Reviewing My "2018 Sports Law Hot Topics to Watch" Predictions

Congratulations, y'all. We made it through 2018! Per our usual routine here on the Sports Law Blonde blog, let’s review the 2018 sports law hot topic predictions I made back in January to (a) see whether there has been any ground made, & (b) if not, speculate on why that might be the case. So, I straight up copy-and-pasted my previous blog post and added my new comments and wisdom at the end of each section in this type style.

LET'S DO THIS.

Per usual, I would like to make my predictions regarding what topics I believe will be extra sizzlin' in 2018, but I will do so in a slightly different way. Here are brief descriptions of what each topic is, some insight as to why I have it on my predictions list, and who you can pay attention to for the latest news, updates, and analysis throughout the upcoming year:

On This Day in Sports Law History: August 3, 1949

Not only is it the One True G.O.A.T.'s 40th birthday today (S.O. to Tom Brady - Happy Birthday!) but it is an important day in sports law history.

Happy 68th Birthday, NBA! Here's to another year closer to Space Jam becoming real.

On August 3, 1949, the Basketball Association of American merged with the National Basketball League to create the National Basketball Association. Today, we recognize the NBA as the major men's professional basketball league in North America (not just the United States since the league has been international since conception) and, dare I say it, the premier men's professional basketball league in the world! *GASP* So, let's take a look at the parent leagues which birthed the product bearing the world's highest paid athletes (based on average player salary per player).

StubHub May Have Found the "Golden Ticket" in the Contest for the Resale Ticket Market

EBay-owned ticket reseller StubHub announced that it is filing suit against Ticketmaster Entertainment, Inc., the nation's primary ticket seller for sporting and entertainment events, and the NBA's Golden State Warriors, the team that some boast is now "clearly, clearly the best team in the league" and may have this season's MVP as its leader. In the complaint filed on Monday, StubHub alleges that Ticketmaster and the NBA team engaged in "unfair and illegal anti-competitive business practices that prevents the fans from deciding how they want to resell their tickets and which artificially drives up ticket prices." You can read the full complaint here at your own pleasure.

I know what you are thinking. How can a company and a team prevent fans from reselling tickets in the secondary market where StubHub operates, especially when Ticketmaster is mostly known for operating the initial sale of the team's tickets in the primary market?