Southpaw 28: Georgia, Georgia

The whole game’s through.

Dear readers, 

Last week, we previewed the legal arguments in NCAA v. Alston, the latest challenge to the NCAA’s compensation rules to make it before the Supreme Court. The Court heard oral arguments in the case on Wednesday, and folks, it did not look too good for our friends at the NCAA. 

Patrick Hruby Presented By YOUR BRAND HERE @patrick_hruby

The NCAA's lawyer, in my unprofessional legal opinion, has been getting absolutely pantsed

For a comprehensive synopsis, check out Alex Kirshner’s piece, “The Supreme Court Might Be Ready to Smack Down the NCAA,” in Slate. In summary, it does not portend well for the NCAA’s case that Brett Kavanaugh, not exactly known for crusading moral sensibility, expressed concern for the NCAA’s “exploitation of athletes,” or that Clarence Thomas, the grumpiest and most staunchly pro-business justice, expended precious breath on a challenge to the league’s argument. The Court is expected to hand down a decision in June, and we’ll be waiting with bated breath. 

In other news, the two of us have been in a deep depression since the Opening Day match-up between our two beloved teams, the Mets and the Nationals, got canceled because a bunch of Washington’s players somehow contracted the coronavirus. We have, however, been slightly buoyed by MLB's decision to move its All-Star Game out of Georgia as a result of new voter suppression laws passed last week by the state legislature. But before we congratulate Major League Baseball for becoming a bastion of progressivism, let’s remember what’s really behind the league’s decision:

Full Dissident @hbryant42

Before this becomes about the players, it is important to stay focused on the original root of this: MLB has decided the Trump election fraud narrative and Georgia’s subsequent legislative pander to it is kryptonite to business.

Full Dissident @hbryant42

Just got off the phone with MLB/MLBPA sources who all confirmed the same thing: MLB’s decision to move was the result of corporate sponsor pressure. It was NOT the result of a player-threatened boycott. The players did not even vote on the issue.

As we’ve written before about the fight over racist mascots, leagues and teams rarely do the right thing in the absence of a clear financial incentive to do so. It’s worth remembering that, contrary to what the New York Times says, there are no “activist” businesses—there are just businesses, and Major League Baseball is one of them. Though this reality might not warm your heart, it does at least present a clear path forward for progressive causes: apply as much financial pressure on corporate sponsors as possible. 

Below, we’ve compiled some of the headlines that helped us get through this weird week. 

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RODNEY’S ROUNDUP 

Do you want to read about… 

. . . the NCAA’s corporate excess? “The financial burden on NCAA sports wears wingtips, not sneakers,” by Sally Jenkins in The Washington Post (April 2, 2021). 

. . . how name, image, and likeness (NIL) legislation would benefit women’s basketball players? “Eight of the 10 most-followed NCAA Elite 8 basketball players are women,” by Kendall Baker in Axios (March 29, 2021). 

. . . the USWNT’s new foray into racial justice activism? “Champions already on multiple fronts, the USWNT has taken up a new fight: Racial equality,” by Caitlin Murray in Yahoo! Sports (March 30, 2021). 

. . . the importance of taking sexual assault allegations about one of the NFL’s rising stars seriously? “The Deshaun Watson allegations are excruciating, but we must not look away,” by Jerry Brewer in The Washington Post (March 30, 2021). 

. . . legal gender discrimination in college sports? “The Title IX Loophole That Hurts NCAA Women’s Teams,” by Maggie Mertens in The Atlantic (April 1, 2021).

. . . the now-out-of-date moral conundrum facing the MLB? “Will MLB Celebrate Jackie Robinson While Holding Its All-Star Game In Georgia?” by Dave Zirin in The Nation (March 31, 2021).