Download PDF

Course Outline

LAW415 Sports Law

Course Coordinator:Simone Pearce (spearce@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society

2026Session 5

UniSC Sunshine Coast

 Blended learning Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online.

Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

Sports Law concerns legal issues arising out of sporting activity. It examines the relevance and application of various legal rules to the ownership, management, conduct, promotion, broadcast and the activities of participants in professional and amateur sport. You will consider a range of laws as they apply to sporting activity, including those in the areas of Contract, Torts, Criminal Law, Intellectual Property, Trade and Competition Law, Evidence, Administrative Law, Anti-Discrimination Law, Company Law, Consumer Law, International Law and the application of law to children.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Learning materials – Online Learning Materials 1hr Week 1 5 times
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Intensive Tutorials running Monday - Friday, 5 hours per day across one week as timetabled. 25hrs Refer to Format Once Only

Course Topics

Introduction to the course and overview of the content, the history of sport; the development of the law as applicable to sport; governance of sports from grass roots to elite competitions; contractual basis of sporting rights; introduction to the resolution of disputes in and around sport; athlete selection; The National Sports Tribunal; Internal tribunals; courts role; The CAS; WADC; Doping Disputes;sport and discrimination--race, disability, transgender, children; torts in Sports; the professional sports environment--employment; Agency; trade and competition; crime in Sports;

What level is this course?

400 Level (Graduate)

Demonstrating coherence and breadth or depth of knowledge and skills. Independent application of knowledge and skills in unfamiliar contexts. Meeting professional requirements and AQF descriptors for the degree. May require pre-requisites where discipline specific introductory or developing knowledge or skills is necessary. Normally undertaken in the third or fourth full-time study year of an undergraduate program.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming...
1 Identify and articulate legal and ethical issues arising from sporting events, activities and relationships. Ethical
Engaged
2 Demonstrate the intellectual skills to research independently, interpret legal decisions and statutes and synthesise relevant legal principles. Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker
3 Analyse and Critically evaluate legal, factual and policy issues to generate appropriate responses to complex problems in sports law. Knowledgeable
Empowered
4 Evaluate and communicate professional conclusions on sports law matters effectively both orally and in writing. Empowered
Engaged

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

(LAW104 or LAW107) and (LAW204 or LAW208) and enrolled in any Law Program.

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

Not applicable

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

Students will receive feedback and support throughout the intensive tutorial program, in addition to access to the course coordinator throughout the course on the discussion board.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 2 Written Piece Individual 50% 
2500 words
 Week 8 Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check
All - Assessment Task 2:Research Product
Goal: 
To demonstrate your understanding of key legal principles, issues and concepts for sporting
organisations and athletes, by displaying an ability to present a well-articulated persuasive
essay on a current sports law topic. This task provides you an opportunity to demonstrate
critical thinking of legal issues from various authorities including case law, legislation and in
the sports specific jurisdictions of tribunals and the Court of Arbitration for Sport
Product: Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
Written Product.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Your understanding of legal concepts and principles as applicable to the topic;
 1
2 
Your ability to apply your understanding to an appropriate context;
 3
3 
Your ability to justify the matters based on your understanding of legal concepts
and principles as applicable to a sporting context;
 3
4 
Depth and understanding of research;
 2
5 
Clarity of writing accuracy of referencing, grammar and spelling.
 4
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Problem solving, Organisation, Information literacy

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.

Required? Author Year Title Edition Publisher
Required David Thorpe, Antonio Buti, Chris Davies, Paul Jonson 2018 Sports Law n/a Oxford University Press, USA

Specific requirements

Not applicable

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.

The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

  • In person:
    • UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
    • UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
    • UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
    • UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
    • UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
    • UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
  • Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
  • Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au
Download PDF