From goalkeeper to game-changer: a UC student’s path to sports law

Sports has always been a vital part of life for Emily Denny, A&S ’26. She began playing soccer at 4 years old, became an accomplished goalkeeper, and went on to captain her high school soccer team. She participated in basketball, softball, and track and field. Growing up in a family of passionate sports fans, she cheered for the Cincinnati Bengals and the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team.  

But upon becoming a student at UC, Denny came to realize that she could carry her love of sports into her professional career. Now in her fourth year, she hopes to enter law school and then the field of sports law. “I didn’t even know it was a job you could have until my second year,” Denny says. That’s when she attended a conference held by Women in Sports, a UC student organization. “The in-house counsel for the Bengals was a speaker and I found it super interesting. I thought it would be great to combine sports and law, because I love both.”

As a scholarship recipient, Denny thanks the donors who have made her college experience so varied and valuable. “Without the financial support, I wouldn’t have been able to meet all my best friends, because I wouldn’t have had time to be in the student organizations I’ve been in,” she says. “I wouldn’t have had nearly as great a time in college. I’m really grateful for the experiences I’ve had at UC.”

Denny came to UC’s College of Arts & Sciences from Schererville, Ind., 30 miles outside of Chicago. When it came time to start thinking about college, she was ready to move away from home and had a list of 20 schools to consider. When her mother recommended UC, she hedged. “At first I thought, ‘Oh, it’s really close to home. It’s only four hours away.’ Then my parents took me to visit the campus and I really loved it. I wanted to go somewhere that was big into sports. I loved that the football stadium was on campus and that the student body was really into the teams and so supportive of them.”

Curriculum flexibility was also important to Denny. “I’m someone who just likes to learn. I knew I didn’t want to have just one major. I wanted to explore different things. And with the way the College of Arts & Sciences degree programs are built, it was easy for me to make my own path.”

And explore she has. Denny expects to graduate with a triple major — political science, international affairs, and information science/law and society. She’ll also have minors in sports administration and psychology. Outside the classroom, she is secretary general of UC Model United Nations, a mentor in the School of Public and International Affairs, president of the Psi Chi Honor Society, sisterhood chair of her sorority, and a member of Women in Sports.

Denny discovered her interest in law during her first semester in an honors seminar, “Education Controversy and Change,” taught by Sarah Stitzlein, PhD. “Dr. Stitzlein pushed us to form our own opinions, to support and argue for our viewpoints, and to explore both sides of every issue,” she says. “Through this class, I realized how passionate I was about policy and decided to pursue a career in the legal field. Dr. Stitzlein helped me develop the skills necessary for that career path, like thinking on my feet or defending a position effectively.”

Featured image at top: Emily Denny is a student in UC's College of Arts and Sciences. Photo/UC Alumni Association