The Importance of Legal Knowledge in Lacrosse

Our wonderful friends at Holt Lacrosse are always looking for ways to make the lacrosse community stronger and more supportive. They believe that a legal terminology course is a fantastic way to help all families, parents and children understand more about the sport, and give them the tools they need to be a responsible part of that community.

As a lacrosse parent or prospective player, it’s important to ensure that your child has access to a supportive and friendly environment where they can grow both as an athlete and as a well-rounded member of the lacrosse community. And while it’s easy to see how physical training in the sport will help your child blossom on the field, it can be hard to understand exactly how your child and your lacrosse team will benefit from learning about the law, especially in regards to the age-old phrase “knowledge is power.”

After some debate on the subject, however, we now have our answer – viewing athletics through a legal lens can help you facilitate a better environment for your child.

To help players understand their rights, prevent confusion and resolve conflicts, it’s important that parents obtain some legal terminology knowledge. This is particularly true when it comes to setting rules for athletic events, player conduct and sportsmanship; if teams and athletes don’t understand what counts as being a liability, for example, it can be hard to move forward when incidents occur.

This knowledge can also help prevent unnecessary team division. If your child’s lacrosse team encounters a player dispute, for example, it’s often the case that one party believes that the other has broken the rules of the game. But if athletes don’t understand what constitutes a proper contract (or whether their contract is a binding one), it becomes hard to mediate or resolve these conflicts and can result in a longer breakup period than necessary.

Another place where the legal terminology course can really make a difference is with regard to the unity of the team. Lacrosse is a team sport, and most teams will travel together. This means there’s a significant amount of bonding that occurs outside of simply playing the game itself. If players don’t understand how to deal with aggression, unpleasantries between team members, or even disagreements over contracts, they can easily end up splitting into cliques or “sides” rather than functioning as a cohesive unit.

Some young athletes have even benefited from understanding the law. In one notable case, a youth lacrosse player was invited to take part in a major sponsorship deal with a large company. Because he had taken our legal terminology course, he and his family were able to negotiate a better deal than what had been first offered. They’d used the course to learn enough about sponsorship agreements to negotiate a fairer deal, allowing him to achieve his full potential. Since this success story, we’ve introduced courses covering multiple specialties, from business law for young entrepreneurs to real estate terminology for young real estate agents.

With the legal terminology course under your belt, you’ll have the vocabulary you need to confide in your team, your advisers and coaches, and your fellow players, making it easier to discuss key legal issues as you encounter them throughout your career. You never know when understanding common legal vocabulary might help turn a negative experience around!

Communication is the key to team success. Parents, athletes, and coaches should be as involved with their athletes as possible, so that everyone has a clear understanding of the rules, regulations, and intentions surrounding their time on the field. Legal terminology can help facilitate this process and ensure a good time for all.

You may think you know what a contract entails, but when push comes to shove, do you understand the risks and benefits? A contract is a legally binding agreement that works to protect both parties. It can cover anything from a set working schedule to a statement of work that needs to be done. Contracts are vital when it comes to dealing with sponsorships and endorsements, and ensuring that your contracts are up-to-date can be the difference between reaching your full potential and being left stranded without many options.

The legal terminology course will help illuminate basic principles of legal contracts, which can help support you and your child when it comes to dealing with sponsors and sponsors. These terms can come in handy on and off of the field!