The Oakland A’s continue to appear in the news, not so much for their on the field performance but rather the continued machinations over their relocation to Las Vegas and eventual move into a new stadium. Very recently the Kansas City Royals made the headlines following the defeat of a voter referendum on partial funding of a new facility. These teams are not alone in their quest for a new home. Several other Major League Baseball franchises are currently looking to either upgrade or replace their venues.
MLB STADIUM MODERNIZATION: IS THERE A BETTER WAY?
PART 2: NFL HISTORY & ITS EVOLVING APPROACH
The first installment of this series described the pursuits of eight MLB clubs to build a new ballpark or upgrade an existing one and the challenges they faced in obtaining public financing. In each situation Commissioner Rob Manfred’s involvement was chronicled. The searches of the A’s and Rays for a new stadium preceded Manfred’s tenure by nearly a decade. His predecessor Bud Selig’s approach appeared to be different – less individualized and more global. Selig publicly raised the prospect of “contraction” of multiple teams with substandard attendance. New facilities seemed to largely resolve his concerns, but ultimately the League did acquire the Montreal Expos, move them to Washington DC and then sell the franchise to a new ownership group. While it was clear that organization was floundering, smaller market clubs took note of the precedent. After Manfred became Commissioner in 2015 he had numerous matters to tend to, but early on he displayed a more hands-on manner through his tours of MLB ballparks. Once a new CBA was finalized he assumed an increasingly visible and vocal position with respect to those markets in need of a new venue where taxpayer support was sought. That public approach continues to this day.
MLB STADIUM MODERNIZATION: IS THERE A BETTER WAY?
PART 3: MLB, NFL COMPARISON; RECOMMENDED CHANGES
This series began with a description of Major League Baseball franchises looking to replace or upgrade their ballparks. Highlighted were the challenges faced in Oakland and Tampa Bay. How Commissioner Rob Manfred has approached stadium issues in these situations was chronicled. In addition, a newer MLB lending program for venue construction was summarized. The second installment of this article looked at the experience of pro football in dealing with venues since the NFL-AFL merger. For two decades the NFL confronted franchise movement prompted by subpar facilities. As taxpayer subsidies became increasingly controversial the League began to incrementally support private financing. At first the NFL’s initiatives were directed at use of the visiting team share of gameday revenue (“VTS”) as a funding source. Soon its efforts expanded with the adoption of a facilities lending program, which evolved over time and led to a wave of new venues. Finally, the second part examined the NFL’s process for selecting competing stadium development proposals in Los Angeles and the resultant team relocations. This final segment will compare the approaches of the two leagues and provide recommendations on how MLB can improve how it handles stadium modernization.
SINGLE-ENTITY STRUCTURE
Elevating Player Quality To Achieve Profitability
On June 21, 2021, US Supreme Court issued its opinion in the Alston case striking down the NCAA’s restrictions on education-related benefits offered to student-athletes. Legislation in several states regarding athlete name, image and likeness (“NIL”) recently went into effect. While the Alston decision did not directly address NIL, the opinion expressed clearly that the NCCA is not exempt from antitrust law. The NCCA has finally removed its prohibitions against online endorsements, appearances and sponsorships.
“ALLOCATION MONEY” AND OTHER MLS ROSTER RULES– HOW TEAMS LIKE INTER MIAMI CAN ADD TOP TALENT
With the headline news this past summer of Lionel Messi signing with a Major League Soccer franchise, it was easy to overlook that Inter Miami signed several additional international players.
In 2020 Major League Baseball (“MLB”) faced major financial and labor challenges in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to a first pitch being thrown, MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association (“MLBPA”) had open disputes on various subjects including the number of games to be played and how to prorate compensation for an abbreviated season.