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US: Senator wants sport antitrust exemption contingent on behavior

By  |  December 3, 2014

New regulations proposed by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CN) would make antitrust exemptions enjoyed by major sports leagues dependent upon the personal conduct of its players, say reports.

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    Blumenthal has proposed measures that would require the federal government to conduct periodic investigations of the personal conduct of everyone who is part of baseball, basketball, football and hockey leagues in efforts to fight domestic violence. Under the proposals, if the leagues are not found to sufficiently be working to prevent such violence, the agencies could risk losing their antitrust exemptions.

    Blumenthal’s proposal comes just days after NFL player Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens won an appeal of the NFL’s lifetime ban imposed on him following the leak of video surveillance footage that showed Rice punching his then-fiancé.

    The new rules proposed would end the permanent antitrust exemptions extended to Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League and the National Hockey League. Instead, the rules would sunset those exemptions every five years but be up for a vote by a government committee that reviews the conduct of each leagues’ players.

    Full content: The Blaze

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