Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons^™

The Green Bay Packers are an oft-misunderstood organization — not in the decisions that the Packers make, but in their legal status and structure. Scholars, commentators, and even the general public refer to the Packers as “community-owned.” While this characterization is true — to a degree — the specifics of this unique ownership structure in professional sports have never been comprehensively documented and analyzed. Perhaps this is the reason that some political pundits have termed the Packers “socialists.” However, such commentators also seem to not fully appreciate the historical development, and contemporary understanding, of this social, economic, and political ideology. …

Like most businesses, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has suffered significant negative impacts from the Great Recession. The league's drop in revenue exposed distinct flaws in the NBA's current business model and in the terms of employment for NBA players. Due to the precarious economic state of the NBA, the league anticipates a contentious, but necessary, renegotiation of the NBA's collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which will expire at the end of the 2010-11 season. This article will analyze the effects of the Great Recession on the NBA and the likely implications for the renegotiation of the CBA. Part II of …