Bernie Sanders to Introduce Legislation Seeking to Strip MLB of Antitrust Exemption
Sen. Bernie Sanders will continue his fight against Major League Baseball even after the new collective bargaining agreement was reportedly settled upon Thursday, via ESPN's Jeff Passan.
Sanders vowed to introduce antitrust legislation against MLB:
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"It would be wrong for Congress to simply celebrate today's agreement and move on. We must prevent the greed of baseball's oligarchs from destroying the game. The best way to do that is to end Major League Baseball's antitrust exemption and I will be introducing legislation to do just that."
He joins Sen. Dick Durbin, who also said Wednesday it was time to "reconsider" MLB's exemption.
Major League Baseball is exempt from the United States' Sherman Antitrust Act based on a Supreme Court ruling in 1922. It allows teams to operate as a monopoly in the industry.
Sanders has been highly critical of MLB's practices for several years, calling out commissioner Rob Manfred for proposing cuts to minor league baseball in 2019 and noting his disappointment in 2021 when dozens of teams were dropped.
"This is about greed – plain and simple," Sanders tweeted.
Earlier this month, the senator called on the wealthy owners to end the lockout:
The MLB lockout finally ended after 99 days, as the sides reached an agreement that will seemingly salvage a 162-game season in 2022. It still seems Sanders isn't satisfied with the situation and will take aim at baseball's governing body through legislation.
