Sports law blog attracts attention while strengthening students' writing, research skills

Third-year UB law student David Reinharz always took notice when Michael Jordan was in the news. So when he read about the basketball great’s involvement in a U.S. District Court antitrust case, he put that together with a recent roundtable hosted by the UB Center for the Advancement of Sport about the antitrust lawsuit against the NFL Sunday Ticket premium subscription service.

The result is Reinharz’s “Technical Foul: Jordan’s Injunction Against NASCAR is Blocked by U.S. District Court,” a post that was published in mid-November on the UB Law Sports & Entertainment Forum blog. At least 8,500 hits later, Helen “Nellie” Drew, professor of practice in sports law who drew up the game plan for the blog and teaches Intensive Research and Writing in Sports Law, described the post as “viral.”

“I was completely shocked at the reaction I got to the article,” says Reinharz, who has an offer to work at Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC after he passes the bar exam. “In no way did I expect so many people to read or view it. I shared the article on my various social media platforms like I do with all my posts. But for some reason, this one gained traction.

“It certainly is a cool feeling to have had so many people view my article.”

Drew says the forum-blog allows law students to delve into specialized topics within the broader area of sports law by writing short, focused pieces for publication. 

Students gain practical experience researching and writing with continuous one-on-one feedback, she says. Additionally, the blog course requires them to build their professional networks by hosting sports law roundtables and writing profiles of sports industry professionals while simultaneously creating a professional profile through social media sites such as LinkedIn.

For the UB Law Sports and Entertainment Forum, Reinharz’s piece was the latest of several shoutouts the blog has received. A few weeks after Reinharz’s article became a hit, The Athletic, the sports department of The New York Times, cited a 2022 forum blog post in a story on “Why NHL Players Hate Escrow.”

The forum had received outside notice in its first year in 2018. UB sports law alumnus and a founding blogger Joe Schafer wrote a post that caught the eye of ESPN basketball analyst Jay Bilas.

“The post went viral, over 12,000 views,” says Drew. “And we knew we had something.”

Drew says she “loves” the blog group because it gives her an opportunity to work one on one with a small group of students.

“We have fun, we get to know each other very well and, grammar nerd that I am, I am always thrilled to see the incredible improvement in their writing over the course of the semester,” says Drew, who has taught Intensive Research and Writing in Sports Law since 2018. “When they graduate, I am poised to provide them with substantive recommendations that include the pieces they have written, which are excellent writing samples to provide prospective employers.”

Reinharz says writing for the blog has helped him fine-tune his research and writing skills. “It has also shown me how to work efficiently on a deadline. Each week, we are required to have a brand-new post about a brand new and trending topic. Thus, we want to get the information out there as quickly as possible, but also be as informative as possible,” he says.

“This class strengthened my skills and has put me in a great position moving forward. UB Law is the perfect place for one to hone their researching and writing skills to the finest degree.”

Drew also cites the importance of the sports law roundtables, which have featured a variety of speakers on topics ranging from sports betting to a presentation by the NFL executives responsible for creating the league schedule. “The roundtables offer our blog students the opportunity to network with those in the sports industry, as well as polish their presentation skills,” she adds.