United States v. NFL

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

116 F.Supp 319 (1953)

Relevant factsFree

The NFL (defendant) allowed teams to contract for broadcasting their games but prohibited broadcasting into other teams' home territories, including a rule barring an outside game's broadcast into a home territory when that home team was playing away. The government (plaintiff) sued, alleging the restriction violated § 1 of the Sherman Act.

IssueFree

Whether a reasonable restraint of trade violates § 1 of the Sherman Act.

Holding & reasoning

The court resolved the question by applying the controlling rule to the facts and explaining precisely why the outcome followed. Its reasoning ties the doctrine to the record so you can reproduce the analysis on an exam.

Procedural history, concurrence & dissent

This section traces the case from the trial court through appeal and lays out how each opinion lands. Separate writings sharpen the majority's limits and flag the arguments most likely to resurface in class.

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