Kentucky and Sports Law

The purpose of this article is to offer a few sports law related cases, claims, and issues that have emanated from Kentucky. Though the state, found in the Sixth Circuit along with Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee, does not have a major professional franchise, two of its most prominent universities (University of Louisville and University of Kentucky) provide a rich opportunity for students, law professors and practitioners to see how sport and law have been forced to resolve disputes over the years. The article is divided into three parts. Part I explores sports law examples from the intercollegiate level of competition. Part II dives into issues at the interscholastic level and covers a wide variety of other subjects including sports crimes, sports torts, horse-related matters, and a few others as well. Finally, Part III provides some additional sports law related examples cases and issues for the reader to explore including how UK became a pioneer for integration and sport during the Civil Rights Era of the 1960's. Indeed, Kentucky does offer a worthwhile spectrum for sports law enthusiasts. Unfortunately, many of Kentucky's issues have become the primary subject of legal analysis, discussion and criticism nationwide. In sum, Kentucky provides a rich realm of examples for sports law enthusiasts and others even though the state's population of 4.3 million places it as the least populous in the Sixth Circuit and 26th overall in the United States