Full Description
Baseball and law have intersected since the primordial days. In 1791, a Pittsfield, Massachusetts, ordinance prohibited ball playing near the town's meeting house. Ball games on Sundays were barred by a Pennsylvania statute in 1794.
In 2015, a federal court held that baseball's exemption from antitrust laws applied to franchise relocations. Another court overturned the conviction of Barry Bonds for obstruction of justice. A third denied a request by rooftop entrepreneurs to enjoin the construction of a massive video screen at Wrigley Field.
This exhaustive chronology traces the effects the law has had on the national pastime, both pro and con, on and off the field, from the use of copyright to protect not only equipment but also "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" to frequent litigation between players and owners over contracts and the reserve clause. The stories of lawyers like Kenesaw Mountain Landis and Branch Rickey are entertainingly instructive.
Contents
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Baseball Origins and Club Teams, 1791-1865
2. Professionalization and the Rise of Leagues, 1866-1902
3. The National Commission Era, 1903-1920
4. Landis in Charge, 1921-1944
5. Owners on Top, 1945-1965
6. MLBPA and the Rise of the Players, 1966-1995
7. Selig, Steroids and Baseball Prosperity
Appendix A: A Selective List of Lawyers Involved with Baseball
Appendix B: A Selective Chronology of the Black Sox Scandal
Appendix C: A Selective Black Sox Bibliography
Chapter Notes
Bibliography 258 delete delete
Index of Cases and Statutes
Subject Index
