John O. Spengler, JD, PhD, is a former professor and administrator at the University of Florida and Texas A&M University, and he is founder of Play Well 360 LLC. His research is centered at the intersection of health, sport, and physical activity and has resulted in numerous grant-funded projects. He has 100 professional publications, including two book chapters and four textbooks. He has worked closely with and informed the work of organizations such as the Aspen Institute, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the American Heart Association. Spengler is a former president of the Sport and Recreation Law Association (SRLA) and has chaired committees and served on boards of professional associations such as the World Fit Foundation and SHAPE America. He served on the science board of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, and his work has been recognized through awards such as the University of Florida Research Foundation Professorship, University of Florida Teacher of the Year, the Betty van der Smissen Leadership Award from the Sport and Recreation Law Association, Florida Sports Hall of Fame (Fame for Fitness Award), and the W.W. Patty Distinguished Alumni Award from the Indiana University School of Public Health.
Paul M. Anderson, JD, is the director of the sport law program and the National Sports Law Institute of Marquette University Law School, where he is also a professor of law. In his role at Marquette, Anderson manages all aspects of the nation’s foremost sport law program, including the student internships and competitions, multiple sport law student organizations, internal and external sport law competitions, and all events, including the Sports Law Speaker Series, continuing education seminars, and national conferences. Anderson is the chair of Marquette’s sport law alumni association and oversees the institute’s board of advisors. He also teaches seven sport law courses, covering areas from high school and college athletics to legal research and scholarly writing. In addition to supervising the Marquette Sports Law Review, the nation’s preeminent academic review focusing on sport law, he is editor emeritus of Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, a member of the editorial board of Sport Facilities and the Law, and a reviewer for many other sport law publications. A member of the Sports Lawyers Association, the Sport and Recreation Law Association, the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries, and the International Association of Sports Law, he is also heavily involved in the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Sports & Entertainment Law Association, serving as chair and past chair and providing annual programming for the section for the past 25 years.
Daniel P. Connaughton, EdD, is a professor in the sport management program at the University of Florida. His research is largely focused on the study of law and risk management in sport and physical activity programs. Adopting a multi-methodological approach, his research has specifically investigated risk perception; risk management policies and practices; awareness of and compliance with statutes, standards, and guidelines; and injury and death prevention in sport and physical activity. His research findings have implications for influencing policy, improving risk management practices, and decreasing injuries, fatalities, and liability.
The American Heart Association funded Connaughton’s research investigating implementation constraints and risk management practices related to automated external defibrillators in sport and recreation programs. He is a research fellow of the Sport and Recreation Law Association and the Research Consortium of SHAPE America. The author of many publications, he has received several teaching and research awards, including the 2021 Betty van der Smissen Leadership Award from the Sport and Recreation Law Association.
Thomas A. Baker III, JD, PhD, is a commercial litigator turned professor in the sport management and policy program at the University of Georgia. He conducts research that primarily focuses on the application of the law to sport. Within that focus, he specializes in how commercial laws influence and affect sport marketing, such as legal issues concerning brand management and the use of social media. Additionally, he conducts risk management research focused on preventing sexual abuse in sport and on terrorism risk at sport facilities. Baker received his PhD from the University of Florida in sport management, where he received the Dr. Charles W. LaPradd PhD Fellowship and earned the Clifford A. Boyd Graduate Scholarship Award and the Norma M. Leavitt Scholarship. He earned his JD from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law.
