Legally, the problem is that it is not one company with legitimate outside competitors, it is 32 separate companies that work together to reduce outside competition. That is like if Walmart, Target, Kohls, Home Depot, Lowes, Dollar General, Rite Aid, CVS, Walgreens, Dollar Tree, etc all got together and discussed the importance of none offering sick leave. They are supposed to compete, in theory, and in return for the degree to which they don't (like the salary cap) it is supposed to be negotiated with the players.

But alas, as a fan, guaranteed contracts are not my problem. The salary cap is my problem, because without it, the Super Bowl is LA vs NY most years, or other big markets, and we are the Drays or something.

Legally, the problem is that it is not one company with legitimate outside competitors, it is 32 separate companies that work together to reduce outside competition. That is like if Walmart, Target, Kohls, Home Depot, Lowes, Dollar General, Rite Aid, CVS, Walgreens, Dollar Tree, etc all got together and discussed the importance of none offering sick leave. They are supposed to compete, in theory, and in return for the degree to which they don't (like the salary cap) it is supposed to be negotiated with the players.

But alas, as a fan, guaranteed contracts are not my problem. The salary cap is my problem, because without it, the Super Bowl is LA vs NY most years, or other big markets, and we are the Drays or something.

It is a hybrid that isn't as clear cut as your example. Depending on the circumstance it can be 32 separate divisions of the same company. All teams fall under the NFL Corporate umbrella, so much so that the NFL decides how many teams there (limits competition), how much they are allowed to pay (salary cap), which cities get them, and who gets to own them. Not apples to apples with your comparison.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that the NFL and its teams must be treated as 32 independent businesses, particularly for antitrust and licensing purposes, according to multiple legal news sources. While the teams collaborate to operate the league (this collaboration is what is being called collusion), they are ultimately separate, profit-maximizing entities.

If they had a meeting to blanket raise ticket prices that is collusion as the public is getting screwed. Guaranteed contracts have nothing to do with the public, that is an internal union issue between the employers and the employees.

It is convoluted to say the least, almost as if at some point, congress had a hand in forming the NFL and granting cities and teams (which it did).

Is it a better analogy if the NCAA is used instead, the NIL being what's resulted in a long legal battle from the players' suits vs the NCAA? While the NFL has a union, what's to stop a certain player from doing what transpired with the NCAA? It's clear DW set a precedent, one that owners don't want to become common place. Yet we see the 2nd rounders vying for guaranteed contracts, including our very own Tyler Shough. DW and 2nd rounders have created a trickle with guaranteed contracts. Is it inevitable like it is with the NBA now? What special player will have the balls to sue?

And btw, Chuckie Gruden still has a pending suit against the league and RG. Surely, there's collusion there too, neaux?

In what way is Gruden's situation collusion? He is suing because of leaked emails that showed examples of "racist, sexist, and homophobic language". That has nothing to do with collusion. It has everything to do with defamation of character, instead.

Is it a better analogy if the NCAA is used instead, the NIL being what's resulted in a long legal battle from the players' suits vs the NCAA? While the NFL has a union, what's to stop a certain player from doing what transpired with the NCAA? It's clear DW set a precedent, one that owners don't want to become common place. Yet we see the 2nd rounders vying for guaranteed contracts, including our very own Tyler Shough. DW and 2nd rounders have created a trickle with guaranteed contracts. Is it inevitable like it is with the NBA now? What special player will have the balls to sue?

And btw, Chuckie Gruden still has a pending suit against the league and RG. Surely, there's collusion there too, neaux?

It is a hybrid that isn't as clear cut as your example. Depending on the circumstance it can be 32 separate divisions of the same company. All teams fall under the NFL Corporate umbrella, so much so that the NFL decides how many teams there (limits competition), how much they are allowed to pay (salary cap), which cities get them, and who gets to own them. Not apples to apples with your comparison.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that the NFL and its teams must be treated as 32 independent businesses, particularly for antitrust and licensing purposes, according to multiple legal news sources. While the teams collaborate to operate the league (this collaboration is what is being called collusion), they are ultimately separate, profit-maximizing entities.

If they had a meeting to blanket raise ticket prices that is collusion as the public is getting screwed. Guaranteed contracts have nothing to do with the public, that is an internal union issue between the employers and the employees.

It is convoluted to say the least, almost as if at some point, congress had a hand in forming the NFL and granting cities and teams (which it did).

The way I understand it, anti-trust and collusion are not limited to the public or the consumer. For example, business ethics trainings I have taken have been very clear that it is a potential violation to discuss contractor bids with a competitor, such as agreeing that neither company will offer a bid below a certain amount, or neither company will accept a bid over a certain amount. Monopoly power does not just allow a company or colluding companies to exploit consumers, it allows them to demand lower bids where their contractors can barely break even, offer higher bids that other companies have to pay because they have no other options, and pay lower salaries to workers because there is no threat of a competitor poaching their staff. Many of the big complaints about companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Microsoft have centered around what they have done to other companies, not directly to consumers, and sure maybe many don't care, but it really sucks for small business owners if Amazon or Walmart suddenly demand they wholesale at a loss or lose 90% of their sales, or Microsoft copies they product and preinstalls the copy on 90% of new computers.

The NFL is convoluted as it can do things many companies can't. For example it is very illegal for competing companies to agree to 'territories' so that each can have its own local monopoly, but obviously NFL teams can. But home teams are a part of sports, so the government allows that exception.

When you say that guaranteed contracts are an issue between the employers and employees you may be right. But it depends whether by the employer you mean the NFL or independent teams. If it is between the NFL and the teams it is supposed to be a part of the union agreement, but the union agreement does not address guaranteed contracts currently. Since its not in the union contract, its supposed to be up to each individual team. But if groups of teams are pressuring each other separately from the union contract, to make secret side rules, that is potentially collusion, because its happening in secret not in open labor and employer negotiations.