Extra Innings · Baseball's Exemption
Dead Air on Game Day
Henderson Broadcasting Corp. v. Houston Sports Ass'n, Inc. (1982)
Charge: Clayton/Sherman Act antitrust - radio station dropped from a club's broadcast deal alleges a conspiracy with a rival station; motion to dismiss (suit against the club's owner)Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of TexasDocket: Baseball's Exemption
Does baseball's antitrust exemption protect a club's radio broadcasting contracts?
The facts
A local AM radio station had a contract to carry a big-league club's games. The club's owner cancelled it and signed with a competing station. The dropped station claimed the owner and its rival had conspired to divide advertising territory and cut competition in the regional radio market. The defendants moved to dismiss, arguing that baseball is exempt from the antitrust laws.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: Henderson Broadcasting Corp. v. Houston Sports Ass'n, Inc., 541 F. Supp. 263 (S.D. Tex. 1982)
Read more at law.justia.com. The source reveals the outcome.