Assistant Professor, Legal Studies in Business, Management
samehrlich@boisestate.edu
Mailstop: 1625
Office: MBEB 2112
Office Hours: By appointment
Sam practiced as a sports agent consultant and immigration attorney before pursuing and earning his Ph.D. in sport management at Florida State University. He joined the Boise State University Department of Management in 2020. His research examines legal aspects of the sports industry, specifically focusing on issues in athlete fairness in collective bargaining and employment, the unique application of antitrust law to sports, and Constitutional issues with restrictions on college athlete name, image, and likeness. Sam teaches courses in the legal environment of business, business ethics, and negotiation. He has published articles in several journals including the Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts, the Journal of Sport Management, and the Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport.
Education
Ph.D., Sport Management, Florida State University, 2020
J.D., Thomas Jefferson School of Law, 2014
B.A., Sport Management, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 2011
Teaching areas
- Legal Environment of Business
- Employment Law
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Business Ethics
- Negotiation Theory and Practice
Areas of Expertise
- Sports Law
- Sports Ethics
- Antitrust Law
- Employment Law
- Constitutional Law
Featured Publications
‘Entertaining’ a New College Athlete Unionization Structure, 34(1) Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport 27, pp. 27-77 (2024) (with Joe Sabin, Flory Bierma, and Andrew Goldsmith) (available online here).
With Name, Image, and Likeness, College Sports Enters the Gig Economy, 37(5) Journal of Sport Management 319, pp. 319-332 (2023) (with Joe Sabin and Neal C. Ternes).
The Inherent Bad Faith of the NCAA’s Use of Title IX to Shield Their Illegal Business Practices, 25 Georgetown J. Gender & Law 39, pp. 39-81 (2023) (available online here).
Probing for Holes in the 100-Year-Old Baseball Exemption: A New Post-Alston Challenge, 90 U. Cincinnati L. Rev. 1172, pp. 1172-1206 (2022) (available online here).
Putting the First Amendment in Play: Name, Image, and Likeness Policies and Athlete Freedom of Speech, 45 Columbia J. Law & Arts 47, pp. 47-94 (2021) (with Neal C. Ternes) (available online here).