Doubleheader · Bottom of the Ninth
Forty Teams Cut Loose
Nostalgic Partners, LLC v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball (2023)
Charge: Sherman Act claims over the elimination of minor-league affiliations (suit against the Commissioner's office)Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second CircuitDocket: Bottom of the Ninth
Can minor-league teams that lost their affiliations bring antitrust claims against the league despite baseball's exemption?
The facts
For decades, big-league clubs had partnered with dozens of minor-league teams in small cities. In 2020 the league reorganized the system, capping each big-league club at exactly four affiliates. About forty minor-league teams lost their affiliations and any chance to compete for new ones. Several of the dropped teams sued, arguing the big clubs had agreed among themselves not to compete for affiliates, gutting the minor-league market. They admitted old precedent stood in their way but argued it was outdated and should be abandoned.
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: Nostalgic Partners, LLC v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, 2023 WL 4072836 (2d Cir. June 20, 2023)
Read more at weil.com. The source reveals the outcome.