LSU Athletics Director Skip Bertman spoke to an honors law class Thursday about sports and law coming together – comparing the skills necessary to be a top performer in both fields.
The class, taught by law professor Paul Baier and history professor James Hardy for the Honors College is called “The Constitution and American Civilization.”
The class read an address given by Justice Benjamin Cardoza, which compared being an athlete with being a lawyer.
Baier said Cardoza’s address, “The Game of Law and its Prizes,” made the comparison of the legal profession to professional sports.
Baier said baseball is the sport that requires the most intelligence.
“Baseball is the highest form of athletics at LSU,” he said.
Baier said connection between baseball and the honors class represents the University’s two sides, athletics and academics. Bertman’s guest lecture brought the two together.
“[The law school] is the same business you’re in,” Baier told Bertman while walking through the halls of the Old Law Building to the Tucker Room, where class was held. “We both have bright young minds.”
Bertman weaved the parallels between baseball and law into his lecture to the 19-student class.
“That leads me to the game that is closest to what Cardoza was saying,” Bertman said.
Bertman said baseball relies on intellect, making it one of nation’s greatest pastimes.
“The thing about baseball is that you don’t have to be 6’8″ or bench-press a lot of weight or run very fast,” Bertman said. “But you have to be very smart.”
Bertman praised athletics for having many benefits for Americans over the years.
“Sports are about breaking down racial barriers,” he said. “Sports are blind to race or background.”
Bertman said sports are important to kids – second to academics.
“In a football huddle or soccer bench, girls become ladies and boys become men,” Bertman said.
 
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