The Sporting Arena – Monthly Sports Law Interview Series (April)

By Hannah- Jane McLeish

Sporting law has continuously grown in interest over the past few years. Here at the Law Objective we wanted to keep our readers up to date in an innovative way. Therefore, the Law Objective will be interviewing one sports law professional each month to keep sports law enthusiasts in the loop.

This month, we have interviewed the founder of the Global Sports Policy Review Subhrajit Chanda on his experience of studying and working within the sports law field. He discusses how having a passion and background within the playing of sport can lead to a wealth of opportunities out with the arena.

1. What do you do?

Presently I am working as Assistant Lecturer in Jindal Global Law School, OP Jindal Global University. Ranked 76 across the globe for its subject of Law according to QS Ranking. Other than that, I am founder and managing editor of a Multidisciplinary Sports Journal, called GSPR “Global Sports Policy Review,” with another Colleague who is the director of the same organisation

2. How did you become involved in sports law?

To answer this in depth I will provide a little introduction to my family from which I belong. See, sports runs in my veins. My mom used to be a state-level Cricket player and my father used to be a football referee. So one can say I have seen sports as an activity very closely, and it has made me also attracted to sporting activity. I still remember that I used to practise cricket every weekend and football every weekday back in my childhood days. But later part of my life, I have concentrated on football only, in which I played for Sports Authority of India eastern reason.

But later, an injury leads me to stop the practice, but as you know, once you dedicate your love towards sports, you cannot neglect it.

So I thought if you cannot practise the game on the field, why don’t you practise it differently, as an education. I still remember back in 2017/2018 Indian people were unaware about the subject of Sports Law. There were only very few people who knew about it. Even its in developing phase today; people still get confused with management and law. But sports law has always been active in India. Looking back as far as 4th Century BC condition there was a script which has mentioned about the law of games. This referred to like a board game. I researched this topic within my own studies and became aware of how many people were not aware of the existence of sporting law even in today’s society.

Nowadays, as its developing phase, many new upcoming lawyers want to know about the subject. They complain about the lack of knowledge available as we don’t have that much faculty who have specialisation within the subject. So, I thought, why not take in charge without complaining like others and start to develop future Sports Lawyers, so as soon as I thought this from that itself tried to change my passion into an education degree so I can create the structure and teach the same to my students. After this, everything in history came to Nottingham Trent University with International Scholarship, sacrifice, many nights sleep for the shake of my country and other underprivileged students from around the world who want to study this subject and can't be due to family or monetary reason.

Furthermore, there is more to be done for Athletes in India. These individuals suffer a lot for lacking proper legislation of sports of any kind, not only that the legal governing system in India still now need more research as even the Supreme Court sometimes get confused about whether some organisation representing the country will be considered as State or not. There is also a question of whether National Olympic Community will be considered as a supreme governing body or not. So, I just want to dedicate and sacrifice myself as a bridge to fulfil the gaps in my legal and educational systems. This led to my love of sports developing into a passion for Sports Law

3. What does your work entail?

My work mainly entails with teaching, developing, and researching the subject of Sports law. Other than that, creating a platform for students and upcoming lawyer for providing them knowledge in the field of sports through an internship and also by giving them a platform for write article and blogs at my journal.

4. What advice do you have for future sports lawyers or anyone interested in sports law?

My tips to all the future sports lawyer are to first change your passion for sport into love and interest towards the subject as like, you do same with your girlfriend or boyfriend, because subjects are like girlfriend or boyfriend only, see how you can be happy if you don’t have interest in her or him? You will lead to break up, but more you are interested in a girl or boy and give him or her time she or he will give you more love in return, so same is with the subject. You have to have a passion and drive for sports to engage within the study of sports law.

The second and more important tips will be to be curious about every rule and the judgement you pass through and think why it has been decided like this or it has been not done in the other way, the more you think more capable you become.

5. Do you have a particular sporting law interest and why?

See usually, I am dedicated towards sports lawfully as a subject, but if you think in particular, then I will choose a topic like a gender and equality issue as there are need of work in this field like much big organization need to develop rules regarding the transgender law, because as like past era sports is not only for male and female, nowadays we have seen third gender community also coming front and as a lack of proper law they sometimes fall under problem misleading of identity, which leads question toward in which team they can play, so this the place need to be work further.

Other than this, another prospect of Sports law that attracts me is, about how one can use Sports Law as an instrument of peace whole overworld, so one can create a terror free borderless racist less beautiful world.

The Law Objective would like to express thanks to Subhrajit for taking time out of his day to be interviewed.

If there is any specific individual you would like us to interview or you are a sporting law professional wanting to give some advice please contact us.