Baseball & Fantasy Parallels...Hopefully
Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2015 9:57 pm
In 1890, the Sherman antitrust act was enacted. Two or more non-affiliated companies in any other interstate business were prohibited from colluding with each other to fix prices or establish schedules or rates.
Baseball was granted immunity from this act for 'the bests interest of the game. This prevented players from taking their talents elsewhere once their usual one year contracts were finished. This was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1922 when a rival league sued baseball.
The Supreme Court ruled that baseball was 'amusement' and not interstate commerce.
In hindsight, a silly ruling. Although the sport of baseball, in itself is amusement, it was still a business.
When other sports such as football, basketball, and hockey flourished, they copied baseball. It was not questioned for years except for a few athletes who 'held out'. Most of these athletes eventually signed and did not bring action before courts.
Professional sports knew they had a cash cow. Their owners reaping the full benefits.
It wasn't until 1969 when Curt Flood started the ball rolling by getting courts and politicians involved that something changed.
Now, the players make the money that owners used to put in their coffers. It was a change for baseball. But the game itself, was virtually unchanged. It was the players who now changed uniforms more frequently that changed.
Why do I bring this up?
Baseball's owners benefitted for 79 years by not flaunting their exempt status. They knew they were walking a thin line.
Getting one politician or judges nose out of place was to be avoided at all costs.
They knew the drawbacks.
For 35 years, fantasy sports walked that same line. Quietly, fantasy baseball grew and flourished. Most folks content that those in the hobby were just sports geeks.
Harmless.
Then, two companies threw fantasy sports in the faces of John Q. Public. There wasn't a television show that did not have an ad about millions of dollars being won in geekdom. These ads caught the attention of all the wrong people.
Politicians and eventually,judges.
Now, it has become a battle of an industry walking a thin line vs. politicians. And some in the fantasy industry rail and rant and can't believe how stupid these politicians are when it comes to fantasy sports.
Of course they're stupid when it comes to this subject.
They don't know fantasy sports.
Yet, these two companies put them in the position to act.
Politicians do not react well to problems such as this. They don't want to do the 'right thing'.
They want to make money for their district or do what is best to receive more votes during the next election.
The actual solving of the problem is secondary, really.
If politicians wanted to do the right thing, there would be seat belts for children in school busses, not for those in planes.
Just think about how stupid that is for a moment!
In Washington, the biggest lobby usually wins.
Hopefully, fantasy sports lands on its feet like baseball did.
Already, some of the money is trying to be siphoned from these two large companies into states hands.
Hopefully, that will be the extent of the damage to fantasy sports.
After what these two companies started, we can consider that a win.
When the smoke clears, we are all just hoping that like baseball, fantasy sports still stands and exists.
Baseball was granted immunity from this act for 'the bests interest of the game. This prevented players from taking their talents elsewhere once their usual one year contracts were finished. This was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1922 when a rival league sued baseball.
The Supreme Court ruled that baseball was 'amusement' and not interstate commerce.
In hindsight, a silly ruling. Although the sport of baseball, in itself is amusement, it was still a business.
When other sports such as football, basketball, and hockey flourished, they copied baseball. It was not questioned for years except for a few athletes who 'held out'. Most of these athletes eventually signed and did not bring action before courts.
Professional sports knew they had a cash cow. Their owners reaping the full benefits.
It wasn't until 1969 when Curt Flood started the ball rolling by getting courts and politicians involved that something changed.
Now, the players make the money that owners used to put in their coffers. It was a change for baseball. But the game itself, was virtually unchanged. It was the players who now changed uniforms more frequently that changed.
Why do I bring this up?
Baseball's owners benefitted for 79 years by not flaunting their exempt status. They knew they were walking a thin line.
Getting one politician or judges nose out of place was to be avoided at all costs.
They knew the drawbacks.
For 35 years, fantasy sports walked that same line. Quietly, fantasy baseball grew and flourished. Most folks content that those in the hobby were just sports geeks.
Harmless.
Then, two companies threw fantasy sports in the faces of John Q. Public. There wasn't a television show that did not have an ad about millions of dollars being won in geekdom. These ads caught the attention of all the wrong people.
Politicians and eventually,judges.
Now, it has become a battle of an industry walking a thin line vs. politicians. And some in the fantasy industry rail and rant and can't believe how stupid these politicians are when it comes to fantasy sports.
Of course they're stupid when it comes to this subject.
They don't know fantasy sports.
Yet, these two companies put them in the position to act.
Politicians do not react well to problems such as this. They don't want to do the 'right thing'.
They want to make money for their district or do what is best to receive more votes during the next election.
The actual solving of the problem is secondary, really.
If politicians wanted to do the right thing, there would be seat belts for children in school busses, not for those in planes.
Just think about how stupid that is for a moment!
In Washington, the biggest lobby usually wins.
Hopefully, fantasy sports lands on its feet like baseball did.
Already, some of the money is trying to be siphoned from these two large companies into states hands.
Hopefully, that will be the extent of the damage to fantasy sports.
After what these two companies started, we can consider that a win.
When the smoke clears, we are all just hoping that like baseball, fantasy sports still stands and exists.