Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/335047 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
Ilmenau Economics Discussion Papers No. 205
Publisher: 
Technische Universität Ilmenau, Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre, Ilmenau
Abstract: 
Commercial sports belong to the biggest entertainment industries in the world and, at the same time, are regularly raising antitrust concerns. This is partly due to the omnipresence of powerful market-internal regulators. These sport governing bodies set, implement, and enforce the rules and additionally engage in commercial activities. In a series of four judgments within less than a year, the European Court of Justice found (potential) antitrust violations in cases of deterring market entry, distorting competition, and exploiting players. This contribution adds economic comments to the predominantly legal literature on these judgements. It concludes that despite important steps in the right direction, more antitrust enforcement is necessary to protect competition in this unique entertainment industry vis-à-vis the presence of market-internal, private regulators. Next to limiting their scope (where the court provided progress), also the incentives for anticompetitive conduct must be addressed.
Subjects: 
sport markets
sport governance
competition policy
antitrust
sports associations
institutions
market-internal regulators
European Court of Justice
competition economics
sports economics
JEL: 
K21
L40
L50
L83
Z20
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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