Maddie Herman
Peggy Kerr

Abstract

Sport Court is an experiential learning strategy that enables Sport Management students to master sport law concepts by role-playing real-life court cases. Students develop problem solving, communication, and collaborative skills as they apply their knowledge in Sport Court, acting as plaintiffs, defendants, and jurors.

     I (first author, Maddie Herman) teach a course, Introduction to Sport Law, that teaches undergraduate students who major in Sport Management the concept of sport law and its impact on sport managers. Instead of just presenting content and testing my students, I want my students to develop skills needed to work in the sport industry, while gaining and solidifying sport law knowledge. I collaborated with a lawyer to create a classroom environment that closely mimics the proceedings of a court case. Designing and enacting simulated court cases forms the foundation for understanding sport law, and addresses Knowles’ adult learning assumption that “adults need to know the reason for learning something” (Merriam & Bierema, 2014, p. 47).

     The students pair up and choose their sport-related legal case or issue. It could be an existing case or a case they completely create. Some examples of broad topic areas, from which students choose or create a case include:

Strategic Management
Venue Operations and Liability related to spectators and participants
Employment and Labor Relations
Contract law
Marketing
Governance of professional and Olympic sports

     Collaboration. After choosing topics, each pair works together to write their case brief.The students initially present their issues and facts together. It can be difficult for pairs of students to come to agreement because each may have their own facts for their argument, but they need to come together to create facts for their case.This activity supports their development as adult learners, moving from “a dependent personality toward one of a self-directing human being” (Merriam & Bierema, 2014, p. 47).

    On a case brief template I created (see Appendix A, Case Brief Template), students fill in the boxes with the information relevant to their case. If they had chosen an existing case, they may already have many of the facts, but I ask them to be creative and make the case their own. They have to dig a little deeper and research the influence of context and assumptions.

     After that initial collaboration, the students take on the role of either the plaintiff or the defendant. They then, individually, complete a written case brief submitted prior to the start of Sport Court that includes their opening statement, the facts supporting their side, eyewitnesses or expert witnesses, and their closing statement. Each student’s goal is to convince the jury that their argument should win. To support their argument in their court presentation, each student displays one slide with the key facts they present. I also encourage them to dress the part, wearing professional dress appropriate to a court hearing. 

     Opening statements.The opening statement introduces the proof of the arguments. The plaintiff presents the “cause of action” and the defendant presents the arguments against the accusation.They begin with concise initial statements and then bolster their arguments with more comprehensive evidence as they provide their side of the case. For their case presentation, students need to do deeper research and focus on details. This reinforces the problem-centered focus of adult learning theory (Merriam & Bierema, 2014, p. 47).

     Witness.For an expert witness or eyewitness, each side writes a script to document how that person’s perspective supports their case.The student can either read it or have a classmate read it, acting in the role of the witness. Having someone step in to read the statement can add to the fun and drama of the role-play.

     While the court case is in progress, the rest of the students act as the jury. With the support of a rubric I created (see Appendix B, Jury Rubric), the jurors use their knowledge of legal precedents and statutes to evaluate each side’s arguments.After the case brief concludes, the students who presented their arguments leave the room and the jury deliberates.The students then use their rubric notes during the jury deliberation. I act as the judge and have the student jurors vote, by raising their hands to obtain the verdict.

     Music. After the plaintiff and defendant return to class, the jury shares their rationale and decision, as a group They explain how the relevant statutes and prior court precedents affected their decision. One of the fun elements I added is that each student picks their walk-off song. In the transition time between court hearings, I play the winner’s walk-off song. That reinforces their success, and creates joy in the process. 

    Debriefing, Most cases take about half an hour to present and deliberate, then debriefing occurs. Debriefing is one of the critical final elements of Sport Court. The class reflects and discusses the themes they heard and saw in the case.They can share any thoughts and feelings verbally, or may choose to do a written reflection.The debriefing component relates to the adult learning principle of accumulating “a growing reservoir of experience, which is a rich resource for learning” (Merriam & Bierema, 2014, p. 47p. 47).

Effectiveness Evidence

     The power of experiential learning to foster deeper learning through Sport Court is evident in students’ comments. Following are examples of what students say about Sport Court.

… helped a lot when learning new concepts and applying them to actual situations.

… I never realized how essential laws are, in the sport industry.

…will help me possibly have a common interest with another person/peer to build a relationship.

..helped me refine my ability to research.

…made me think critically on how to prepare myself for something like this if a lawsuit occurred.

Deeper Learning

     The research and presentation planning steps of the Sport Court process integrate several deeper learning outcomes (Deeper Learning Journal of Practice, 2023, para.2): thinking carefully, critically and creatively to solve a challenge; acquiring and being able to use knowledge; working collaboratively and independently; effectively communicating; social-emotional learning; and learning and living self-agency.

      Acquiring and being able to use knowledge. In research students do in preparing their case, they acquire knowledge about legal issues in sports. By presenting their knowledge in the simulated court case, they demonstrate the deeper learning principle of being able to use their acquired knowledge.

     Working collaboratively and independently. The students actualize the deeper learning principle of working collaboratively and independently in several ways. They work together as a pair in outlining their legal issue. Student jurors work collaboratively with their peers. Students may have the opportunity to collaborate on a case presentation, as a witness. Students work independently in preparing their arguments.They may choose to reflect on the cases collaboratively or independently.

     Effectively communicating.Sport Court infuses the deeper learning principle of effective communications throughout the activity. Students must have effective written communication in preparing their case outline. They use strong verbal communication skills in arguing their case. Moreover, jurors use written and verbal skills in reaching their verdict.

     Social-emotional competencies. Students leverage socio-emotional competencies through the interpersonal dynamics of the various roles within Sport Court. Choosing topics and roles in mock trials also creates learning and living self-agency. 

Reflections

     The learning approaches in Sport Court reflect andragogy through creating a positive learning experience for students to learn about concepts that can be difficult to understand and would, otherwise, produce negative feelings about the material. Sport Court’s realistic experiential learning method can help learners across various disciplines examine topics in their academic field, particularly those that relate to legal issues. Students build cultural competence by developing writing and speaking skills on content they can choose and feel connected to. Sport Court’s use of embodied learning has students immersing themselves in sport management as sport lawyers. This can be replicated for any academic discipline with a particular skill or expertise that students need to be proficient in to foster deeper learning and find more meaning in their experience. Experience is significant for learners to draw from, to help connect the material to their lives and make more meaning of it.

References 

Deeper Learning Journal of Practice. (2023). Title Page. Deeper Learning Journal of Practice:
     Practice-focused with bridges to research. For Deeper Learning. Retrieved 8/5/23 from
     https://dljp.org/

Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. Jossey-Bass.

Appendix A
Case Brief Template

Appendix B
Jury Rubric

Maddie Herman, EdD is Assistant Professor & Program Coordinator, Sport Management, Gwynedd Mercy University, Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania. Maddie Herman can be reached at Herman.m@gmercyu.edu.

Peggy Kerr, EdD is Assistant Professor, Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Doctoral Program, Gwynedd Mercy University, Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania. Email Peggy Kerr at Rosario.P@gmercyu.edu.