Ehrlich paper wins Outstanding Sports and Entertainment Paper Award

Sam Ehrlich, associate professor of legal studies in business, has been awarded the Outstanding Sports and Entertainment Paper Award by the Academy of Legal Studies in Business alongside his co-authors professor Neal Ternes (Northern Illinois University), and Amanda Siegrist (Coastal Carolina University).

Their paper, "STUNTing on Title IX: Legal Concerns on the NCAA's Adoption of Competitive Cheerleading," explores how adding more women's sports to the collegiate scene might sound like an obvious win, bringing increased representation, financial opportunities and another step towards equity in sports.

But what if the reasons behind that decision matter just as much as the opportunity itself?

As the NCAA prepares for cheerleading to be recognized as a sport under Title IX, Ehrlich explores this growing effort. The paper doesn't argue that recognizing cheer as a sport is inherently bad. Neither is it suggesting that the catalogue of women's sports should not continue to grow. Instead it asks us to look a little deeper into the new world of college sport and how it affects finance and sporting integrity.

"Think critically about decisions that are being made in college sports," said Ehrlich. "There's a lot of underlying history, a lot of conflict, and there are pros and cons to everything that's going on."

A paper trail

Varsity Spirit (a subdivision of Varsity Brands) is a company that has also made enormous financial investments into the cheerleading industry. They are also a company with a track record of lawsuits and accusations. They have a large influence on cheerleading, and they're using that influence to push cheerleading forward as a recognised collegiate sport.

Changes brought by the Supreme Court's decision in NCAA v. Alston and state laws surrounding name, image and likeness provide a huge financial incentive for companies like Varsity Spirit to create a monopoly in this newly expanded market with their already well established foundation. Cheerleading features music, choreography, costumes and competitions, giving Varsity Spirit the opportunity to control a number of different revenue streams that go far beyond the athletes on the mat.

Ehrlich's work dives into why their sudden push for sporting acknowledgment may not be as equity-centric as it first seems.

An ever-evolving landscape

College sports is going through one of the biggest shifts in its history, with changes to NIL, conference realignment, athlete compensation and the role of governing bodies continuing to reshape the landscape.

For Ehrlich, that uncertainty is what makes the work so interesting.

"I'm not involved in the ground floor, but I talk to attorneys, coaches and athletic directors all the time," said Ehrlich, "It's very much a symbiotic relationship, and it's a really good way for me to bring a lot of presence to Boise State. People see me quoted in a New York Times article, 'professor at Boise State,' it has really helped me develop my research."

So, after an award winning year for Ehrlich, it's fair to question where he sees his next steps.

"I want to be right here," he said.

By Morgan Reah

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