Student Organization Spotlight: The Sports Czars Long live the Czars, caretakers of one of W&L Law's most cherished traditions.

By Law Communications
October 28, 2026

The Sports Czars manage the law school’s intramural sports competitions, keeping alive some of the school’s greatest traditions.

Tell us a little bit about the organization.

We don’t really have a formal mission or goal, but if we had to write our mission statement it would probably be: “Play low quality football surrounded by high quality vibes.” While our football league is surprisingly organized and actually does require an immense amount of effort from our Czars, our mission reaches farther than just football and is really intended to give W&L Law a fun, non-academic activity for the community to gather and enjoy on a Friday night. Although our games can get quite competitive and there are some pretty impressive athletic feats (come watch and you will see!), the games are fun and everyone from all skill levels is welcome. Almost half the school is on a football team roster, so the LSFL (Law School Football League) has strong buy-in from the student body and is the best way to get to know our students.

However, although we are in charge, we would not be able to organize this league without the 30 or so Czars that help support the league. Each week we are so grateful for all their hard work, which really makes the league the success and institution it has been for years.

What exactly does a Sports Czar do?

The Law School Football League’s Sports Czars are the referees of our flag football games, the writers of our weekly game recap emails, and the arbiters of the LSFL official rules. At the end of the spring semester, 1Ls and 2Ls have the opportunity to apply to become a Czar or Czarina, and if accepted, take on an integral role in organizing and sustaining W&L Law’s flag football tradition. Before each Friday in the fall, Czars paint our fields and set up for the games. Czars serve as official referees for every flag football game and decide tough game calls. It’s important to us as Head Czars that we have a big network of Czars and Czarinas to support each other because teams can get worked up if a Czar makes a call that is bad for their team. However, each team and Czar knows that whatever happens on the field, they must always follow the golden rule of LSFL: the Czars are always right. At the end of the games, Czars make sure that we leave the law school lawn like we found it, and overall work to ensure that LSFL will always be a part of life at W&L Law.

What events do you have this fall and spring?

Every Friday in the fall we have flag football games on the law school lawn, and we’ll finish the semester up with our championship game in November. During the spring semester, the Czars coordinate teams of law students to compete in a weekend-long softball tournament hosted by UVA Law School in Charlottesville, VA, alongside 46 other law schools.

If alumni are interested in getting involved, what can they do and how can they connect?

Reach out to either of the Head Czars and we can set up an LSFL Friday sponsorship. W&L Law’s Advancement Office and Office of Career Strategy have been super helpful in organizing these sponsorship events and ensuring that the teams and alums have a chance to connect both on the field and off the field.

We are so happy to have had great law firms like Troutman Pepper and Alston & Bird sponsor a LSFL “Tailgate” and provide food, send attorneys to chat about their firm, and join in on our fun. The LSFL is a tradition that binds generations of W&L Law students, and we love it when our alumni join us on the sidelines! If any firms, legal organizations, or alumni would like to sponsor a Tailgate or simply set up a table on the sideline, we would love to work with you.

We also want to give a special shoutout to Troutman Pepper for sponsoring our softball jerseys. We really appreciate all our alumni support!

How do intramural sports contribute to the sense of community at W&L Law?

The LSFL is truly a special annual tradition for the law school. Almost half of our student body is on a football team roster and even more students come to hang out, watch the games, and enjoy the fall weather each week. Law school is not easy, and we are proud to provide a fun, competitive, and entertaining outlet to get outside, kick off the weekend, and gather as a community.

W&L Law is a tight knit school, and despite our academic focus, we are a student body that loves to socialize and have fun. I love watching each class show up and show out in their custom jerseys, cleats, and receiver gloves. After a hard fought game, the teams shake hands and walk together to get a drink from the bar. Although the league can be daunting at first, after a couple games, the 1Ls are fully invested, holding their ground against upper classmen and celebrating their wins. The league really gives each 1L class an opportunity to meet a ton of students and jump right into our community within the first couple weeks of school.

The LSFL is also a great reminder for the community that life exists outside the classroom and our classmates are fun, interesting people that are worth getting to know outside of school. Each week, after the fields are set up, the bar is ready, and the 5pm games have kicked off, we usually look at each other and say “we did it.” We gave everyone a place to be on a Friday and a place to relax and have fun.

How many law students are currently involved?  How has the law school community supported students in this organization?

LSFL leadership consists of two Head Czars, Nina Dascoli and Will Shannon, who are supported by a Czarmittee that handles other major jobs. These include Czar Treasurer, Chris Knutson, Softball Czar, Will Klein, and the Czar Social Chair, Enrick Dickey. Under the leadership of the Czarmittee, there are currently 14 3L and 21 2L Sports Czars that help run LSFL. During this 2026-2027 LSFL Season, we have 8 teams of about 20-30 law students and significant others competing across every law school class. This makes LSFL and the Sports Czars the largest student organization at W&L Law.

Because LSFL has so many law students involved in our weekly events, we have really leaned on the law school community to help make everything run smoothly. The Advancement Office and OCS teams have been extremely helpful in setting up games where different firms and alumni visit and get to connect with the players and students. These alumni and firm games are great ways for students to get to know more people within the larger W&L alumni community, and a chance for our alums to share stories and memories about what LSFL was like when they were at W&L Law.

What would you tell a prospective student about the role intramural sports and Sports Czars play in the student experience at W&L Law?

We would say that the LSFL is one of those activities that differentiates W&L Law from a lot of other law schools. The LSFL is proof that our students aren’t just law students that go from class to the library to sleep. Our students really like to have fun together and spend time meeting old friends and new friends alike. Our rules are designed to give everyone a chance to play so your skill level won’t hold you back from finding success on the field. But, if you decide you’d rather not play, then no problem! We have tons of students that come watch from the sidelines to cheer on their friends or celebrate the play of students they have never met.

The LSFL is one of those awesome activities where the student body joins as one, hangs out, laughs a lot, and celebrates each other. Our advice to prospective students and incoming 1Ls is simple: Come hang out and see for yourself. We guarantee you a great time!

Is there anything else to share about the organization?

We will end this article just like we end all of our weekly emails: LONG LIVE THE CZARS!