Michael Weiner Sports Lawyers Association Award of Excellence

The SLA periodically presents its Award of Excellence, the highest honor that can be bestowed by the association. More information on the award appears below, as well as a listing of prior recipients.

The Award Criteria

• Candidate may be a lawyer or non-lawyer and must have at least five years experience in sports law or a sports field in general. Candidate does not have to be currently active in the sports industry. Award can be made posthumously.
• Candidate exhibits "service-above-self" attitude. This would have been demonstrated by a record of community involvement, public service, or other engagements that clearly have had a positive, motivating effect on others.
• Candidate must be regarded as a person with high integrity and ethics and possess the qualities held in highest regard by those in the field of sports law.
• Candidate must have a consistent record of presenting the practice and/or theory of sports law in a positive light to the sports world and the public in general.

Nomination Process

Nominations are accepted from active members of the Sports Lawyers Association and members of the Selection Committee.

Selection Committee

The Selection Committee is, at a minimum, composed of three representatives of the association. At the discretion of SLA's president, the Selection Committee can be expanded to include not more than seven members, and one member of the committee serves as chairperson.

Presentation of the Award

The Award of Excellence is presented during the Sports Lawyers Association annual conference.

Public Relations

The Sports Lawyers Association engages in focusing attention on the award through its contacts with the sports media and sports broadcast industry.

Previous Award Recipients