Players v. League - Battling the Sports Monopolies (Part 2)
An interview with James W. Quinn
CLE Credit — Approved in 4 States
Professional team sports leagues in the U.S. have historically operated as monopolies, unchecked by many of the antitrust laws applicable to most other industries. Team owners employed reserve clauses that gave them complete control over a player' s career, restricting the player's autonomy in trades. James Quinn, of Berg & Androphy, who has represented the professional sports players' associations, explains the major developments over the past half-century that have chipped away at the reserve systems and established free agency in sports.
Watch Part 1 of Players v. League—Battling the Sports Monopolies.
About James W. Quinn
“Salaries skyrocketed, and people took notice. They started to realize that competition was a good thing. ”
James W. Quinn serves as "of counsel" at Berg & Androphy. Prior, he worked at Weil, Gotshal & Manges for over 40 years where he was the head of the Litigation Department for two decades. He also served in firm management as a member of the management committee. He has represented many Fortune 500 companies as both plaintiff and defense counsel. Among his high-profile representations, he served as lead trial counsel for NFL players in their antitrust suit against the NFL (McNeil v. NFL). He has counseled and represented players associations in MLB, the NFL, the NBA, the NHL, and Major League Soccer. Among many honors and wards, he was selected as one of the top ten trial lawyers in the country by The National Law Journal in 1993 and 2004. He has been consistently ranked a leader in sports law by Chambers USA since 2005.
