Title: Save American Baseball Act
Policy area: Commerce

Summary:
Save American Baseball Act
This bill removes the limited exemption from the antitrust laws for persons in the business of organized professional baseball. For purposes of this bill, the term antitrust laws means laws to protect against unlawful restraints and monopolies (Clayton Act) and to protect against unfair methods of competition (Federal Trade Commission Act).

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3833 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3833

         To end the antitrust safe harbor for baseball cartels.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 14, 2022

  Mr. Sanders introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
         To end the antitrust safe harbor for baseball cartels.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Save American Baseball Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Major League Baseball is an organization controlled by 
        a number of billionaires who are more concerned with increasing 
        their wealth and profits than with strengthening our national 
        pastime.
            (2) Recently, Major League Baseball has exploited its 
        monopoly control over America's pastime and hurt players, 
        families, and communities to increase their already high level 
        of profits.
            (3) In December 2021, Major League Baseball locked players 
        out and refused to bargain in good faith in an attempt to break 
        the players' union.
            (4) In March 2022, Major League Baseball threatened players 
        with a delay of the 2022 baseball season to force them into an 
        unfair contract deal.
            (5) The actions of Major League Baseball have not only 
        threatened players, but also the livelihood of thousands of 
        stadium workers and communities across the United States.
            (6) In 2021, Major League Baseball revoked the affiliation 
        of more than 40 Minor League Baseball teams, causing needless 
        economic pain and suffering and breaking the hearts of fans in 
        small- and mid-sized towns all over the United States.
            (7) Rising Major League Baseball ticket prices are 
        increasingly unaffordable for working class families.
            (8) The anticompetitive grip of Major League Baseball on 
        the sport, its players, its workers, and its communities must 
        end.

SEC. 3. DEFINITION.

     In this Act, the term ``antitrust laws''--
            (1) has the meaning given the term in subsection (a) of the 
        first section of the Clayton Act (15 U.S.C. 12); and
            (2) includes section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act 
        (15 U.S.C. 45) to the extent that such section applies to 
        unfair methods of competition.

SEC. 4. PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL SUBJECT TO ANTITRUST LAWS.

    (a) Removal of Exemption.--Persons in the business of organized 
professional baseball shall not be exempt from the antitrust laws.
    (b) Repeal.--Section 27 of the Clayton Act (15 U.S.C. 26b) is 
repealed.
                                 <all>