According to a suit filed in federal court in Manhattan, Anheuser-Busch signed a renewal agreement with the MLB but weeks later an MLB official demanded an "exponentially higher" fee because there had been a "change in marketplace dynamics", thus refusing to sign a formal contract. Anheuser-Busch says the MLB's reaction directly resulted from a May announcement that the company also was becoming the official beer sponsor of the National Football League.
"Anheuser-Busch has spent decades, and millions of dollars, building the reputation and goodwill of Budweiser and the other Anheuser-Busch brands with these fans," the lawsuit said. "Their loss would be unquantifiable."
Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser brand has sponsored the MLB for more than 30 years and is the official beer sponsor to 26 of the league's 30 teams. Bud also owned the St. Louis Cardinals franchise until 1996, and is still naming rights at the team's Busch Stadium ballpark.
The company has asked a federal judge to declare the April agreement binding and block MLB from negotiating with any other brewer.
