Title Pending 1761

Employment relations in sports are shaped by the interplay of national legislation, international standards, and relations between the public sector and the sports movement. The sports ecosystem represents a specific organizational and governing structure balancing public interest and the growing commercialization of sports. Given the specificity, this paper aims to explore labor relations, focusing on the legal framework and institutional environment that define the rights and obligations of professional athletes in particular. The key challenges identified include the gap between law-on-the-book versus law-in-action, especially the alignment of sports specific regulations with labor-related provisions. The results suggest the need for a concerted effort to engage in systematic governance reforms of the sports movement, to provide compliance with the legal system, and to ensure its application.