My Client is an athlete. And now?

The football country in the World Cup year is excited about the sticker album and the possibility of winning the World Cup.

But outside “the four lines” there is a growing work that worries many lawyers and businessmen: the ability to understand the rights and duties of professional athletes, whether by the companies and clubs that hire them, as well as the entire chain of social relationships that surround: the sponsors, the press, the local and international community.

This scenario is very evident when lawyers are asked to resolve conflicts, lawsuits or private negotiations.

There is even a new branch of study and work, called Sports Law, in which several professionals, in addition to lawyers, focus on old and new situations in the most varied sports.

After all, from the moment that the Brazilian State decided to promote educational and high-performance sports in Brazil, from 1988, with our Federal Constitution, and has been stipulating rules for this development, the whole society needs to understand the impacts of this. in your everyday life. And that goes far beyond designing, or not, your own sticker album.

The most appropriate thing is for each company or service provider to understand that sport is an institution preserved and well regarded by Brazilian laws, including, but not limited to, due to its beneficial characteristics in the physical, emotional and mental health of every citizen. And, insofar as it is essential to a healthy quality of life, it must be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of social class, gender or race.

It is in this scenario of protection of the sports environment that discriminatory or racist measures cannot be accepted in the country. The law made no such choice. And it won't either.

Athlete contracts need to preserve rights regardless of gender or sexual orientation. The treatment in the club's daily life, too. Whether at the Deliberative Council meeting, on the sponsor's social network or at "coffee" time. For all places, sport must be treated in accordance with the determination of who created the Major Law in our country.

Is your client an Athlete? Well, know that the law likes him. Understand the difference between his profession and that of other clients and assess whether any different treatment is possible. If a selfie with this client gives you credibility, the treatment can be another, even more special and cautious.

Is your neighbor a huge multipurpose arena? Please know that your right to come and go will be exercised with restrictions on match days. Talk to the local City Hall. Are you a realtor? Explain this on the day of the visit!

Is your wish to pour out hate speech against the selection in the coming weeks? This is prohibited by law. Forget it!

After all, in times when the application of the ESG journey in institutions is one of the main business differentials, I suggest going back to the learning bench to know how to speak, breathe and “play on the field”, within the law.

Juliana Torres Martins is Professor of Environmental Law, Director of Operations at the Brazilian Institute of ESG and Columnist at Gente Mais Portal.