Seventh-Inning Stretch · The Paper Chase
The Underpaid Scouts
Wyckoff v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball (2017)
Charge: Sherman Act antitrust - scouts claim the clubs agreed not to poach each other's scouts to hold down pay (suit against the Commissioner's office and the clubs)Court: U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second CircuitDocket: The Paper Chase
Does baseball's antitrust exemption cover a claim that clubs agreed not to compete for scouts?
The facts
Two former big-league scouts sued the Commissioner's office and all 30 clubs. Scouts evaluate players and project how good they will become, guiding clubs' signing and trade decisions. The scouts alleged the clubs agreed not to hire scouts away from one another, suppressing pay; they said some worked over 60 hours a week in peak season without overtime. Baseball has an old court-made antitrust exemption, and a 1998 federal law lifted it only for major league players' employment. The scouts argued their jobs are not the business of baseball.
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: Wyckoff v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, No. 16-3795-cv (2d Cir. Aug. 31, 2017) (summary order)
Read more at caselaw.findlaw.com. The source reveals the outcome.