Save American Baseball Act

Bill: 117-s-3833
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
Introduced: 2022-03-14
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Sports and Recreation
Latest action: action_date: 2022-03-14
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Summaries:
action_date: 2022-03-14
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Save American Baseball Act</strong></p> <p>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 <em>antitrust laws</em> means laws to protect against unlawful restraints and monopolies (Clayton Act) and to protect against unfair methods of competition (Federal Trade Commission Act).</p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 3833 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Save American Baseball Act . 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. 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. 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.