Sport and Antitrust Law

Abstract

This chapter explores the relationship between sports and different types of competition, legal and actual possibility to apply competition, particularly antitrust, laws to sports, primarily to the sphere of professional sports and sports industry. The commercial and non-commercial components, yet linked to the interests of profit, in modern professional sports entails certain applicability of competition law to the field of sports. However, excessively strict application of antitrust laws can lead to devastating consequences for all types of sports or sports in general. Therefore, it is important to take into account specific characteristics of the sport sphere (more than any other sphere of activity). This is important when deciding on the application of competition law to this sphere or withdrawal of this sector from the application of competition law. Nature and inherent specific features of professional sports activities and sports in general have a significant impact on the application of competition law. Economic competition in the field of sport is atypical. The authors give their definitions of “sport,” “competitiveness in the sport,” “commercial competition in the field of professional sports,” “autonomy of sports,” “sports monopsony,” “sports monopoly,” and “sports oligopoly.”