Why the NFL is Classified as Sports Entertainment from GLP

I grew up indoctrinated into football and the NFL.  It is just another deception of this place. 

The Nfl Has A License To Play Sports?

The NFL, a major professional sports league in the United States and Canada, is considered a form of sports entertainment, with the primary focus being on competitive sports. Its legal status does not matter, as it is legal to fix the outcomes of sports in the US as long as it is for entertainment purposes and not for sports. The NFL has an Anti-Trust Exemption to the law granted to it by President John F. Kennedy, which allows the NFL to classify itself as “sports entertainment” business. This classification allows the NFL to legally influence game outcomes, similar to the WWE, and can legally fix the outcome of games.

The NFL’s media rights deal is the biggest in the U.S., at $111 billion over 11 years. In 2000, the NFL’s teams agreed that each team would license its trademarks and logos exclusively to a jointly-selected monopoly licensee, and that no team would license its trademarks and logos exclusively to a jointly-selected monopoly licensee. The NFL is recognized as a “sports entertainment” business, like the WWE, and they can legally fix the outcome of games.

In court, the NFL has defined itself as a Sports Entertainment Business, as argued when the Jets fans sued the New England Patriots and the NFL for allegedly influencing game outcomes. The NFL’s legal status as a “sports entertainment” business serves as a catalyst for introspection, reform, and a renewed dedication to the timeless nature of sports.

[link to sportslawblogger.com (secure)]

The 2010 Court Case Behind the NFL’s “Sports Entertainment” Argument

In 2010, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit decided Mayer v. Belichick, a case stemming from the New England Patriots' “Spygate” scandal.

Carl Mayer, a New York Jets season-ticket holder, sued Bill Belichick, the Patriots and the NFL after the Patriots were caught illegally videotaping opposing teams' signals. Mayer argued that fans purchased tickets with the reasonable expectation that they were paying to watch an honest football game conducted according to NFL rules. He sought approximately $184.8 million in damages on behalf of affected ticket holders.

The court rejected that argument.

The central issue became what an NFL ticket actually promises the person buying it. The court determined that Mayer's legally protected interest extended to receiving admission and a seat from which to watch the scheduled NFL game. Because he was admitted and the Jets and Patriots actually played football, that contractual obligation had been fulfilled.

In other words, purchasing an NFL ticket did not give the fan a legally enforceable guarantee that every NFL rule would be followed or that the game would be free from cheating.

The court ultimately stated:

“At best, [Mayer] possessed nothing more than a contractual right to a seat from which to watch an NFL game between the Jets and the Patriots, and this right was clearly honored.”

The ruling drew upon earlier law concerning tickets to both sporting and entertainment events, including the principle that a ticket generally functions as a license allowing the purchaser to enter the venue and observe the event.

This case is consequently often cited in arguments that professional football is legally closer to sports entertainment than many fans realize. The important distinction, however, is that the court did not order the NFL to reclassify itself as “sports entertainment,” nor did it rule that the NFL may legally script or predetermine games.

What Mayer v. Belichick actually established was narrower but still significant: an NFL ticket does not constitute a contractual promise that the purchaser will witness a perfectly fair or rule-compliant contest. The purchaser is principally buying the right to enter the stadium and watch the game that takes place.

That distinction is the real legal legacy of the 2010 case—and the source of many later claims that the NFL is legally treated as “entertainment.”