Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/171346 
Year of Publication: 
2017
Series/Report no.: 
Ilmenau Economics Discussion Papers No. 109
Publisher: 
Technische Universität Ilmenau, Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre, Ilmenau
Abstract: 
Practices and conducts in professional and even amateur sports can be subject to competition laws as soon as commercial activities are involved. From an economic perspective, this implies that both directly commercial activities like the sale of broadcasting/media rights and indirectly commercial activities like defining and enforcing the rules of the games can be hit by competition policy interventions. Setting and enforcing the rules of the game is an activity with commercial effects because it influences attractiveness and marketability of the sports in question. After discussing fundamental issues, this contributions reviews selected landmark cases in sports competition policy from an economic perspective. This includes the U.S. baseball antitrust exemption, access rules to Judo tournaments, sale systems of media rights in European football as well as a unique combination of long-run exclusivity contracts, skewed allocation of common revenues, and special influences on rule-setting by some competitors in Formula One motor racing. Eventually, the areas of state aid to football clubs and mergers in Danish football are sketched.
Subjects: 
sports economics
antitrust
competition policy
baseball
judo
football
soccer
motor racing
formula one
media rights
sports broadcasting
competitive balance
cartels
abuse of dominance
JEL: 
K21
L40
Z20
L83
L82
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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