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LC: Tell us about the 1994 World SL: My father was the Though Scott has Cup and the challenges you face in team physician for the preparing for it Milwaukee Braves and been to nearly alll ~f the world’s SL: ’The 1994 World Cup will be the later for the Milwaukee largest peacetime event in the history Bucks. I have always pinnacle sports evep~ts.he said none were of mankind Over I 5 billion people shared his deep interest will watch the final game in all coun- in sports and hoped to more exciting -than his five-year-old tries of the world The event is held combine my profession- every four years, most recently in Italy al and personal interests son‘s Qirstso~cer game. in 1990, but it has never been held the way he has When outside Europe or Latin America. my father’s pathologist Billy scored three goals. Twenty-four nations, including friend invited us to wit- Germany as defending champion and ness an autopsy, I nearly the United States as host country, will passed out It was then that I knew my Neither was assured when we started compete for the World Cup trophy future was in law, not medicine This lcd to a closer relationship during a 30-day period in June and July In 1976, during my first year in law between faculty and students Many of 1994 Nine communities, ranging school, Major League Basehall other law schools had a certain mean- from New York to Los Angelcs, have Commissioner Bowie Kuhn voided the spirited, survival-of-the-fittcst mentali- been selected as venue sites after several Oakland Athletics’ sale of Rollie ty that ours managed to avoid, while months of rigorous bidding Although Fingers, Vida Blue, and Joe Rudi to the still cstabIishing a rigorous curriculum we have rapidly growing soccer partici- New York Yankees and the Boston Red I think in particular of Woody Decm pation in the U S , we are only begin- Sox The A’s owner, Charlie Finley, in As traumatic as his on-camera prosecu- ning to show television and spectator turn sued Kuhn in a case labeled the torial questioning was, he never interest in the sport Our challenge is to “baseball trial of the century ” That crossed the line hetwecn instructing translate this participation into specta- summer, as the case unfolded in and demeaning Also, Rex Lee was and tor and television demand, both for Chicago’s Federal District Court, I fol- is an inspiration to all of us Hc was the 1994 World Cup and for a new lowed the developments closely in the particularly gracious when he found national professional league Chicago ncwspapers while working as a that his budget paid the printing costs tennis pro in Wisconsin Finley’s for Incites, an early student scholarly LC: How did you become interested lawyer was Neil Papiano of Los publication that I edited (Incites was in sports law, and how did you get Angeles, so I decided to see if 1 could the first “rcal” studcnt publication at your start in the field? get a summer clerkship with Papiano’s the JRCLS; plcasc ask older graduates firm the following year I fobr details ) scheduled an interview with Certain courses havc bccn especially Papiano during the fall of hclpfuI in both my prior practice and my second year (around a my currciit position Courses by Dwight Dodgers’ game) and was Drake on tax law and advising closely offered a job at Iverson, hcld companics and Reese Hansen’s Yoakum, Papiano 8r Hatch. Commercial Code courses were particu- I was ablc to participatc in larly uscful in my practice of corporate thc trial of the Finley caw and securities law, In my last year of law that December while home school, I undertook an invaiuable for the Christmas hoIidays, sports-law, directcd-research program and I cventually helped under David Barber, who taught corpo- draft the petition for a writ late and securities Iaw of certiorari to the Suprcme As I suspect is the case with many Court of us, I now appreciate more the Law School and the unique experience we LC: What are some of your had best memories of law school? LC: What advice do you have for SL: In those early days, current students interested in sports there was a sense that all of law? us, both faculty and stu- SL: Sports law is a misnomer. In reali- dents, had a mission to ty, it embraces all traditional practice achievc-full accreditation areas-tax, antitrust, corporate, litiga- and professional respect tion, labor, etc -applied to an cntity 18 C L A R K hl E kl 0 R A N D I1 hl engaged in some facet of the sports responsible for bringing the Olympics Germany hosted, and won, the 1974 business. The best possible prepara- to Los Angeles. In 1981 I took a leave World Cup I became a passionate fan tion for a career involving sports law is of absence from the Iverson firm to of the sport and watched every minute an excellent legal education and fur- work full-time for the Los Angeles of Germany's games on television I ther experience in one or more of the Olympic Organizing Committee returned home determined to become traditional areas Unless the student's (LAOOC) While there, I was respon- involved in soccer, which I felt would interest is in athlete management sible for 11 different sports, including eventually catch on in the United (which is a world unto itself), I would soccer, baseball, and the equestrian States. While in law school, I contact- find out which firms represent the events. I eventually became legal coun- ed the president of the United States major teams in the city where I want sel with responsibility for negotiating Soccer Federation (USSF) and to live Then I would seek a clerkship stadium agreements with the major expressed my desire to become or associate position with such a firm Olympic venues such as the Los involved with the sport I was referred and ask to become involved with the Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the Rose to the Southern California state soccer sports clients they represent. New Bowl, and the Forum. Working from association, which I later represented York and Los Angeles are the main the office next to that of LAOOC in various legal matters and at the locations for firms with significant President Peter Ueberroth, I learned annual USSF meetings. I was eventu- sports emphases. how to stage an event of an Olympics ally asked to chair several USSF com- or World Cup magnitude Also, I had mittees LC: You played an important role in the opportunity to develop close per- the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in sonal relationships with the leaders of LC: How have the preparations for Los Angeles. How did the 1984 soccer's world governing body, the the 1994 World Cup affected your Olympics prepare you for your cur- Federation Internationale de Football personal and professional life? rent post? Association (FIFA) in Zurich, which SL: After the Los Angeles Olympics SL: I had decided to practice law in helped me gain my current position. were over, I moved with my family to Los Angeles principally because of Orange County and built a corporate opportunities in sports law and LC: How did you become interest- and securities practice in the Newport because the International Olympic ed in soccer? Beach office of Pettit & Martin Peter Committee had awarded the 1984 SL: I had a typical American sports Ueberroth and several other individu- Olympic Games to Los Angeles while I upbringing-baseball, football, basket- als I had met while working with the was in law school. My resolve to work ball-with no exposure to soccer. LAOOC helped me get established. So for the 1984 Olympics came while While on a tennis scholarship at the did Marsh Tanner, a BYU graduate attending the 1976 Olympic Games in University of Tennessee, I joined the who was managing partner of that Montreal. Noel Hatch, an LDS part- Church and then scrved two ycars in office Our family had a very comfort- ner in the Iverson firm, introduced me the Germany Munich Mission. During able life-style, and I fully expected to to John Argue, the attorney mainly the last year of my mission, West remain there for many years 19 C L A K K M E iLI 0 11 I\ N I) I1 kl In order to meet In 1987 the USSF Rondo Fehlberg '79 of Pcnnioil in cult to go back to private practice after dccided to bid for the Houston handled several special pro- being away for five years, but I really the heavy demands, 1994 World Cup, jects for us when he lived in London, enjoyed working with Pettit & Martin, and I was retained to and he attended the 1990 World Cup and thc firm has held the door open Scott immersed do the contract work in Italy as a member of our observation for me to return with potential stadi- team. We rely on Lew Cramer '76 of himself in um sites in the U S. West Communications to intro- LC: I remember you telling me about United States Latcr, ducc us to anyonc important in your 14 lifetime goals while we were S young lawyers in Los Angeles Have state-of-the-art I wrote thc U bid Washington document and pre- you achieved them? pared all of the gov- LC: How do you balance career, fam- SL: Onc goal I had as a teenager was to computer ernment guarantees ily, church, and personal demands? attend each of thc 14 pinnacle sporting from President SL: Probably as awkwardly as thc rcst events: the World Serics, the Supcr technology, Reagan aiid various I did dccidc about thrcc ycars ago that Bowl, the Kentucky Derby, the agencies of govern- the balance wc all scck would be casicr Indianapolis 500, the Masters, a heavy- including a nient On July 4, if I learncd to usc the computer tech- weight championship bout, Wiinbledon, 1988, FIFA selected nology, which has only bccomc avail- the World Cup, the Olympic Games, the program that us to host the event able sincc wc graduated from law Olympic Winter Games, the Stanley Shortly after, I was school 1 gave up watching most sports Cup, thc NCAA Final FOLII,the NBA calculates his golf askcd to lcavc my law on television and immersed mysclf in playoffs, aiid the Rose Bowl Only the practice and hcad the 1,.ea ning.

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