Does Crime Pay?
Sport in crime is something that is often not discussed, but it is a major risk management concern. There are various concerns from fraud and computer crimes to intellectual theft and even property theft. We have several presentations that will cover some of the criminal topics that intersect with the sport industry.
Presenters
Gil Fried is a hardened criminal who has seen the inside of many jail cells over the years. He was scared straight and became a lawyer and then a professor…there is a crime novel in there somewhere. When not being a scaflow, he teaches at the University of West Florida.
Clare Maness earned her JD magna cum laude from the Ave Maria School of Law in 2006, having served as a law-review senior editor. After almost twenty years of federal criminal defense, first with the Office of the Federal Public Defender and then in private practice, she called an audible and entered the Sport Management PhD program at Troy University in 2024. Under the guidance of Dr. Michael Carroll, she plans to be ABD this coming summer. As a sport-management instructor at the University of Alabama, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses focused on sports law, hospitality law, ethics, and risk management. In her spare time, she competes in archery. Roll tide!
Dylan Williams, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Hospitality & Sport Management at The University of Alabama (UA). His research interests include analyzing accounting and taxation implications within intercollegiate and professional sport, law and governance issues surrounding all levels of sport, organizational behavior and institutional theory aspects within college athletics, and the historical analysis and modernization of sport facilities.
Dr. Williams has authored several peer-reviewed manuscripts in high impact sport management journals such as the International Journal of Sport Marketing and Sponsorship, Managing Sport and Leisure, the Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, Sport Marketing Quarterly, and Sport in Society. He has also been named a Research Fellow by the College Sport Research Institute (CSRI) and the Sport and Recreation Law Association (SRLA).
Dr. Jeffrey Curto is currently an Assistant Professor – Sport Management at Hiram College. He received his Ph.D. From Troy University. His research currently examines security and law enforcement in sport, active shooter preparedness, risk management, and legal aspects. Prior to Dr. Curto entering higher education, he worked for 19 years as an investigator for two national retailers, conducting internal and external theft and fraud investigations, as well as addressing organized retail theft crimes.
Dr. Nicholas P. Smith is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Counseling, Recreation, and School Psychology at Florida International University (FIU), where he has been a full-time faculty member since 2018. His research focus is on sport law, risk management, event operations, ethical considerations, and volunteerism. Dr. Smith wishes to welcome everyone to his hometown of New Orleans for SRLA this year!
Margaret “Peg” Keipers”