Antitrust exemption
Preference for a National Pastime: An Examination of Baseball's Antitrust Exemption, Its Destruction of Healthy Competition, and the Inherent Need for a Competitive MarketOver the past century, baseball has become affectionately known as the "National Pastime" in the United States. As this title connotes, baseball is more than just a sport or a form of entertainment. It is a phenomenon that grasps a nation's heart and unites its citizens under a common threshold. Thus, one would assume that the main goal of a Major League Baseball organization would necessarily reflect this commitment to the betterment of the American public. However, baseball remains to be a business, and as a business it often misconstrues its organizational objectives. Considering baseball from its production side, one witnesses the unfortunate divide between maximizing an organization's profits and providing a public good to the American people. Presently, it seems that Major League Baseball has decided to pursue individual profit maximization at the expense of society's well being. The primary contribution to this approach is the antitrust exemption that baseball has received from the Supreme Court. Through this legislation, the existing baseball league
Since baseball functions as a monopoly, there would be nothing to prevent organizations from charging the maximum price that consumers are willing to purchase these televising services. (Ross 152) The first two sections of the Sherman Act state:1. First of all, through the antitrust exemption baseball is able to limit output or in other words limit the market of professional baseball franchises. (McMahon and Rossi - Villanova University Sports and Entertainment Law Journal Vol. Ross, "To hold salary levels below the competitive level, monopoly leagues restrict the mobility of players, thereby limiting the ability of teams to improve themselves - the result is less exciting championship races. In this case, the Federal Baseball League, a direct competitor of the National League, claimed that the National League had become a "combination, conspiracy, and monopoly. With its monopoly power, Major League Baseball organizations are beginning to move away from public televising of its sporting events toward a pay-per-view format. National League of Professional Baseball Clubs. This would reallocate the entire consumer surplus into a producer surplus for every baseball franchise. Obviously this is a strategy that will benefit all players within a league. s are able to establish a monopoly in this market of athletic entertainment. The main goal of antitrust legislation is to encourage organizations to establish a competitive market that would efficiently provide consumers with premium products or services at the lowest price possible. Secondly, the presence of a rival league in a competitive market will allow for the mobility of players throughout the various leagues.
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