First Down—-> 🏈

Which came first? Environmental Law or Fantasy Football? To answer this question, we have to go way back, to the 1800s, because that’s where it all began, for both disciplines. So let’s step into the “Way Back” machine and carbon-date them, both!

The first environmental law, with nationwide applicability, was the “Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899.” It placed a limit on the amount of pollution that could be discharged into the nation’s navigable waters. Before its passage, our rivers and harbors did not look too good … and they didn’t smell good either. It was like the early days of fantasy football, before the internet made its debut, when scores were calculated by hand using box scores from the morning newspaper. It took hours and it stunk too. Anyway, the Rivers and Harbors Act was the very first pollution control law passed by the Feds, but it DID NOT predate the game of football 🏈.

The very first game of football, which evolved from the games of rugby and soccer, was played on November 6, 1869 between Rutgers University and Princeton University, thirty (30) years before the Rivers and Harbors Act made the scene, and 155 years before today. Who would have guessed that? Certainly not the guys in my Fantasy Football league!

So the game of football predates the first nationwide environmental law by 30 years, but what about fantasy football? Well, that’s second down, but before we start the next play, let me address the aura of cool that usually surrounds an environmental lawyer / fantasy football coach.

Environmental lawyers and fantasy football coaches are people, just like everyone else … well, not everyone. Just the ones who are smothered by adoring fans when outside the privacy compound. That’s what usually happens to me. Here’s a photo of myself and Henry Winkler, also known on “Happy Days” as Arthur Fonzarelli – the FONZ! I was in Minneapolis at the time, attending a “Cool” conference.

Second Down –> 🏈

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Coming Soon

ENVIRONMENTAL LAW – THE MOVIE!!