In a concerted effort to challenge Major League Baseball’s long-standing antitrust immunity, a bipartisan coalition of 18 state attorneys general, led by Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, has urged the Supreme Court to reconsider the exemption’s impact on competition.
The move was announced on Monday when the attorneys general, representing states including Virginia, Indiana, Arizona, New York, and New Jersey, filed an amicus brief in support of ending the baseball antitrust exemption, reported Bloomberg.
Attorney General William Tong emphasized, “There’s no rational reason why baseball—above any other sport, or any other business—should be insulated from federal and state antitrust enforcement. It’s time to reconsider and overturn the antiquated and unfair baseball antitrust exemption.”
Read more: ‘Moneyball Act’ Targets MLB’s Antitrust Exemption
This state-level initiative complements the efforts of four U.S. lawmakers who also called upon the Supreme Court to eliminate MLB’s antitrust immunity. Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), along with Representatives Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.) and Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), submitted an amicus brief on Friday, urging the Supreme Court to grant the petition of a group of baseball teams.
These teams, including the Tri-City ValleyCats in upstate New York, contend that MLB violated antitrust laws by restructuring its century-old farm system, leading to their ousting from MLB’s minor league affiliates.
The lawmakers’ brief underscores the need to end the “legally unsound” immunity and highlights the Supreme Court’s reluctance to alter antitrust sports exemptions in the past. They point out that the Court has refrained from applying such exemptions to other major sports leagues, like the National Football League and the National Basketball Association, emphasizing that baseball should not be held to a different standard and asserting that it significantly impacts interstate commerce.
Source: Bloomberg Law
Featured News
Google and South Carolina Clash Over State Records Demand
May 8, 2024 by
CPI
Telefonica Germany Teams Up with Amazon Web Services to Migrate 5G Customers
May 8, 2024 by
CPI
Federal Judge Grants $7.4 Million Settlement in Pork Price-Fixing Case
May 8, 2024 by
CPI
Wilson Sonsini Bolsters Antitrust and Competition Practice with Key Partner Returns
May 8, 2024 by
CPI
EU to Scrutinize Telecom Italia’s Network Sale to KKR
May 8, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI