier for students to access the Cardinals and the Coyotes, which play in Glendale.
“It will puts us approximate to a number of professional sports clubs which will be a benefit to us,” Smith said. “It will put us closer to Cronkite and I think there are many things that we can do together.”
The proximity to the bulk of the law firms in the Valley will benefit the entire law school.
“Being downtown is incrementally better than being in Tempe in terms of working with either the downtown law firms or 24th and Camelback law firms,” said Jay Kramer, director of commercial transactions for Fennemore Craig Attorneys.
Kramer said he and his firm have worked with several local major sports teams and arenas in areas including arena and stadium construction, finances, bonds and tenant agreements. He said the number of teams in the area offer more exposure for sports law students.
“Phoenix is one of very few cities that have the four major sports teams,” Kramer said. “We have more opportunities here than in most cities.”
The move has been welcomed by many, though location issues may arise as roughly one-third of the program’s classes will still be held at the W.P. Carey School in Tempe. ASU’s Athletic Department is also based in Tempe.
Megan James, a third-year law student at ASU, said she will not be making the move downtown. She said she didn’t see much of an issue with the school moving and being closer to sports teams and law firms, and that getting more experience can only be a good thing.
Smith said the new program could possibly be the only one of its kind.
The curriculum will include strategy and dynamics, negotiating and drafting, and problem solving. Students will be encouraged to extern with athletic departments, both professional and amateur, and nearby leagues.
“We will have a facility that will be able to have major conferences and gatherings, and it will be a much better facility than what we currently have,” Smith said.
Contact the reporter at rjmaki@asu.edu.
