A $30 million fine, five lost first-round picks and a shattered franchise have placed the NBA’s salary cap rules firmly under the spotlight. James Theile unpacks the LA Clippers’ Kawhi Leonard scandal, examining how secret third-party arrangements can circumvent collective bargaining rules and what the fallout could mean for the future enforcement of player endorsement deals.

Trade season is built on the idea that players can be swapped like assets. Jackson Benson explores why AFL players are employees first, examining how restraint of trade, player consent, and the AFL’s collective bargaining framework shape who really controls player movement during the Trade Period.

With the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 recently being passed by the Australian Parliament, Romy Mesfin and Lucie Tolhoek explain the changes and explore the implications for sporting bodies, broadcasters, and individual athletes alike. 

Beyond the immediate fallout from the Sydney Swans controversy lies a familiar conversation about culture in Australian football. Leah Lobo considers how the response to serious allegations involving AFL players reflects broader questions of accountability, privilege and the treatment of women, and whether the league can move beyond reactive policies towards meaningful cultural change.

How much concussion risk can an athlete truly consent to? Lexy Demetriou unpacks the controversy surrounding Jake Kolodjashnij’s decision to continue his AFL career, exploring the uneasy line between player autonomy and institutional responsibility, and whether accepting the risks of concussion should ever mean accepting its legal consequences.

As anti-doping authorities increasingly turn to artificial intelligence and biological monitoring to detect prohibited substances, Catherine Leung examines how evolving technologies are transforming doping detection, while raising important questions about accuracy, interpretation, and the risks of relying too heavily on technological analysis in protecting sporting integrity.

As FIFA’s multi-billion-dollar plan to sell a stake in the World Cup collapsed within days, James Norbury examines how the proposal exposed complex legal and governance questions surrounding private investment, non-profit regulation, conflicts of interest, and who truly owns football’s most prestigious tournament.

As Australia introduces tax exemptions for players and staff of the Papua New Guinea Chiefs, Yvonne Zhou explores how the unprecedented reform positions tax law as a tool of diplomacy, raising important questions about competitive neutrality, legislative fairness, and the growing intersection between sport, public policy, and geopolitics.

As Southampton’s “Spygate” controversy sends shockwaves through English football, Jackson Benson explores how the EFL’s unprecedented disciplinary response exposes difficult tensions between sporting integrity, proportionality, and the expanding legal reach of football regulation.

What happens when performance-enhancing drugs are no longer prohibited, but part of the competition itself? Allie Vawser explores how the Enhanced Games challenge traditional approaches to anti-doping, examining the legal implications for athlete autonomy, duty of care, liability and the limits of sporting regulation.

As the AFL Tribunal faces growing scrutiny over procedural standards and legitimacy, Will Bruhn examines how the Zak Butters appeal exposed deeper concerns about procedural fairness, accountability, and whether the league’s disciplinary processes are being treated with the seriousness they demand.

Against a backdrop of political tensions, human rights concerns and soaring ticket prices, James Forrester explores the controversies surrounding the 2026 FIFA World Cup, questioning whether the tournament’s governance and commercialisation are drifting away from football’s traditional promise of a game accessible to all.

As athletes increasingly face political risks beyond the field of play, Julia Kent examines how asylum claims by Iran’s women’s national football team expose the limits of sporting neutrality, raising urgent questions about the responsibility of governing bodies to protect players within an evolving intersection of sport, law, and human rights.

As tensions rise between national cricket boards and franchise leagues, James Theile examines how Cameron Green’s IPL controversy exposes deeper contractual fault lines, highlighting unresolved questions about player control, disclosure, and the balance of power in the globalisation of modern sport.

As the International Olympic Committee introduces mandatory genetic testing to determine eligibility for women’s sport, Lexy explores how this shift towards “science-based fairness” raises complex legal, ethical, and human rights questions, exposing tensions between global sporting regulation, domestic anti-discrimination laws, and evolving understandings of sex and identity.

As the lines between sport and betting continue to blur, Romy Mesfin examines how Australia’s long-standing sporting identity is being reshaped by the normalisation of gambling, raising pressing questions about regulation, responsibility, and public health focused law reform.

As Australia accelerates its ambition to become “the most AI-assisted sporting nation” ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Imogen Owen explores how the rapid rise of artificial intelligence is reshaping the landscape of sports law.

In a recent decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport during the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic Games, Ukrainian Skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych was banned from competing as a result of the helmet he was wearing, which displayed images of his fellow Ukrainian athletes that died during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As the world continues to exist amongst a myriad of political tensions, Lucie Tolhoek explores the relationship between law, politics, and sport, asking the question: can athletes be active political citizens in their capacity as professional sportspeople without facing sanction? 

Behind every star athlete is an agent - but who’s keeping them in check? Connor Evans explores how Australia’s system of player-agent regulation is falling behind, and what it will take to fix it.

As private equity circles Australian cricket, James Whitfort unpacks the growing financial pressures facing the Big Bash League, the recent $10 million offers rejected by Pat Cummins and Travis Head, and what’s at stake as Cricket Australia weighs tradition against commercial reality.