The most well-known attorneys in the sports industry are agents. One of the many skills an attorney learns in law school is how to read, draft and understand contracts. Although not all agents are lawyers, most of them are, because the agent's primary job is to negotiate the client's contract. These firms hire not only lawyers to act as agents, but also hire lawyers that work on behalf of the athlete-clients in their other promotional efforts, such as endorsements. Even if you are not an agent, you can work as an attorney in firms like these, where your daily work revolves around the sports profession.
Lawyers are also deeply involved in college athletics.
One area in particular that lawyers have become increasingly involved in college athletics is in the area of NCAA compliance. The rules established by the NCAA concerning recruiting athletes and athletes' eligibility are numerous and complex. These rules must be followed by colleges and universities. The penalties for failing to follow the NCAA's rules range from loss of scholarships to being banned from post-season play. Because there is so much at stake for schools with big-time athletic programs, a number of lawyers and law firms have focused their practice on counseling universities on how to keep their athletic programs in compliance with NCAA rules and on representing the college or university when accused by the NCAA of wrong doing.