By Emily Delgado  

Students studying at the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and College of Law recently teamed up to compete in a first-of-its-kind competition to better understand sports law, specifically NCAA infractions. 

Dan Matheson, director of the UI Sport and Recreation Management (SRM) program, organized the College Athletics Infractions Hearing Competition, which took place over Zoom in February. He says Iowa’s competition is unique in that it involves the NCAA infractions process and puts students in the same seat as university athletics administrators and NCAA regulators.  

“This is all done to simulate real-life experiences that schools, and the NCAA enforcement staff go through when a recruiting violation case goes all the way to a hearing in front of the NCAA committee on infractions,” Matheson explained. 

Participating students developed research, advocacy, and speaking skills while also learning about NCAA rules in a courtroom inspired event, creating a prime learning environment for students looking to enter careers in sports law or management.  

“NCAA rules control a lot of what goes on in college athletics,” Matheson says.  

Iowa graduate students studying SRM had a unique opportunity to join law students from across the country—including the University of Illinois, Indiana University, Pepperdine University, University of Arkansas, Creighton University, University of Houston, Brooklyn Law School, and New England School of Law.  

Dillon Wolf, an SRM graduate student, who participated in the competition says the event helped him build his argumentative skills and he hopes it will continue in the future.  

“I think that the more it [the event] is held, the more it will be known what athletic departments go through, and how they handle things,” Wolf says. “This will also be seen as a way for students to understand how an infractions process works.”   

While Wolf isn't studying law specifically, he says it is important to expose SRM students to the legal side of the industry because they might need to defend their school or sport as professionals.  

“I think that the better understanding you have for the legal side, the more you can get creative on how you go about something to avoid a violation,” Wolf added.  

Mathias Steen, another SRM graduate student agreed, explaining how vital it is to understand the legal side of the industry. 

“From an SRM students’ perspective, this competition helped give me a glimpse into the world of collegiate compliance work, along with allowing me to explore new avenues to take into consideration as I examined more of the sport law side of collegiate athletics,” Steen explains.  

Steen also said participating in the competition forced him to step out of his comfort zone.  

Additionally, during the competition students interacted with each other and received feedback from industry professionals. Eighteen college athletics executives participated in judging and networking.  

“The top-tier, proven panel of judges and the networking portions with them following the competition, this opportunity was like no other,” Steen added.  

Matheson hopes to make this an annual event and grow professional participation with the development of an advisory board.  

“I want to thank everyone from the College of Law and the CLAS Sport and Recreation Management programs who helped make our inaugural National College Athletics Infractions Hearing Competition a smashing success,” Matheson added.  

To learn more about the competition, visit its webpage.