S. 5714: Competition in Professional Baseball Act

This bill would remove baseball’s special antitrust exemption and make professional baseball subject to the same antitrust rules that apply to most other businesses and professional sports leagues.

What would change

• Professional baseball teams, leagues, and related businesses would no longer have a unique legal shield from antitrust lawsuits.
• Business practices such as league rules, agreements among teams, or other coordinated conduct in professional baseball could be challenged under antitrust law if they are alleged to restrict competition unfairly.
• The bill specifically says these baseball-related activities would be treated like similar conduct in other interstate professional sports businesses.

Legal effect

• The bill expands the definition of “antitrust laws” for this purpose to include the Federal Trade Commission Act’s prohibition on unfair methods of competition.
• It repeals Section 27 of the Clayton Act, which is the statutory basis for baseball’s current exemption.

Practical impact

• Teams, leagues, and other parties involved in organized professional baseball could face more antitrust litigation or government enforcement actions.
• Business decisions in baseball, such as market arrangements, franchise-related practices, or league governance rules, could be reviewed under the same competition standards used in other sports and industries.

Relevant Companies

• None found