Have you ever wondered why Major League Baseball is exempt from antitrust legislation or why the federal government is always threatening to remove their exemption? Or why other leagues are treated differently than baseball, and what they must do to survive? If so, this is the podcast for you as today we deep dive one of the most important and influential laws in sport history… the Sherman Antitrust Act. Beginning with a brief history of the gilded age in America (2:30), we then move to introduce the origins of the Sherman Antitrust Act (19:55), before breaking down its legal components (28:30). From there we examine key cases filed against Major League Baseball (38:43), the National Football League (48:54), and Major League Soccer (56:10), focusing on how the courts have applied the law to various situations and how each decision shaped the future structure and operations of professional sports. So, if you are interested in learning more about how the actions of billionaires like Cornelius Vanderbilt and John D. Rockefeller shaped the laws in the late 1800s, and the effect of those laws on sports today just sit back relax and enjoy this episode of The Sport Professor Podcast.