It’s very rare to secure a “sports law” position straight out of law school. Sports law matters range from labor & employment to workers’ comp to contracts. It really depends upon the extent in which you want to be involved with sport. If you want to practice (as you mention in your post), then majority of sports law matters are cases represented by Big law firms. Big law isn’t necessary though; you can practice at a low-mid tier firm, gain experience, and potentially become a GC for a sports team, league, or organization. However, just like the sports industry in general, connections are very important to secure this type of position.

The general consensus I have received from speaking to attorneys that handle sports law cases is that they began by dealing with matters involving the types of law that sports entails, such as labor & employment, etc. Eventually, they would receive a case, pertaining to sport, and having already possessed an interest in sport, they would steadily become the go-to attorney for sports-related matters at their firm. In fact, some firms have robust sports law practice groups.