Joshua A. Gordon, JD, MA

Professor of Practice of Sports Business & Law, Woodard Family Foundation Fellow, and Faculty Athletics Representative, University of Oregon Principal and Senior Practitioner, Sports Conflict Institute

Joshua Gordon is an international leader in sports law, governance, and dispute resolution. He serves as Professor of Practice of Sports Business & Law at the University of Oregon’s Lundquist College of Business, where he is also the Woodard Family Foundation Fellow and Faculty Athletics Representative. At Oregon, Gordon teaches and advises across law, business, and negotiation programs, preparing the next generation of leaders in the sports industry.

Gordon is widely recognized for his expertise in sports conflict management. He is an Arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Major League Baseball (MLB/MLBPA), the United States Soccer Federation (USSF), and United States Track & Field (USATF), as well as a Mediator for FIFA. He also serves on the LawInSport Editorial Board for North America and is a frequent commentator on emerging legal and governance challenges in sport.

As Principal and Senior Practitioner at the Sports Conflict Institute (SCI), which he founded in 2013, Gordon has advised professional leagues, governing bodies, universities, and athletes on issues ranging from SafeSport, Title IX, and harassment to collective bargaining, crisis management, and organizational governance. SCI pioneered one of the nation’s first sports-specific ombuds programs, and Gordon continues to lead in designing systems that transform conflict into opportunity.

He is the author of The Sports Playbook (Routledge, 2018) and Strategic Negotiation: Building Organizational Excellence (Routledge, 2023), works that have established him as a thought leader on negotiation and governance both inside and outside of sport. His scholarship and practice bridge academic rigor with real-world impact, and he has delivered keynote addresses, workshops, and training across North America, Europe, and Asia.

A former collegiate and national champion distance runner, Gordon brings a lifelong commitment to sport and a career dedicated to advancing fairness, integrity, and accountability across all levels of athletics.