Georgetown Law
Georgetown Law Library

Sports Law Research Guide

A guide to resources for researching legal issues related to sports in the United States.

Getting Started

This page lists sports law texts & treatises (including study aids), news and current awareness sources, and key databases, as well as journals, law reviews, and newsletters that are useful in conducting sports law research. 

To find additional sports law resources in the library's collection browse the fourth floor generally at KF3989 or search the library catalog by subject, such as: 

  • Sports -- Law and legislation -- United States
  • Baseball -- Law and legislation -- United States
  • Football -- Law and legislation -- United States
  • Basketball -- Law and legislation -- United States 

If you are not familiar with what secondary sources are, or if you need to begin with a basic secondary source that can provide you with an introductory overview of your legal topic (such as a legal encyclopedia) you may want to begin with our Secondary Sources Research Guide or our Secondary Sources Tutorial.

Sports Law Texts & Treatises

It is often recommended that researchers consult treatises early in their research, as they can provide an in-depth overview and analysis of a topical area of law.

Some useful texts and treatises dealing with Sports Law include:

 You may also find our Entertainment, Art, & Sports Law Treatise Finder useful.

Journals, Law Reviews, & Newsletters

Lexis and Westlaw's law journal databases are the most popular places to search for relevant law journal articles. Searching Lexis and Westlaw's databases, however, is not necessarily the most efficient way of finding relevant journal articles, nor is it comprehensive. The Articles for Legal and Non-Legal Research research guide explains the differences between searching journal indexes and searching full-text databases. It also suggests legal and non-legal indexes and full-text databases.

There are several law reviews and journals dedicated to sports law issues; however, note that scholarly articles on sports law may appear in numerous publications, including publications that are general in nature, so you should not limit your research only to sports law-specific journals.

Some specialized journals on Sports Law include:

In addition, on HeinOnline in the Law Journal Library, you can browse to the Subject Pathfinder for "Sports Law" and find articles on defined topics of sports law. Also, many sports law newsletters, such as NCAA Compliance and Title IX Alert can be searched by Title.

Secondary Sources Research Tutorial

Includes videos covering treatises, law reviews, encyclopedias, American Law Reports (ALR), Restatements, and news sources.

News and Current Awareness

Databases