May 11, 2009

The Sportslawtalk Interview: David Glenn 

  Today we are pleased to have as our guest a true renaissance man for sports, law and media. David Glenn is a licensed attorney in North Carolina who represents sports media figures, is the owner and publisher of the ACC Sports Journal, and is the host of a popular Sports talk radio show on 850 WRBZ in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Sportslawtalk - Thanks for stopping by David. To get started, would you tell us about your background growing up and your interests?　

SLT - Can you tell us a little about your career as a pitcher?

DG - Academics always came first.  I tried to pitch at the collegiate level, but I found that the leap from high school to college was formidable.  I was on an academic scholarship and wanted to keep my grades up.  I was a left-handed pitcher and always pitched in the summer when school was out of session.  I pitched until my mid 20’s in Pennsylvania and in Florida, where the competition was outstanding.

SLT - Can you tell us about your path to law school?

DG - I always have had a great passion for sports.  I did not grow up with a great passion specifically for the law.  I would note that I have always been a very logical person.  My wife calls me the most logical person in America, and I'm not
sure that’s a compliment.  I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED BY CONTRACTS.  I wrote and produced videos for Raycom Sports between College and law school.  One of the projects was the history of the ACC basketball tournament.  I also worked with some other media companies.  In my eyes, some people that I encountered during this period did not live up to the terms of their contracts, and that was one of my motivations for going to law school.  I wanted to pursue my interest in the way contracts worked.  My parameters were a top 25 law school, where I could also enjoy life a little bit.  I narrowed it down to the University of Florida and North Carolina and ended up going to UNC, graduating in 1994.　

SLT - The curriculum that you took in law school?

DG - I really studied the details of contract law.  I also found Constitutional Law extremely interesting, especially in regard to our First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech.

SLT - Did you look into becoming a sports agent?

I talked to some law firms that were in that business, and I came to the conclusion that being an attorney actually works against you.  The rules of professional responsibility make it more complicated for an attorney to pursue clients.  I am not into compartmentalizing my life to the degree of having to wear two hats- attorney and agent.  I think that the way the rules are set up makes it an uphill battle for you if you are an attorney.


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