Speaker Series
In-House and In-Practice: What a Sports Lawyer Actually Does
February 25, 2026
In the next rendition of SLS's Speaker Series, Chris Howard, Manager at Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment; Ashley Rotchford, Associate at Robinson + Cole; and Jason Kaner, Associate at Jackson Lewis P.C. provided insight about what a sports lawyer actually does and shared the paths that led them to becoming sports lawyers.
General Body Meeting
September 11, 2025
SLS gathered for our first General Body Meeting of the academic year. In this meeting, we discuss SLS, the Sports Law Blog, SLNT, the Sports Law Concentration, the Nova Sports Law Website, and upcoming events. There are plenty of things to be involved with, and this is the best time to learn about them all!
2025 Dean's Cup​
April 18, 2025
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Dean’s Cup is a basketball tournament featuring the Philadelphia area law schools that raises money for each school’s Public Interest Foundations! It’s for a great cause and allows us to network with other law schools in the area.
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Photos courtesy of Ann Juliano
2025 Jeffrey S. Moorad Sports Law Journal Symposium
Financing the Future: Sports Investing and Name, Image, and Likeness
April 11, 2025​
The Symposium is held annually at the Charles Widger School of Law as we deep dive on a topic greatly impacting the Sports Industry. This past year, we focused on sports investing and financing with deep dives into the current landscape, evolving strategies, and look at funding college athletics NIL deals.
Villanova's Baseball Filing Day Competition
October 25-26, 2024​
The Baseball Negotiation Team hosted their in-person negotiation competition in October. The competition mimics the last negotiations before filing for arbitration, where teams attempt to settle deals utilizing player statistics, player accomplishments, and more. This past year, competitors negotiated contracts for Adley Rutschman, Alec Bohm, and Logan Gilbert on Day One, while playoffs featured contract negotiations for William Contreras, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Tarik Skubal.
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Congratulations to Pace University for winning the competition!
Negotiation Events
House v. NCAA and Its Current Impact on Collegiate Sports
October 30, 2025​​
Villanova Sports Law Society had the pleasure of hosting a Speaker Series with Vince Nicastro and John Noonan. Professor Nicastro is the Deputy Commissioner of the Big East and a Professor at Villanova Law School, and John Noonan is a Senior Director at Octagon Basketball. They gave their insights on how House v. NCAA is currently impacting collegiate sports. Each brought their unique perspectives to discuss the NIL landscape, international players, eligibility rules, and the process of recruiting athletes.
Speaker Series
Collaboration Events
Sports and Entertainment Trivia Night
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February 26, 2026
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​A collaborative event with Villanova's Entertainment & Media Law Society.
​Test your knowledge every semester with this collaborative event with the Entertainment & Media Law Society, featuring four rounds of trivia with varying levels of difficulty (including the voice of Dory, Michael Phelps' medal count, all Pixar feature films, and teams that do not end with S), and pizza!
Fundraising Events
SLS x RELS 3 v 3 Basketball Tournament
November 15, 2025​
SLS hosted our annual 3v3 Basketball Tournament on November 15th, in collaboration with the Real Estate Law Society, and had great competition with lots of fun! Thank you to everyone who played and donated non-perishable food items. Because of your generosity, we were able to donate three boxes of non-perishable food items!
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Congratulations to Billable Buckets for winning the tournament!
In-Class Speakers
Kevin Hopkins, Senior Vice President at Excel Sports Management
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February 25, 2026​
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Kevin Hopkins joined Professor Andrew Brandt’s Business of Professional Sports course on February 25th to discuss his position as Senior Vice President at Excel Sports Management, where he works as an agent for golf clients and organizes golf events. Kevin discussed the path he took to this position, his current clients, and the events he has put together while in this position.
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View his LinkedIn here.
Library Book Chat: Under Jackie's Shadow
September 30, 2024​
After publishing Under Jackie’s Shadow: Voices of Black Minor Leaguers Baseball Left Behind, Professor Mitch Nathanson – who also teaches Legal Research & Writing and Scholarly Topics in Sports Law Seminar at Villanova Law – sat down to discuss his book and the interviews he conducted with Black baseball players of the 1960s and 1970s.
