U.S. High Court Declines Appeal On Fantasy Sports

Wall Street Journal ^ | 3 June 2008 | MATTHEW FUTTERMAN

[shrinkermd]

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declared open season for fantasy-sports companies.

The high court effectively ended a three-year legal battle when it rejected an appeal from Major League Baseball and its Players Association that, if successful, could have given professional sports leagues the ability to control the lucrative fantasy-sports business. Instead, the court's decision solidifies the rights of fantasy-sports companies to run their businesses without having to buy licenses from the major sports leagues or their players' unions anymore.

The Supreme Court ruled that fantasy-sports companies aren't required to pay for licenses from leagues or players' unions.

Fantasy sports began to take off in the early 1980s, when groups of baseball fans began putting money in a pot, forming leagues and selecting players to be on their pretend teams. The team with the players that produced the best statistics won.

[Psycho_Bunny]

p0wna6e

[FormerACLUmember]

Stupid inane gaming, greedy anti-free speech “athletes,” honest majority on SCOTUS.

[1rudeboy]

Eeckssellent.

[Lokibob]

OK, so now I am free to run my Iditarod race fantasy league.

.....Bob

[Vigilanteman]

In taking on the fantasy-baseball operators, and losing, MLB has likely cost every pro sports league millions of dollars. All the leagues had been getting fees from fantasy operators.

Serves them right. Fundamentally, this is no different that fantasty stock trading in a high school business class. If any corporation tried to collect royalties for using their name in these exercises, the case would be laughed out of court.

What part of the concept of public domain do they not understand?

[pnh102]

At least one branch of government is still sane. I am glad the Supreme Court declined involving itself in this BS issue.

[Minn]

I personally know dozens of fantasy football enthusiasts. Can’t say I’ve ever known of anybody involved in fantasy baseball.

[vamoose]

MLB, et al, ought to be thankful for the fan interest fantay sports leagues have created, rather than trying to horn in on any profits. The legacy of clueless Bud Selig is still growing.