Sport and Recreation Law Association 2026 Conference

Dr. Hongyoung Kim, Professor Jason Henderson, and undergraduate Sport Management major Yongje "Tyler" Son, attended the Sport and Recreation Law Association (SRLA) 2026 Conference in New Orleans, LA.  Tyler presented "Warming the bench: The legal barriers keeping international student-athletes out of the NIL game," a faculty-advised independent research project mentored by Dr. Kim and Professor Henderson. Their presentation tackled a critical issue in today's collegiate sports landscape involving how name, image and likeness (NIL) integrity can create roadblocks for international student-athletes and raise questions of competitive balance. The conference was a huge success and provided several takeaways that will directly support the teaching, scholarship, and service efforts of the Department of Kinesiology and Health. In addition, Tyler was awarded the prestigious Mary Myers Travel Scholarship, which recognizes students actively contributing to the conference through research and case study competition.