A Deeper Dive — Social Justice Intersecting with Sports: Is It Right?
A dynamic panel including a top journalist, legal practitioners, and senior executives in sports dives into social justice issues in the field and their legal implications, extending the discussion of a Showcase CLE program at the ABA Business Law Section’s 2022 Hybrid Spring Meeting (now available as on-demand CLE). With Jeffrey Schlerf leading the discussion, the panelists—Sterling Hawkins, Terence Moore, Ashley Hibbett Page, and Ty Thomas—weigh in on a broad range of trends. Their conversation ranges from athlete activism and discrimination lawsuits, to league policies that contribute to DEI issues, to legal developments in the realm of name, image, and likeness for collegiate athletes, and more.
Read more about the video’s speakers below:
Sterling Hawkins
SVP + General Counsel of Learfield, Sterling is an accomplished corporate counsel with over 20 years of experience handling complex corporate transactions. His expertise spans a variety of industries including Sports Law, Intellectual Property, Pharmaceuticals, International Relations, and Information Technology. Prior to becoming an attorney, Sterling enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving in the Military Police Corps, and was later commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Adjutant General’s Corps. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Clark Atlanta University and earned his law degree from Emory University School of Law.
Terence Moore
Terence Moore is nationally renowned as a sports columnist and sports commentator. In addition to writing columns for CNN.com and Forbes.com, Terence is a frequent television contributor on CNN, MSNBC and ESPN, and he runs a YouTube channel called Atlanta Sports Unlimited. In addition, Terence does work for NFL Films projects that run often on the NFL Network and elsewhere. He also appears every Sunday night on a top-rated sports show locally called Sports Zone (WSB-TV) in Atlanta, where he has lived since January 1985. Terence also is a visiting professor of journalism at Miami (Ohio) University, his alma mater.
Ashley Hibbett Page
Ashley Page is SVP, Deputy GC and Chief Compliance Officer for Endeavor, a global entertainment, sports and content company. Prior to her current post, Ashley served as General Counsel for Learfield where she oversaw all legal and affairs for its highest grossing business units. Ashley was also a founding member of Learfield’s DEI task force. Prior to Learfield, Ashley enjoyed successful tenure at Google, and top law firms Alston & Bird LLP and Arnold & Porter, Kaye Scholer LLP. Ashley received her BA from Spelman College and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Ty Thomas
As Co-Chair – Sports and Entertainment Practice at Mintz, Ty’s practice involves a variety of issues in athletics. In intercollegiate athletics, he has conducted comprehensive investigations and successfully negotiated the reduction and elimination of penalties assessed to universities, athletics personnel, and student-athletes. Ty advises colleges and athletic directors on NIL matters, Title IX, privacy issues for student-athlete records, employment contracts, and policies for athletics personnel. In professional sports matters, he advises teams on contracts, employment matters and league compliance issues. He advised Major League Baseball on the hosting of the 2018 All-Star Game in Washington, DC. He has also counseled professional athletes on various off-the-field legal matters.
Jeffrey Schlerf
Jeff, Attorney at Law, GrayRobinson, P.A., has practiced since the 1990s, with a focus on restructurings and reorganizations of companies and litigation primarily in Delaware. He also has a sports law practice, is a part owner of a professional baseball team and is completing his graduate degree in Sports Management at Georgetown. Jeff previously was elected Chair of a former firm and served on various civic boards and in other leadership positions. Before law school he received a graduate degree in Economics and had a brief career at the Federal Reserve and a commercial bank. Jeff is an adjunct professor at William & Mary.
For more insightful business law content, top-tier CLE programming, and valuable connections, join the ABA Business Law Section, a global network of more than 30,000 business law professionals.
