- The Oxford Handbook of American Sports Law
- About the Editor
- Acknowledgments
- Contributors
- Introduction: American Sports Law Through Deflategate
- The Evolution of the Power of the Commissioner in Professional Sports
- Leagues and Owners: The Donald Sterling Story
- The Commissioner’s Power to Discipline Players for On- and Off-Field Misconduct
- The Regulation of Doping in U.S. and International Sports
- Drugs in Professional Sports
- Blood Sports in an Age of Liability
- Sports and American Tort Law
- The Increasing Role of Disability Issues in U.S. Sports Law
- Collective Bargaining and Workforce Protections in Sports
- Collective Bargaining in Professional Sports: The Duel Between Players and Owners and Labor Law and Antitrust Law
- The Single-Entity Doctrine of Antitrust as Applied to Sports Leagues
- Eligibility Rules in Professional Sports
- Athlete Representation
- Identity and Speech in Sports in the Social Media Era
- The “Shifting Line” of Sports Betting Legalization
- The Enduring Power of the Sports Broadcasting Act
- Youth and High School Sports Law Issues
- College Athletics: The Growing Tension Between Amateurism and Commercialism
- Title IX and U.S. College Sports: Contemporary Challenges to Compliance
- Recreational Sports Law
- Arbitration and the Olympic Athlete
- Competition Law, Free Movement of Players, and Nationality Restrictions
- Athlete Trademarks: Names, Nicknames, and Catchphrases
- Trade Secrets and Information Security in the Age of Sports Analytics
- The Role of Bioethics in Sports Law
- The Rooney Rule’s Reach: How the NFL’s Equal Opportunity Initiative for Coaches Inspired Local Government Reform
- Sports in the Context of Social Media Law
- Public Development for Professional Sports Stadiums
- Daily Fantasy Sports and PASPA: How to Assess Whether the State Regulation of Daily Fantasy Sports Contests Violates Federal Law
- Index
Abstract and Keywords
This article examines the power of professional sports league commissioners to discipline and suspend players for misconduct both on and off the field. It first provides a historical background on disciplinary measures for players in different professional sports leagues, including the National Football League, over the past century. It then considers the source of the commissioner’s power and authority to discipline professional athletes for misconduct as well as the rationale behind it, focusing on the adoption of personal conduct policies at the league level. It also discusses the commissioner’s authority and power to act in the “best interests” of the sport. Finally, it analyzes the limitations on the commissioner’s power and authority, including the collective bargaining agreements and some arbitration and court rulings that involved suspensions of players by league commissioners.
Keywords: league commissioners, discipline, misconduct, professional sports leagues, professional athletes, best interests, National Football League, collective bargaining agreements, arbitration, suspensions
Richard T. Karcher is Associate Professor in the School of Health Promotion & Human Performance at Eastern Michigan University.
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- The Oxford Handbook of American Sports Law
- About the Editor
- Acknowledgments
- Contributors
- Introduction: American Sports Law Through Deflategate
- The Evolution of the Power of the Commissioner in Professional Sports
- Leagues and Owners: The Donald Sterling Story
- The Commissioner’s Power to Discipline Players for On- and Off-Field Misconduct
- The Regulation of Doping in U.S. and International Sports
- Drugs in Professional Sports
- Blood Sports in an Age of Liability
- Sports and American Tort Law
- The Increasing Role of Disability Issues in U.S. Sports Law
- Collective Bargaining and Workforce Protections in Sports
- Collective Bargaining in Professional Sports: The Duel Between Players and Owners and Labor Law and Antitrust Law
- The Single-Entity Doctrine of Antitrust as Applied to Sports Leagues
- Eligibility Rules in Professional Sports
- Athlete Representation
- Identity and Speech in Sports in the Social Media Era
- The “Shifting Line” of Sports Betting Legalization
- The Enduring Power of the Sports Broadcasting Act
- Youth and High School Sports Law Issues
- College Athletics: The Growing Tension Between Amateurism and Commercialism
- Title IX and U.S. College Sports: Contemporary Challenges to Compliance
- Recreational Sports Law
- Arbitration and the Olympic Athlete
- Competition Law, Free Movement of Players, and Nationality Restrictions
- Athlete Trademarks: Names, Nicknames, and Catchphrases
- Trade Secrets and Information Security in the Age of Sports Analytics
- The Role of Bioethics in Sports Law
- The Rooney Rule’s Reach: How the NFL’s Equal Opportunity Initiative for Coaches Inspired Local Government Reform
- Sports in the Context of Social Media Law
- Public Development for Professional Sports Stadiums
- Daily Fantasy Sports and PASPA: How to Assess Whether the State Regulation of Daily Fantasy Sports Contests Violates Federal Law
- Index