Prominent Senate Republicans Roll Out Plan to Deal a Serious Blow to Major League Baseball
Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Mike Lee of Utah are sponsoring a bill to eliminate Major League Baseball’s antitrust exemption after the league pulled its All-Star Game out of Georgia.
The three Republican senators cited Major League Baseball’s decision to pull the All-Star game out of Georgia in response to a recently passed state law to strengthen voting safeguards as the reason for introducing the legislation.
Specifically, the bill will “end MLB’s special immunity from antitrust laws,” according to a media advisory.
Sens. Cruz, Hawley and Lee to announce legislation to end MLB’s anti-trust exemption today (the exemption is the result of a 1920s SCOTUS ruling) pic.twitter.com/j4abTRBfBU
— Allan Smith (@akarl_smith) April 13, 2021
“What prompted this legislation being introduced was Major League Baseball’s decision to pull the All-Star Game out of Atlanta, Georgia,” Cruz said at a news conference.
The Texas Republican added that MLB’s decision was based on “a pile of lies.”
“The legislation Georgia passed expanded early voting in Georgia. It also required identification to vote,” he said.
Cruz pointed out that anyone picking up tickets for an MLB game at the will call ticket booth would have to show identification.
“So Major League Baseball understands the value of identification, and they apparently don’t think they’re being bigoted racists when they ask you for a driver’s license to pick up your tickets,” he said.
“But they decided to play politics with voting and elections in Georgia.”
Sen. @tedcruz: “Major League Baseball understands the value of identification and they apparently don’t think they’re being bigoted racists when they ask you for a driver’s license to pick up your tickets. But they decided to play politics with voting and elections in Georgia.” pic.twitter.com/D3G175oTAu
— The Hill (@thehill) April 13, 2021
MLB’s antitrust exemption came from a 1922 Supreme Court case that held the sport was not engaged in interstate commerce, so it is exempt from the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, Politico reported.
In an interview Monday with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Hawley said the legislation “would put the American people back in control of their democracy and no longer these megacorporations.”
“We got to remember what our founders knew, which is that monopolies and liberty are not compatible,” the Missouri Republican said.
“No corporation should be so big and so powerful that it can control the political process, that it can override the will of the voters.”
Monopoly and liberty don’t go together. No corporation should be so big and so powerful that it can override the voice of the people. We need a new trust busting agenda, from MLB to #BigTech pic.twitter.com/wgs8uoEcd5
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) April 13, 2021
He added, “Freedom is protected when there is competition, not when there is monopoly.”
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