Philadelphia and Sports Law

From birth to death and from race to Rocky, one would be hard-pressed to demonstrate that a city has had more of a cultural and legal impact on sports generally and sports law specifically than the city of Philadelphia. The purpose of this article is to introduce Philadelphia-based cases and incidents that have influenced sports law, sometimes at a national level. This piece serves historical, legal and pedagogical purposes, and we hope it will also serve as a springboard to further research regarding the City of Brotherly Love. Tort law and the criminal law are the most prevalent cases within this jurisdiction, but Philadelphia has an array of other influential cases in a variety of contexts and subjects, especially those that impact contract law and issues related to gender and harassment. We include excerpts from a variety of commentary and news reports as well where we feel it is appropriate to add flavor and perspective.