Zicklin Talks Business: Why is Baseball The Only Professional Sport to Have An Antitrust Exemption?

Unique among professional sports in the US, Major League Baseball is exempt from antitrust laws, allowing owners to take anti-competitive actions to their benefit at the expense of players, rival sports leagues, and even their devoted fans.
The exemption dates back to 1922. How did it come about? Is it really fair for baseball to have this exemption, while other major sports don’t have it? How has it affected the game and the business of baseball? How has it lasted so long? What are the modern legal and economic arguments in favor of ending the exemption? What changes are likely, or even feasible, in view of the current state of legal cases challenging it?
In this session, Larry Zicklin (BBA, ’57) discusses these questions with Marc Edelman, Professor of Law, Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, and John T. Holden, Associate Professor, William S. Spears Chair in Business Administration, Spears School of Business, Oklahoma State University. With an introduction by Zicklin School Dean Bruce Weber and a Q&A session moderated by Associate Dean Gwendolyn Webb.
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