The NFL and the Supreme Court
So, I was listening to the news on my way home today and it turns out the NFL is going to the supreme court today. They have been sued by....American Needle, I think, for giving all the rights for NFL merchandise exclusively to Reebok.
So here's the deal, as I understand it. American Needle says it's 30+ separate entities and putting all of their merchandising rights in one place constitutes a monopoly cabal.
NFL says it is an umbrella organization under which the different teams exist because of the need to have different teams to play against each other. I'm sure their lawyers have a much better way of saying it but I'm in a hurry.
While the NFL spokespeople are staying mum, a smart thing to do when you are in the middle of a lawsuit, the spokesdude for the NBA put in his two cents. His point is the NFL competes with the NBA, NHL, and baseball.
American Needle thinks this is ridiculous. Someone looking for a Redskins hat is not going to be happy with a Nationals hat. That people are advertised to by the team, that the jags are playing not that there is an NFL game on Sunday (although, they maybe ought to check it out around here, we may not prove their point).
So what do you think? Is the NFL a collection of hamburger joints like McDonald's and Burger King? Or are the teams different products of the same thing, like Pepsi and Mtn Dew?
I've pondered it a little, and I think that American Needle is wrong in their above argument. If you were looking for a hat for your local professional football team and it was more expensive than you were looking for, the average sports-loving person is much more likely to buy a hat for the local basketball or baseball team than a hat for a different football team. I don't know which side that works better for, but I think it does show that they are competing more against the other sports than the other teams, at least in terms of merchandise.
Thoughts?
So here's the deal, as I understand it. American Needle says it's 30+ separate entities and putting all of their merchandising rights in one place constitutes a monopoly cabal.
NFL says it is an umbrella organization under which the different teams exist because of the need to have different teams to play against each other. I'm sure their lawyers have a much better way of saying it but I'm in a hurry.
While the NFL spokespeople are staying mum, a smart thing to do when you are in the middle of a lawsuit, the spokesdude for the NBA put in his two cents. His point is the NFL competes with the NBA, NHL, and baseball.
American Needle thinks this is ridiculous. Someone looking for a Redskins hat is not going to be happy with a Nationals hat. That people are advertised to by the team, that the jags are playing not that there is an NFL game on Sunday (although, they maybe ought to check it out around here, we may not prove their point).
So what do you think? Is the NFL a collection of hamburger joints like McDonald's and Burger King? Or are the teams different products of the same thing, like Pepsi and Mtn Dew?
I've pondered it a little, and I think that American Needle is wrong in their above argument. If you were looking for a hat for your local professional football team and it was more expensive than you were looking for, the average sports-loving person is much more likely to buy a hat for the local basketball or baseball team than a hat for a different football team. I don't know which side that works better for, but I think it does show that they are competing more against the other sports than the other teams, at least in terms of merchandise.
Thoughts?