Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Media & Entertainment Law Blogs -> Sports Law Blog

Media & Entertainment Law

: Sports Law Blog

MLB players and replay

By Rick Karcher, Michael McCann, Geoffrey Rapp, Greg Skidmore, and Howard Wasserman

According to a poll of 100 Major League players: 77% oppose the use of replay on the base paths, 62 % oppose it on fair/foul calls, and 86 % said Bud Selig was correct not to retroactively award Armando Galarraga a perfect game.

What do we do with this information as we consider the increasing use of replay? Should the players' views receive some consideration and even a certain deference? After all, they have the most directly and immediately on the line with a blown call (despite what fans of the team may believe). My speculation, by the way, is that players accept umpire mistakes because they believe that, on average, the disadvantages from bad calls even out over the course of a long season or even series. In other words, just as many bad calls will go for us as against us, so why change.

Full post as published by Sports Law Blog on June 13, 2010 (boomark / email).