"Athletes and coaches, especially professional ones, have evolved into celebrity superstars as bright as those in film and stage. Their celebrity status depends upon widespread publicity, which invites public scrutiny and a host of hangers-on eager to tap into a celebrity's income, and which brings their individual rights into conflict with the First Amendment rights of the Press. In a series of legal decisions, celebrity athletes have been catalysts for change in defining the limits of privacy, defamation, publicity, and property rights. Professor Fields looks at six court cases involving prominent sports celebrities: Coach Wally Butts, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame; pitcher Warren Spahn, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame; quarterback Joe Montana, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame; African American Don Newcombe, the only major league baseball player to have won the rookie of the year, most valuable player, and Cy Young awards; golf pro Tiger Woods; and hockey player Tony Twist, a league leader in penalty minutes. The cases are not fascinating because of the athletes, but also because of the stories they tell, involving lies, libel, invasion of privacy, and the commercial use of names and images. In addition, because celebrityathletes were involved, the legal cases themselves were celebrity events"--