Category: Sports

Current Issue, Sports

ARBITRATION, CONTRACTS, AND QUIRKS IN AMERICA’S PASTIME

By Matthew D. Batista

It has been about three months since the Major League Baseball (MLB) baseball season ended. Only about 2 months of darkness remain until the next MLB season officially begins. There is no law school offseason to find revitalization. However, hope springs eternal during the MLB offseason. So, as a brief break from the reality that we are all back in the swing of legal education, here are some interesting legal notes from the world of baseball for law students, baseball nerds, casual fans, and anyone that needs some baseball knowledge to drop on a client while attending a game.

Leading off, this article will detail MLB’s unique arbitration process. On deck, the article will look at the small contracts in baseball. In the hole, the article will look at the big contracts in baseball. Hitting clean-up is Bobby Bonilla’s legendary MLB contract (with a Bernie Madoff cameo).

Continue reading “ARBITRATION, CONTRACTS, AND QUIRKS IN AMERICA’S PASTIME” →

Current Issue, Sports

More Than an Athlete: A Kobe Bryant Tribute

By Parsa Nozzari, Editor-in-Chief

This edition of The Commentary comes not just after the end of a decade, but on the heels of a tragic loss that shook the world.

On January 26, 2020, the world mourned the passing of Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, who were among the nine people boarded on the helicopter that tragically fell from the skies on a foggy Sunday morning in Calabasas, California.

Continue reading “More Than an Athlete: A Kobe Bryant Tribute” →

Campus News, Entertainment, Past Issues, Sports

INTRAMURAL SPORTS–LEAGUE EXPANSION

By Breanna Hayes

This trimester, CWSL saw the expansion of intramural sports thanks in part to 2L, Jonathan Gonzalez. In previous years, CWSL’s Student Bar Association has partnered with Thomas Jefferson School of Law to offer co-ed basketball and flag football leagues. New to the lineup this trimester is the co-ed intramural soccer league, consisting of 3 teams of majority Cal Western players. Under Jon’s direction, the SBA aims to further expand the program and offer basketball and soccer leagues in both the fall and spring trimesters. There is even rumor of a kickball league coming Spring 2020! If you don’t think sports are your thing, guaranteed you can dodge a ball better than you can dodge an Einesman cold call (but respect to Patches O’Houlihan all the same).

Continue reading “INTRAMURAL SPORTS–LEAGUE EXPANSION” →

Legal News/Opinions, Past Issues, Sports

It’s My Money, and I Need It Now!

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By Vincent Chiaverini

It’s Friday night; all of your friends are over, you turn on your game console, and the game of choice is NCAA Football by EA Sports. Everyone is cheering for their respective colleges from Alabama to Clemson. But, you know who isn’t cheering at this party? All of the student-athletes who needed money, but weren’t paid for the use of their image and likeness.

     This is just one example of why the Fair Pay to Play Act, a proposal by California State Senator Nancy Skinner, has been introduced. College football video games have come and gone, however, players wanting an equal cut of the profits generated from their skills is not going anywhere. On September 30, 2019, California Governor, Gavin Newsom, signed this act into law on the popular HBO show, “The Shop,” starring Lebron James.

Continue reading “It’s My Money, and I Need It Now!” →

Legal News/Opinions, Sports

Opinion: Kaepernick ousted from NFL for exercising free speech

By Francis Carlota

I have a question. First, I’ll give stats of a former NFL quarterback. Then you tell me if you think he’s good enough to be a current NFL quarterback. Keep in mind he is just 31 years old, only two seasons removed from playing professional football, has no criminal history of domestic violence or rape, no injury issues, and no substance abuse problems.

Stat 1: This player had a passer rating of 90.7 for the 2016-2017 season. This ranked 17th out of 47 quarterbacks who started an NFL game, higher than Philip Rivers, Carson Palmer, Jameis Winston, and Cam Newton.

Stat 2: Of all the former quarterbacks ever to throw the ball over 500 times, this player has the lowest interception percentage of all time, making him the most interception averse quarterback of all time. Only one other player, Aaron Rodgers, has more attempts and a lower interception percentage.

Now you tell me. Is this player good enough to be a current NFL quarterback at any level? Forget being a starter. But is he at least good enough to be a second or third-string quarterback? Yes. But shockingly, this player is no longer a quarterback in the NFL. Why?

Continue reading “Opinion: Kaepernick ousted from NFL for exercising free speech” →
Sports

3L team wins CWSL basketball championship!

By Kianna Williams, SBA Intramurals Director

CWSL intramural champions Allen, Iver & Sons: Dylan Contreras, Marcus Glover, Jasmine Braswell, Mauricio Campos, Tyler Marquez, Daniel Trevino, and Jason Baluarte

The 2019 intramural basketball season, involving five teams of Cal Western students, kicked off March 3. Allen, Iver & Sons, a team of 3Ls named after the famous basketball player Allen Iverson, faced off against 2 Live Crew, an aptly named team of 2Ls. 2 Live Crew put up a great fight, but in the end they were no match for the veteran crew, who defeated them 60-28.

The next week proved to be better for the young team. 2 Live Crew prevailed in a close game against the all 1L team BBB, winning with a score of 27-23. However, they did not fare well against the Savage Esquires, a veteran team. The 2Ls fell short in the match, losing 58-37, but managed to fight their way to the playoffs.

Pearson, Specter Litt, named after the firm of Harvey Specter, is another notable team who came in as the underdogs being the only team with no substitute players. This fierce group of four not only fought their way into the playoffs but placed fairly well.

Continue reading “3L team wins CWSL basketball championship!” →
Entertainment, Sports

“Why don’t you just SHUT UP and DRIBBLE?”

 

Photo by Erik Drost

By Vincent Chiaverini

These offensive, and what most would call belittling, words are from Fox News journalist Laura Ingraham. Ingraham exclaimed, on live national television, how she felt about LeBron James and Kevin Durant expressing their negative political opinions toward the current administration. Ingraham went on to say that it is unwise to take political advice from people who get paid $100 million to bounce a ball, so they should just “shut up and dribble.”

LeBron James may be a professional basketball player, but there is one thing Mr. James and I have in common: strong feelings for doing and saying what is right. Mr. James took this opportunity to do just that. He turned Ingraham’s negative insult into a Showtime title. This three-part series, called Shut up and Dribble, is currently on its second episode.

Continue reading ““Why don’t you just SHUT UP and DRIBBLE?”” →

Sports

Bad News Barristers win kickball championship in neck-to-neck final game

By Chris Lawson, Editor-in-Chief

The Bad News Barristers were crowned champions of the Coed Recreational Kickball Fridays at PB Rec Presented by Miller! after winning the final game of the playoffs. The Barristers overcame great odds, being the lowest seeded team in the tournament. However, that did not stop the Barristers from defeating the #1-seeded team in the first round of the playoffs, In Your Mouth, who had defeated the Barristers during the regular season.

“What number seed you are makes no difference to this team. We are the best team to ever play the game, when we want to be, and tonight we were the best,” said Matt “Matty Ice” Baker, manager and team stylist of the Barristers. Continue reading “Bad News Barristers win kickball championship in neck-to-neck final game” →

Sports

‘Bad News Barristers’ Rout ‘Pitch, Please!’ in Epic Performance

By Chris Lawson, Editor-in-Chief

The Bad News Barristers bounce back big after a devastating loss just a week ago. Efficient offense was the key to defeating the opposing team, Pitch, Please!, 7-0.

The lady Barristers came up big despite only having three to represent. Maddie “Hundred Dolla” Bills, Janna “JaRule” Ferraro, and Brooke “Tequila” Reno were the only ladies to make an appearance. This left six out of the allowed ten players on the field, per co-ed Vavi kickball rules. All three carried the team on their backs as the remaining six guys struggled to keep up. Continue reading “‘Bad News Barristers’ Rout ‘Pitch, Please!’ in Epic Performance” →