Pennsylvania Attorney General Henry joins bipartisan coalition calling on SCOTUS to review MLB antitrust exemption

HARRISBURG (KDKA) – Pennsylvania is now part of a movement urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review Major League Baseball’s antitrust law exemption. 

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry joined the bipartisan coalition of 17 other attorneys general that are claiming the exemption unfairly eliminated 40 minor league baseball teams including the Williamsport Crosscutters and the State College Spikes in 2020. 

A century-old U.S. Supreme Court ruling exempts the MLB from complying with state and federal antitrust laws. In 2020, the two Pennsylvania teams were among several that lost support from the league and with it, their ability to compete for minor and major league players. 

“In any other business, these actions would be considered illegal, so we feel obligated to close a legal loophole that gives unprecedented powers to Major League Baseball,” Attorney General Henry said. “Sporting events and venues are community entertainment hubs as well as economic engines, so many Pennsylvanians felt the impact of these wide-ranging cuts.”

The bipartisan coalition is arguing that the exemption should be reversed and highlights the powerful economic and cultural role minor league baseball has in small towns across the United States. 

Pennsylvania joins 17 other attorneys general – Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia – which was spearheaded by Connecticut AG William Tong.