Four Score and Seven(th) Inning Stretch: The Intersection of Government and Sports Throughout American History

William Gantt Pierce, Faulkner University School of Law

Abstract

Many things would have been different if not for sports in the American society. Not only have sports impacted the people in our society, but it has even gone as far as determining certain pieces of legislation passed in our national and state legislatures. Known as the “sports effect,” the world of sports has greatly impacted American laws and legislation throughout the years. Conversely, American laws and legislation have also impacted the sports community. For these reasons, this Note surveys the different ways that both government and sports have played on one another throughout the years. This Note analyzes these impacts by concentrating on certain laws that have been passed and Congressional probing by the American Legislature.