Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons^™

Forming A Single Entity: A Recipe For Success For New Professional Sports Leagues, Karen Jordan

Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law

This Note begins by introducing some of the more recently founded professional sports leagues, identifying their background and single-entity structures. It then provides a general background of antitrust issues in sports, followed by explanations of the possible defenses, including the single-entity structure. Next, it discusses Fraser as a potential landmark case for professional sports leagues, showing how its lessons contribute to the current mode of antitrust analysis. Finally, this Note illustrates why single-entity structuring may be essential for leagues in their infancy, but of little use to well-established professional sports leagues.