USFL v. NFL
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
842 F.2d 1335 (1988)
The United States Football League (USFL) (plaintiff), after losing nearly $200 million in its first three years playing a spring schedule, moved to a fall schedule but folded after failing to secure a network television contract; it sued the NFL (defendant), alleging its long-standing, non-exclusive contracts with CBS, NBC, and ABC monopolized network television in violation of § 2 of the Sherman Act. A jury found the NFL had technically violated § 2 but awarded only $1.00 in damages and rejected the USFL's core theory that the NFL had denied it access to network television; the USFL appealed.
Whether the National Football League's contractual agreements with three television networks violate § 2 of the Sherman Act.