Despite cannabis being a banned substance across the four major American professional sport leagues and NCAA, a growing number of current and former professional athletes and scholars have begun advocating for its accepted use, citing health benefits. This panel will address how cannabis is currently utilized and its potential for utilization by athletes to identify and analyze relevant legal issues.

Panelists:
Matt Barnes, NBA Small Forward and Champion
Eben Britton, NFL Offensive Tackle

Moderated by Jim McAlpine, President and Founder - The 420 Games

Successes of women’s sport teams and female athletes in the U.S. and abroad have led to greater calls for publicity and fan development of women’s sports and female athletes. This panel will highlight the unique approaches leagues, players associations, teams and athletes are taking to promote the growth and visibility of women’s sport, and examine the role athletes of both genders play in expanding female athletes’ notoriety.

Panelists:
Jayne Appel-Marinelli, WNBPA Director of Player Relations and Former WNBA Player
Cappie Pondexter, WNBA Point Guard, MVP and Two-Time Champion
Steve Scebelo, Vice President of Licensing and Business Development, NFL Players Inc.

Moderated by Matt Parlow, Dean - Fowler School of Law

This panel will identify, discuss and analyze the sport industry’s response to states’ new opportunity to legalize sports gambling as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision in Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Examining the legal nuances, opportunities and barriers to states’ decisions to legalize sport gambling within their borders, this panel will consider the strategic and ethical benefits and challenges the opportunity presents.

Panelists:
Kip Levin, President and Chief Operating Officer - FanDuel Group
Tamara Malvin, Partner - Akerman LLP
Daniel Wallach, Principal of Wallach Legal, LLC, and the Co-Founding Director of the University of New Hampshire School of Law Sports Wagering and Integrity Program
Jake Williams, Vice President of Legal and Regulatory Affairs - Sportradar

Moderated by Celestine McConville, Professor - Fowler School of Law

More than ever, professional sport leagues and teams are putting an emphasis on player well-being. The purpose of this panel is to identify cutting-edge approaches leagues, players associations and teams are taking to promote athlete mental and physical health. The panel will seek to identify standards of best practice in addressing the needs of athletes on and off of their fields of play.

Panelists:
David Cohen, Head of Player Operations - Alliance of American Football
Dr. William D. Parham, Professor - Loyola Marymount University and Director of Mental Health and Wellness - NBPA
Metta World Peace, NBA Small Forward, All-Star and Champion
Sheryl Swoopes, WNBA Shooting Guard/Small Forward, All-Star and Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist

Moderated by Alicia Jessop, Assistant Professor - Pepperdine University and Head of Player Career and Education - Alliance of American Football

Ned Colletti is an executive-in-residence at Pepperdine University and baseball analyst for SportsNetLA and AM 570 LA Sports. He worked in Major League Baseball for 38 years, and led the Dodgers as general manager from 2006-2014. His most recent book is a memoir, "The Big Chair," which was published in 2017.
*Book signing by Ned Colletti and reception to follow