The Effect of Baseball's Antitrust Exemption and Contraction on Its Minor League Baseball System: A Case Study of the Harrisburg Senators

After the 2001 season, Major League Baseball ("MLB") Commissioner Bud Selig announced that two teams would be contracted.This announcement renewed interest in professional baseball's antitrust exemption.'Although previous contraction was reported, Commissioner Selig's official announcement predictably triggered a host of congressional reactions.2 One reaction was from the late Senator Paul Wellstone, who introduced a bill to repeal baseball's immunity with respect to the elimination or relocation of major league teams.3 His bill illustrated that interest in the antitrust exemption remains as the debate over contraction lingers.4 Senator Wellstone's bill was designed to curtail baseball's antitrust exemption.5 The introduction of this bill caused considerable * Stanley M. Brand, Esq., is a founding principal of Brand & Frulla, P.C., a Washington, D.C. based civil and criminal litigation firm.Since 1992, he has also served as Vice President of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues Inc., the governing body of Minor League Baseball