|  | Resources | No.55 January 2009 |
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Book Information: Legal Concepts in Sports: A Primer Maria Lopez |
Carpenter, L.J. Champaign, IL; Sagamore (2008). Publishing ISBN: 978-1-57167-529-3 $25.00 USD Legal issues in the sport industry have become increasingly important throughout the world. Everywhere we go, and everything we do in sports, can somehow be related to a legal issue. Every decision made as an administrator, coach, or teacher can be affected, therefore, individuals in the area of sport management should be aware of the importance of learning the differences between the theory of sport law and the current practical legal issues of sport. Linda Carpenter, the author of Legal Concepts in Sports provides a book with fifteen chapters, explaining legal concepts in subjects such as, legal fault, legal obligation, negligence and contracts. Carpenter, a professor in the Physical Education and Exercise Science Department at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York, is an attorney and member of the New York State Bar and the US Supreme Court Bar. She has published numerous books and articles on sport law, with her latest book, Legal Concepts in Sport, describing legal concepts, providing examples and suggesting practical cases for the readers to understand the content. Legal Concepts in Sport is a reader-friendly, simplistically written book for those interested in knowing and understanding the basic concepts of sport law. The author believes that once you understand a legal concept, you can apply it to evaluate a situation in the real world. Law makes complete sense for lawyers and attorneys, but for those of us with no legal background, we think of the law in complicated terms, a jargon of words put together to be enforced for and against individuals. The author does an excellent job at finding the right terms for the lay person to understand the language and the broad range of issues that are of importance in today’s sport world. The author commences the book with “Our Legal System”, a chapter to introduce the reader to the basics of the law, explain why laws exist and detail where it comes from. The subsequent chapter is on how the legal system works. The author has inserted a glossary of terms and definitions in this chapter, which is a successful way of allowing the reader to gain a good understanding of terminology before continuing through the publication. Another unique aspect to her book is that the final chapter is written in a way to evaluate current legal issues, as well as a create discussion. This is done to test the reader, giving them a chance to apply all the concepts used in previous chapters and assess their grasp on legal issues. Furthermore, Carpenter presents supplemental teaching information in each chapter, including challenge reviews, practice scenarios and current cases related to the chapter content for review up at the end of each section. Additionally, the author uses memory testers and discussions to assess the reader’s knowledge throughout the book. Unfortunately, the author chooses to include the answers right below the questions, presenting little or no challenge for the reader to test their memory and comprehension of the concepts. The text might be useful for individuals who are interested in acquiring a basic knowledge on legal concepts in sports and is recommended for use as an additional textbook for an undergraduate Sport Law class. Furthermore, the textbook can be also be used as a tool for professionals in the sport management area, including coaches, teachers and administrators as well those interested in learning some of the current legal issues faced in sports nowadays. Contact Maria Lopez Barry University, Florida Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, Sport Management Florida, USA Email: lopezvalderraman@bucmail.barry.edu http://www.icsspe.org/portal/index.php?w=1&z=5 Book Information: Legal Concepts in Sports: A Primer Maria Lopez