Final Last Deck Flashcards
pros of a traditional league
1) easy to raise capital
2) owners can put as much money as they want
cons of a traditional league
1) subject to Sherman 1 and 2 (always deemed a conspiracy or joint venture and therefore subject to section 1 where the burden of proof is not high)
why would you want to sue under Sherman 2 if they are already able to sue for Sherman 1 and it’s easy to prove?
in case you cannot show evidence of trading restraint, you can say they have too much market power
how do expenses work with single entity leagues?
expenses are shared equal and each owner owns interest in the LLC
pros of a single entity league
not subject to Sherman 1 (they are not a combination, conspiracy or joint venture)
cons of a single entity league?
no incentive for owners to invest money because it doesn’t benefit them and they’re still subject to Sherman 2
if you have 2 single entities doing an act together to restrain trade how would you sue them?
Sherman 1
who is a CBA between?
the employer (owner) and the union (player association)
what does the CBA establish?
the mandatory terms and working conditions between the two
what happens when a CBA expires?
all terms continue until a new one is in place
what is the only sport with guaranteed contracts?
MLB
what can you do with a negative injunction?
you can force a team to stay and without this you can only sue for damages
what happens when you have an impasse on all issues?
the league (not the union) may unilaterally change the working conditions
what happens during a lock out?
the OWNERS take action
what happens during a strike?
the PLAYERS take action
what happens during a strike over economic conditions?
the employer can use permanent replacements
what happens during a strike over unfair competition?
the employers can only use temporary replacements
what is the commissioner’s role?
absolute dictator when it comes to teams and team owners but NOT over players (players are governed by the CBA)
what is the non-recourse rule?
commissioner has full and exclusive authority on all matters of the league, so no lawsuits by an team or employee, and cannot sue the commissioner or the team in court
do courts say that they non-recourse rule is valid in Baseball
Yes, they knew it existed when they came into baseball as long as there’s due process in the arbitration process the court will not step in
what are the commissioner’s duties?
1) power to discipline
2) power to decide disputes among owners
3) power to represent league in CBA negotiations
does a commissioner need to sign a contract for it to be valid?
No but the signature is required in order for the player to play (LA RAMS v. CANNON)
what type of contracts does the NFL have?
separate annual contracts
what happens when an NFL player gets cut?
he still gets paid for the rest of the year, if he goes to another team that year he still collects both salaries
what do non sport executives have that sports executives don’t?
1) salary continuation where if they’re terminated for any reason other than “for cause” the executive continues to be paid under the contract
2) severance pay
3) negative covenants
5) sports execs are subject to salary mitigation (not players)
what is a negative covenant?
if an executive (not sports exec)quits, he is paid separately not to work as a competitor for a reasonable particular time and must be willing to reinstate
what does the TM sign mean?
it’s a common law trademark only protected by state statutes
what does the R mean?
a sign is protected by federal statutes
what is the state common law for trademarks in New York?
anyone who uses an individual’s face or name for commercial purposes is illegal and is liable to the person for damages
who does the New York trademark rule apply to?
the person who is harmed can get an injunction and it only applies to the FACE and NAME and must be a living person
what are trademarks protected by federally?
the Lanham Act
what are the exceptions of things that cannot be trademarked?
1) newsworthy
2) historical
3) freedom of artistic expression
are fantasy leagues liable for trademark infringement? why or why not?
They are not protected, the court says they are just statistics and name, they have been in the papers and everywhere
what makes a sporting event copyrightable?
if you have a fixed or determinate medium (the game itself is not copyrighted but the recording is)