Players Call NFL a 'Cartel' in Court Filing

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By AMY FORLITI

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - NFL players who sued the league for alleged antitrust violations liken the league to a "cartel" in their latest court filing, again urging an appeals court to lift the lockout.

In arguments filed in the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, just minutes before Friday's midnight deadline, attorneys for the players reiterated their argument that the NFL has violated antitrust laws. They also argued the lockout has imposed immediate, career-ending threatening harm on players and may deprive the public of the 2011 professional football season.

"The players face immediate, continuing, severe irreparable injury from unlawful conduct orchestrated to force them to re-unionize against their will and make immense financial concessions," the players' attorneys wrote. "The NFL, by contrast, claims only a temporary loss of leverage by members of a cartel that is no longer entitled to any exemption from the antitrust laws."

The longer the fight over how to divvy up $9 billion in annual revenue drags on, the closer the league and players get to missing games. The first preseason game is Aug. 7, with the regular season opener between the Saints and Packers set for Sept. 8 in Green Bay, Wis.

Read more: http://sports.excite.com/news/05212011/v4417.html

[cstanleytech]

1. I am not sure if the whole antitrust attack will work.

I could of course be wrong since I know little of how the whole franchise thing works for the varies sports but if the players feel that they are being mistreated why dont they just take their talent and pool their money to start their own football league?

[provis99]

7. they could argue the NFL has a natural monopoly.

All other attempts to set up rival leagues to the NFL have failed.

[FLPanhandle]

2. Smells of desperation on the players part

Not looking good for them.

[Dreamer Tatum]

3. A cartel they benefit from, without doubt

If there were credible competing leagues, salaries would fall. That "cartel" restricts entry and increases rents for all participants.

Nice try, players.

[NoGOPZone]

4. Complete nonsense. Educate yourself on the bidding wars

of the sixties between the NFL and AFL and the eighties with the NFL and the USFL. You can start here

http://assets.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/usflmain/1517981.html

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/news/2001/01/22/afl_history_2/

[Dreamer Tatum]

5. And how many leagues are there now?

Oh yeah...

[NoGOPZone]

6. I see you can't address the point made. nt

[On the Road]

8. A Major Reason the NFL and AFL Merged

were because salaries were going through the roof. It happened to a lesser extent with the USFL.

The NFL definitely meets the requirements for a cartel, or group monopoly. There's nothing wrong with a monopoly per se, but there are restrictions on how the teams can act.