9th Circuit Throws Out San Jose’s Antitrust Suit Against MLB

In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that San Jose’s antitrust claims against MLB were barred by baseball’s antitrust exemption.

After its antitrust suit against MLB in 2013 was dismissed by a trial court, San Jose had appealed the decision to the Ninth Circuit early last year to continue its effort to move the Oakland A’s to Silicon Valley.

San Jose challenged the 92-year old antitrust exemption of MLB to bring the Oakland Athletics to Silicon …

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Cubs Accused of Bullying Rooftop Club Owners

On Thursday, January 8, several rooftop club owners adjacent to the historic Wrigley Field, home to the Chicago Cubs, filed another lawsuit against the city of Chicago to block proposed renovations to the stadium.

Last July, the Chicago Cubs gained approval of renovations costing $375 million from the Commission on Chicago Landmarks to add seven new signs to the ball park’s outfield.  The Cubs then altered the placement and shape of the signs and received approval yet again.  This lawsuit, brought by the rooftop club …

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David v. Goliath: Another Suit Brought Against MLB by Minor Leaguers

Four minor league players filed an antitrust lawsuit in San Francisco federal court against Major League Baseball (MLB), claiming that the league’s right of first refusal to resign the players impair their ability to negotiate when their contracts expire.

Calling the league a cartel, the complaint said the players are “powerless to combat the collusive power of the MLB cartel.” It further claimed that “MLB continues to actively and openly collude on many aspects of minor leaguers’ working conditions,” including wages and contract terms. Especially, …

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The Problem of Earning Too Much Too Fast

It is not uncommon to hear about sports stars and entertainers going broke.  Often, with the influx of large sums of money, they are clueless how to handle and preserve it wisely.  This is especially true with younger athletes.

Many athletes land multimillion dollar contracts at a young age, sometimes right out of high school.  At such a young age, these athletes have little to no financial experience.  Yet, suddenly they find themselves thrust into a situation requiring a significant amount of knowhow.  They have …

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Bill Ending Antitrust Exemptions for Pro Sports Leagues Introduced

A bill to end the current permanent antitrust exemptions of the four major professional sports leagues was introduced by Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. on December 2.

Titled the Sustained Promotion of Responsibility in Team Sports Act (SPORTS), the bill would remove permanent antitrust exemptions for NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA one year from the bill’s enactment and replace it with a reauthorization process every five years.  According to the SPORTS Act, ninety-five days before ending the exemption, Congress would have an up-down vote on a …

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A-Rod Admitted Doping to Federal Agents

On Wednesday, any doubt that Alex Rodriguez had taken performance enhancing drugs was put to rest by the release of a synopsis of the Yankees 3d Baseman’s January meeting with federal prosecutors and DEA agents.  A-Rod admitted to using steroids.

Alex Rodriguez missed the entire 2014 season serving a one year suspension from the MLB for using performance enhancing substances.  However, he never failed a drug test.   Since he was originally targeted for doping after admitting to using performance enhancers in the early 2000’s, …

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Mitch Williams Sues MLB & Deadspin for Response to Little League Incident

On Wednesday, September 24, ex-MLB pitcher, “Wild Thing” Mitch Williams filed a lawsuit against the MLB network and news outlet, Deadspin.

The suit Williams is bringing claims wrongful termination and defamation against the network, where he was an analyst since 2009 until his firing this year, and defamation against Deadspin.  The suit arises from alleged incident at his son’s little league baseball game in May this year.  Deadspin ran two articles on the story, reporting that Williams, a coach for his son’s team, argued with …

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The 9th Circuit Might Be On The Slugger’s Side

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is rehearing an obstruction of justice conviction against retired baseball star, Barry Bonds. The conviction stems from Bonds’ 2003 grand jury testimony that was investigating steroid use among professional athletes. Under a grant of immunity, Bonds denied knowingly using steroids or any performance-enhancing drugs provided by the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative or his trainer, Greg Anderson. When asked about steroid use, Bonds digressed from the question and instead talked about his childhood and his father. Bonds’ eventually answered …

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Former Mets Executive Sues for FMLA Violation and Discrimination

Former Senior Vice Presidnet for Ticket Sales and Service, Leigh Castergine, filed a lawsuit Wednesday in the Eastern District of New York, alleging Jeff Wilpon, part-owner of the Mets and Chief Operating Officer, harassed her for being pregnant, ultimately leading to her dismissal from the team on August 26.

Castergine alleges in her complaint that Jeff Wilpon became fixated on her pregnancy as she was not married.  In addition to several accounts of  other discriminatory and appalling behavior, the complaint alleges Wilpon stated “I am …

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MLB Seeks Pre-Trial Appeal & Plaintiffs Seek Class Certification in Antitrust Broadcasting Litigation

On Wednesday August 27, 2014, the MLB filed a motion for immediate interlocutory appeal with Judge Scheindlin in the Southern District of New York, seeking permission to appeal her recent order in their current antitrust litigation case.

The MLB’s geographically based broadcasting restrictions are currently being challenged in the SDNY by irate fans who are tired of blackout restrictions and the high prices of streaming games online.  Earlier this month, Judge Scheindlin ruled against the MLB’s motion for summary judgment, holding that the oft-cited antitrust …

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