The hearing in the case of American Needle v. National Football League could be one of the most important sports law cases in US history, according to Professor Michael McCann of Vermont Law School in the US, as reported by Bloomberg.
The hearing centres on a claim by American Needle Inc which calls into question the effect on competition of the NFL's exclusive agreement with Adidas brand Reebok to sell clothing bearing team logos. American Needle lost its right to sell team caps in 2000, when the Reebok agreement began.
Major League Baseball is the only US professional sports league to have obtained exemption from US antitrust laws.
