Sports Law Professor Surprises Students with Trip to Summer Olympics
A group of Georgia State University College of Law Students are set to make history as they prepare to head to Paris, France in July for the 2024 Olympic games.
The students are part of the “Legal Life of the Olympic Games” course which gives them the opportunity to study the business and legal issues related to the Olympic experience. The class is included in the specialized experiential learning curriculum which comes out of the Center for Entertainment, Sports and Intellectual Property Law. Creator, Founding Director and Professor of Practice, Mo Ivory, developed the Legal Life Of… course series in 2019, with a focus on giving students practical and culturally relevant learning opportunities in real time.
“I am beyond excited this semester to teach the business and legal issues related to the Olympic Games. From the structure and governance of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) to broadcasting sponsorship deals, intellectual property rights, anti-doping regulations, humanitarian issues and more, the students will immerse themselves in the Olympic experience,” said Professor Ivory.
“Sprinkled throughout the semester we will have guest speakers who will put all the substantive law into practical application, giving the students a real-life understanding of how it all works. Our strategic partnership with USA Track & Field – one of the premier national governing bodies for track and field, will provide students with an inside look at the business processes and legal intricacies through the lens of one of the most popular Olympic sports,” she added.
Through this partnership, students will be granted unprecedented access to information, governing documents, and highly specialized guest speakers. They will educate the students on the particulars of the role of a national governing body and the process it takes to operate and run national and international trials to birth a team of Olympic athletes prepared for Paris 2024.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Professor Ivory and Georgia State University College of Law, to provide a unique educational opportunity for their law students. By offering students a closer look at the operations of USA Track & Field, we hope to contribute to their understanding of the legal landscape in sports and inspire the next generation of legal professionals in this field,” said Max Siegel, CEO of USA Track & Field.
Professor Ivory secured corporate sponsorships to surprise the students with the news they are going to the Paris Olympics in July. The “Legal Life of the Olympic Games: The Student Experience,” is sponsored by Delta Air Lines. The students will explore the Olympic Village, visit the Team USA House, attend the opening ceremonies, visit Olympic sponsorship sites, spend time at a Paris law school and explore all that an Olympic city has to offer.
If you’re interested in sponsoring students for the Olympic Games, please contact Professor Mo Ivory at mivory@gsu.edu.
More about the course
The “Legal Life Of…” course was launched at Georgia State Law in 2019 by Professor of Practice Mo Ivory. Since then, student participants have studied the legal life of Ludacris, Kandi Burruss, Steve Harvey and Rick Ross. The course is a part of the curriculum in the Center for Entertainment, Sports & Intellectual Property Law.