Gus Bilirakis: “I rise to support S. 53, the Curt Flood Act, which gives major league baseball players the same rights other…”

“I rise to support S. 53, the Curt Flood Act, which gives major league baseball players the same rights other professional athletes have under antitrust laws. As a longtime proponent of lifting baseball's antitrust exemption, I have sponsored bills in the past to lift this exemption completely as it applies to all aspects of baseball's business. Although the bill we are considering now is more limited in scope, it is an important first step in correcting a seven decade-old mistake. Federal antitrust laws prohibit businesses from taking actions that ``unreasonably'' constrain interstate commerce. However, many years ago Major League Baseball was singled out for a complete exemption from America's antitrust laws by the Supreme Court. The Court said baseball was an amusement and not a business, exempting it from antitrust laws. This exemption created a monopoly for baseball and established artificial barriers to league expansion. It sent the wrong signal to Americans that baseball did not have to comply with our country's antitrust laws. In 1972, the Supreme Court called the situation an ``anomaly'' and an ``aberration'' which Congress should remedy. A 1976 report by the House Select Committee on Professional Sports concluded that there was no justification for baseball's special exemption. Unfortunately, no action was ever taken. Mr. Speaker, baseball has seen a resurgence since the dark days of the 1994 strike.…”