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15 UCLA Ent. L. Rev. 87 (2008)
No Trust at the NFL: League's Network Passes Rule of Reason Analysis

handle is hein.journals/uclaetrlr15 and id is 101 raw text is: No Trust at the NFL: League's Network Passes Rule of Reason Analysis James J. LaRocca* I. INTRODUCTION ............................................ II. THE SHERMAN ACT § 1 APPLIES To THE NFL's C A SE ..................................................... 90 A. The NFL Cannot Assert a Single-Entity Defense ..... 90 B. The Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 Does Not Ex- em pt the N FL ........................................ 91 III. THE NFL's CASE REQUIRES A FULL-BLOWN RULE OF REASON TEST ............................................ 92 IV. THE NFL's PLAN IS PRO-COMPETITIVE .................. 96 A. Broader Public Access to a Small Number of G am es ............................................... 96 B. No Additional Cost .................................. 99 C. The NFL's Plan is Necessary for the Network's Survival .............................................. 102 V . CONCLUSION ............................................. 104 I. INTRODUCTION Last Thanksgiving, the NFL Network (the Network), a new tele- vision station, exclusively televised its first of eight football games for the 2006-2007 season.1 Unfortunately, thousands missed the premiere because three of the country's largest cable companies-Time Warner Cable, Cablevision Systems Corp., and Charter Communications (the * Associate, Jackson Lewis, LLP; J.D., Boston University School of Law, 2007; B.S. Cor- nell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, 2004. Thanks to Professors Michael C. Harper and Keith N. Hylton. 1 George M. Thomas, Cable Snag Blacks Out NFL Game, AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, Nov. 21, 2006, at Sports.