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5 Willamette Sports L.J. 1 (2008)

handle is hein.journals/wlmsplj5 and id is 1 raw text is: 

1                         WILLAMETTE   SPORTS  LAW  JOURNAL                    FALL 2008


              Out   of Bounds: HIV and AIDS Discrimination
                              in American Athletics
                                   Casey  Kovacic*

Everybody's talking about it. Some people are scared This could be dangerous to us all.
- Former NBA   player, Gerald Wilkins upon hearing Magic Johnson's decision to return to
basketball'

  INTRODUCTION: MAGIC, MO, AND THE BEGINNING OF THE CONTROVERSY

       On November  7, 1991, the world of sports changed forever. One of the most charismatic
and publicly adored players in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Earvin
Magic  Johnson, announced to a stunned audience that he was HIV-positive.2 Shortly after
Magic announced  his return to professional basketball, boxer Tommy Morrison announced that
he also was HIV-positive.3 In the wake of these announcements issues such as exclusion from
participation, disclosure of HIV-positive status, and mandatory testing were heavily debated and
are still widely argued.

       This article will discuss the presence of HIV/AIDS-based discrimination in American
sports. To do this, I will first provide an explanation and brief background of the disease and
how  it is transferred. Second, I will discuss the presence of discrimination in the context of
amateur sports, particularly focusing on high school athletics. Third, I will discuss the presence
of discrimination in professional sports, focusing on the four major sports leagues - the NBA,
the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and the National Hockey
League  (NHL)  -  as well as professional boxing. Fourth, I will discuss the current anti-
discrimination regulations. Fifth, I will discuss the topic of mandatory testing and whether it has
any place in the professional sports world. Finally, I will discuss ways of ending discrimination
in both amateur and professional sports.

    TRUTH   AND  RUMORS: WHAT IS HIV/AIDS AND HOW IS IT TRANSMITTED

       Discrimination and stigma are often the result of a lack of understanding that one group
or person has toward another. Thus, before delving any deeper into the primary subject matter of
this paper, it is important to clear up any misconceptions about HIV and AIDS by discussing the
background of the disease and how it is actually caused and transmitted.

       The Human  Immunodeficiency  Virus (HIV) is the virus that causes Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndrome  (AIDS).4 HIV  causes AIDS by  destroying a certain kind of blood cell


* Casey Kovacic is a 2008 graduate of the Willamette University College of Law. He is presently a public defender
in Vancouver, Wash.
1 Harvey Araton, Johnson's Return to League Isn't Welcomed by Some, N.Y. TIMES, Nov. 1, 1992, at 8.
2 Mark Heisler, Magic Johnson's Career Ended by HIV-Positive Test, L.A. TIMES, Nov. 8, 1991, at Al.
3 Reports: Morrison Is HIVPositive; Heavyweight Boxer Is Suspended Hours Before Fight on Saturday, WASH.
POST, Feb. 12, 1996, at Cl.
' http://www.cdc.gov/liiv/topics/basic/index.htm

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