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Originally Posted by Cannon Shell
It is funny that this is mentioned but it really isnt that important anymore. First off Congress would have to overturn 3 seperate Supreme Court decisions all in favor of granting baseball an excemption because they have never felt that it violates the Sherman Act and does not deem baseball as interstate commerce as defined by the Sherman Act.
The truth is that anyone is free to start a baseball league to compete with MLB and as shown by the USFL vs NFL case the courts will not hold the leagues responsible if any such leagues are attempted and fail.
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congress doesn't overturn supreme court decisions. they just pass new laws.
you're correct that the exception for baseball exists because of a 1922 supreme court decision and not an act of congress. but the decision itself leaves it to congress to clarify the issue.
baseball might be free to explore actions against a competitor league that the nfl couldn't because it's exempt from the sherman act. so i'm not sure how the usfl example supports your point.
there have been occasional attempts in congress to address this. john conyers introduced the most recent bill.
there is no real reason that the nfl (or any other league) should be subject to the sherman act and not baseball.
you probably wouldn't see any new major league in the wake of the removal of the exemption. but you would eventually see a different minor league system not tied in directly with major league teams. the minor league system as it exists couldn't be legal absent the exemption.
that'll probably happen just after clemens admits he perjured himself.