MLB CASE STUDY

After reading the Collusion in Major League Baseball Case from our textbook, respond to the following prompts in one to four sentences:

Based on the information in the case (and as of the cases date, 1988-1990)

  • According to the cases description, during the following periods did collusion exist between MLB owners and, if so, was it tacit or explicit (briefly describe why)?
    • In the offseason preceding the 1985 season
    • In the offseason preceding the 1986 season
    • In the offseason preceding the 1987 season
    • In the offseason preceding the 1988 season
  • Why might Major League Baseball be at risk if there is not explicit collusion, but there is tacit collusion (i.e. not communicated between owners, nor through the commissioners office)?
  • Which industry attributes affected the likelihood of successful collusion in Major League Baseball (see Table 7.6) and how so?
    • Additional information: Between 1984 and 1988, there were 26 MLB teams. New teams could not be added without approval of existing teams owners, andMajor League Baseball had limited ability to prevent other parties in its supply chain from working with other leagues (in baseball or in other sports)
  • How are the ethical implications of collusion in Major League Baseball similar and/or dissimilar from other examples of collusion (specific as given by the textbook, or in general as described by the textbook)?