Which of the following is an example of a sports league rule that has faced antitrust litigation for being overly restrictive?

• A. All of the above
• B. Rules preventing franchise relocation
• C. Free agency rules
• D. Player draft rules

Answer: (D)

Antitrust analysis in sports often targets rules that restrain how players can trade their labor or how talent moves between teams. A draft is a prime example because it forces amateur players into a fixed relationship with teams, giving clubs the first claim to a player’s services in a structured, non‑competitive way. This replaces the normal market competition that would determine where a player signs and at what terms, limiting free bargaining and suppressing salaries. Courts scrutinize drafts as restraints on the market for players’ services, even though leagues may defend them as a tool to maintain competitive balance and preserve fan interest.

The other rules touch on related restraints, but they do not stand out as clearly and routinely litigated as anti‑competitive in the same way the draft has been. Franchise relocation rules and free agency rules have their own legal and policy debates, but the draft remains the classic example of a league rule challenged for overly restricting competition in the labor market.