An Act to amend the antitrust laws to authorize leagues of professional football, baseball, basketball, and hockey teams to enter into certain television contracts, and for other purposes
PL 87-331 (H.R.9096), enacted 09/30/1961

!r32 
PUBLIC LAW 87-331-SEPT. 30, 1961 
[75 ST A T . 
September 30,1961 
ta. R. 9096] 
Public Law 87-331 
AN ACT 
To amend the antitrust laws to authorize leagues of professional football, base-
ball, basketball, and hockey teams to enter into certain television contracts, 
and for other purposes. 
i o n 
sports contests. 
T e l e v i s i o n 
agteements. 
15 u s e 12. 
15 VSC 58. 
Limitation. 
Football games. 
Antitrust laws. 
"Persons.»» 
Savings clause. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That the antitrust 
laws, as defined in section 1 of the Act of October 15,1914, as amended 
(38 Stat. 730), or in the Federal Trade Commission Act, as amended 
(38 Stat. 717), shall not apply to any joint agreement by or among 
persons engaging in or conducting the organized professional team 
sports of footoall, baseball, basketball, or hockey, by which any league 
of clubs participating in professional football, baseball, basketball, 
or hockey contests sells or otherwise transfers all or any part of the 
rights of such league's member clubs in the sponsored telecasting of 
the games of football, baseball, basketball, or hockey, as the case may 
be, engaged in or conducted by such clubs. 
SEC. 2. Section 1 of this Act shall not apply to any joint agreement 
described in section 1 of this Act which prohibits any person to whom 
such rights are sold or transferred from televising any games within 
any area, except within the home territory of a member club of the 
league on a day when such club is playing a game at home. 
SEC. 3. Section 1 of this Act shall not apply to any joint agreement 
described in section 1 of this Act which permits the telecasting of all 
or a substantial part of any professional football game on any ^Friday 
after six o'clock postmeridian or on any Saturday during the period 
beginning on the second Friday in September and ending on tne sec-
ond Saturday in December in any year from any telecasting station 
located within seventy-five miles of the game site of any intercollegi-
ate football contest scheduled to be played on such a date if— 
(1) such intercollegiate football contest is between institutions 
of higher learning both of which confer degrees upon students 
following completion of sufficient credit hours to equal a four-year 
course, and 
(2) such intercollegiate football contest and such game site 
were announced through publication in a daily newspaper of gen-
eral circulation prior to March 1 of such year as bemg regularly 
scheduled for such day and place. 
SEC. 4. Nothing contained in this Act shall be deemed to change, 
determine, or otherwise aifect the applicability or nonapplicability 
of the antitrust laws to any act, contract, agreement, rule, course of 
conduct, or other activity by, between, or among persons engaging in, 
conducting, or participating in the organized professional team sports 
of football, baseball, basketball, or hockey, except the agreements to 
which section 1 of this Act shall apply. 
SEC. 5. As used in this Act, "persons" means any individual, partner-
ship, corporation, or unincorporated association or any combination 
or association thereof. 
SEC. 6. Nothing in this Act shall aifect any cause of action existing 
on the effective date hereof in respect to the organized professional 
team sports of baseball, football, basketball, or hockey. 
Approved September 30, 1961.