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Professor Michael McCann Spotlights Sports Scene


Sports law expert and professor Michael McCann speaks to the media.

Michael McCann remains focused on the NFL’s Deflategate, while pivoting to the monumental corruption scandal swirling around World Cup soccer.

Steroid use among pro athletes, the murder trial of former New England Patriots star Aaron Hernandez, and compensating college players are also part of the landscape for one of America’s premier sports law experts.

With over 38,500 Twitter followers (try @McCannSportsLaw), Michael returned to the Mississippi College School of Law in late May as a visiting lecturer.

The Georgetown University graduate spoke to 40 MC Law students on a host of topics as fresh as today’s sports headlines. The $150 million bribery scheme impacting FIFA leaders and its affect on Russia hosting the 2018 World Cup is just the latest on his radar.

“I think FIFA is now under much more significant pressure to move the World Cup out of Russia and particularly Qatar as a result of the corruption charges,” McCann says. He envisions FIFA putting the games in more Westernized nations, and those that are allies of the United States.

When McCann speaks, pens stories for “Sports Illustrated,” or SI.com and regularly appears on CNN or National Public Radio for an interview, thousands of people take notice.

MC Law Dean Emeritus Jim Rosenblatt was delighted to welcome McCann back to the campus in downtown Jackson for another blitz of lively lectures. “He is the elite sports law professor in the USA,” Rosenblatt said. “He’s the best.”

There are reasons that Rosenblatt and many others around the nation are huge fans of the Distinguished Visiting Hall of Fame Professor at MC Law.

“His love of teaching, his command of the subject material, his energy and the sparkle of his personality make him a favorite of law students,” says Rosenblatt, an MC Law professor.

During his three years at MC Law, McCann was a superb professor who won its most prestigious teaching awards. He ranks No. 2 when he’s measured against every law professor in American legal education in terms of Twitter followers.

McCann arrived at MC Law fresh from delivering the commencement address at the University of New Hampshire School of Law in May. Many other honors have come his way lately. In 2014, “Forbes” magazine named McCann on its list of “Top 100 Sports Business Commentators.”

A professor and director of the Sports & Entertainment Law Institute at the University of New Hampshire School of Law, Michael balances constant media requests with scholarly writing for the “Yale Law Journal” and the “Wisconsin Law Review,” among others.

In addition, Michael remains a sports fan who regularly visits Fenway Park to see Boston Red Sox games or cheer on the NBA’s Boston Celtics.

As always, he cherishes his quick trips to Mississippi’s capital city and the chance to build friendships with students and faculty at MC Law.

As one who’s lived in the South for a few years, the New Englander is aware of the rise of the SEC, its successful teams, big-name coaches, dynamic SEC network and powerful fan base.

“I’ve found that the diehard SEC fans are as passionate about their teams as any fans” across America, McCann said.

Dean Wendy Scott, Rosenblatt, students and other Mississippians look forward to Michael McCann’s next visit to MC Law School in 2016.