By Wes French
The NFL playoffs are about to begin and fans everywhere are either getting ready for the Wild Card weekend or dissecting a disappointing season that was. No one seems to be talking about the 800 pound gorilla in the corner yet; that being the looming labor strike in the 2011 NFL season. But at just 18 months out, why haven’t we heard about any progress at all, from either the Player’s Association or the owners? It’s because there is another gorilla in the room, and it’s way bigger than 800 pounds.
The NFL has taken a case that began as an antitrust suit brought against them by an apparel company into a Supreme Court decision on whether or not they, along with the MLB, NBA and NHL, deserve immunity from monopoly and antitrust laws.
Lester Munson, ESPN’s legal analyst, says the decision “could easily be the most significant legal turning point in the history of American sports.”
The reason it is so important is because most of the leverage Player Unions have over the various league’s owners are tied to antitrust laws; one example is free agency. Without the laws the unions will lose almost all leverage, meaning there will be widespread, major changes throughout all major sports, ranging from players salaries and movement rules to media(TV/Radio/Internt) and merchandise rules. This is just a VERY slight overview of the main theme involved in the case.
There is much, much more to it and you can read more from Munson here. You can find more articles on the case here.
2010 could go down as the year sports in America changed forever. Let’s hope they know just what they’re doing on Capitol Hill.
