The Big Leagues Go to Washington: Congress and Sports Antitrust, 1951-1989
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Description
Between 1951 and 1989, Congress held a series of hearings to investigate the antitrust aspects of professional sports leagues. Among the concerns: ownership control of players, restrictions on new franchises, territorial protection, and other cartel-like behaviors. In The Big Leagues Go to Washington, David Surdam chronicles the key issues that arose during the hearings and the ways opposing sides used economic data and theory to define what was right, what was feasible, and what was advantageous to one party or another. As Surdam shows, the hearings affected matters as fundamental to the modern game as broadcasting rights, player drafts and unions, league mergers, and the dominance of the New York Yankees. He also charts how lawmakers from the West and South pressed for the relocation of ailing franchises to their states and the ways savvy owners dodged congressional interference when they could and adapted to it when necessary. -- Provided by publisher
Keywords
Professional sports -- Law and legislation -- United States -- History -- 20th century; Antitrust law -- United States -- History -- 20th century; Professional sports -- Economic aspects -- United States -- History -- 20th century;
Document Type
Book
ISBN
9780252039140
Publication Date
2015
Publisher
University of Illinois Press
City
Urbana, IL
Department
Department of Economics
Object Description
VIII, 314 S. ; 24 cm
Language
en
Recommended Citation
Surdam, David G., "The Big Leagues Go to Washington: Congress and Sports Antitrust, 1951-1989" (2015). Faculty Book Gallery. 152.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/facbook/152
