NFL

Standing Room Only: The Limited Consumer Market for Ticket Sales

/ Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts / Leave a comment

sold outBy Alex Bullock

Many sports and music fans find it difficult or expensive to get tickets to see their favorite team or band play live. Consumers face the challenge of finding an available ticket, and the tickets they do find are often more than what they are willing to pay. It almost feels like the system is built to favor ticket sellers and resellers. Enter New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman.

Schneiderman recently released a 43-page report entitled Obstructed View: What’s blocking New Yorkers from Getting Tickets that criticizes the ticket sales practices of sports and entertainment companies as unfair and deceptive. The report primarily focuses on consumer access to tickets. Continue reading →

Negotiation, Arbitration, Deflation: Tom Brady’s Appeal Yet Another Fourth Quarter Comeback for Labor Unions

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Deflategate PictureBy Grady Hepworth

What is there left to do for someone with four Super Bowl championships, two Super Bowl MVP awards, ten Pro Bowl selections, and who recently became the fourth NFL player in history to throw for over 400 touchdowns in a career? On September 3, 2015, Tom Brady added another accomplishment to his résumé: groundbreaking legal precedent.

In a controversial United States District Court decision, the Honorable Judge Richard Berman overturned a penalty imposed upon the New England Patriots’ quarterback, Tom Brady, through an arbitration mandated by the National Football League’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Although the NFL has appealed the judgment (the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has coincidently scheduled the hearing for the week of Super Bowl 50), the district court’s decision has far-reaching implications. For Patriots fans, the decision likely provides hope that another championship title looms on the horizon. However, for the legal world, the district court’s decision may have significantly shifted the balance of power under the NFL CBA. Continue reading →

NFL Cheerleaders: restricted heavily and paid minimally

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buffalo-bills-buffalo-jills-sports-illustrated

By Talia Loucks

Being a cheerleader for a winning football team like the Seattle Seahawks or the Denver Broncos sounds like a lot of fun: exciting games, screaming fans, and trips to the Super Bowl. But for the teams that are not winning any titles, the cheerleaders do not have much to cheer about. On top of cheering for a team with a losing record, many of these cheerleaders are barely even compensated for their time.

Minimum compensation may seem reasonable to the average fan: these cheerleaders get to be on the field at every game. Many want this position, and many are turned down. That should be enough for these women, right? Well, taking a closer look at the requirements shows that the NFL cheerleaders are restricted in a number of ways: the gaining of a couple pounds can result in suspension, many of the squads must pay for their own uniforms, and some are even encouraged to have plastic surgery. Additionally, cheerleaders must rehearse for long hours and participate in charity events and publicity events. All of this, plus any travel time for playoffs can make having a regular 9-5 job very difficult. Continue reading →