Supreme Court to weigh NFL and antitrust laws
Pro football owners are asking the Supreme Court to rule that the NFL is shielded from antitrust laws because they are one entity in business. Experts say that a Supreme Court ruling in the owners favor would allow owners to work together to put price caps on salaries, tickets and merchandise. Players won an antitrust suit in the early 1990's to function as "free agents", an agreement which expires in 2011, as do labor agreements in Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association. Analysts say that whatever way the Court rules will have a large impact on pro-sports
See "Supreme Court to weigh NFL and antitrust laws", David G. Savage, Los Angeles Times, January 3, 2010