With Antitrust Exemption, MLB Still Only Game in Town (Podcast)

Back in the 1920s, the Supreme Court granted Major League Baseball an exemption from US antitrust rules. But since then, some members of the Court—including several current justices—have said they think they may have made a mistake.

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Now, the Department of Justice is joining the club. Last week, it asked an appellate court to apply this exemption as narrowly as possible in an amicus brief on behalf of several defunct minor league teams that are suing MLB.

On today’s episode of our weekly legal news podcast, On The Merits, we talk with Bloomberg Law reporter Mike Leonard about why this policy has persisted for a century if a growing number of those serving in the judicial or executive branches seem to dislike it. Mike also talks about how the Supreme Court seems eager to take on sports-related cases and whether this means MLB’s exemption is down to its last strike.

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