This lecture provides a conceptual and structural overview of the course and the legal environment in which sport operates. Rather than introducing doctrine, it is designed to re-orient how you think about law in sporting contexts and to establish the framework that underpins all later topics. Sport is presented as a fast-moving, high-pressure environment in which legal decisions are made under commercial, regulatory, and reputational constraints. The lecture also introduces what sports lawyers actually do in practice and where they sit within the sports ecosystem — across governing bodies, leagues, clubs, athletes, agents, broadcasters, sponsors, integrity units, and regulators.