United States v. International Boxing Club of New York/Dissent Minton

by Sherman Minton

United States Supreme Court

348 U.S. 236

United States  v.  International Boxing Club of New York

 Argued: Nov. 10, 1954. --- Decided: Jan 31, 1955

Mr. Justice MINTON, dissenting.

To make a case under the Sherman Act, two things among others are essential: (1) there must be trade or commerce; (2) such trade or commerce must be among the States.

In the Federal Baseball case, 259 U.S. 200, 42 S.Ct. 465, 66 L.Ed. 898, this Court held that baseball was not trade or commerce. It said, 'personal effort, not related to production, is not a subject of commerce', and since the baseball game was an exhibition wholly intrastate, there could be no trade or commerce among the States. 259 U.S. 200, 209, 42 S.Ct. 465, 466.

In the Baseball case, this Court held that traveling from State to State to play the game and all the details of arrangements were incident to the exhibition. In Toolson v. New York Yankees, Inc., 346 U.S. 356, 74 S.Ct. 78, 98 L.Ed. 64, we did not overrule the Federal Baseball decision; in fact, we reaffirmed the holding of that case.

When boxers travel from State to State, carrying their shorts and fancy dressing robes in a ditty bag in order to participate in a boxing bout, which is wholly intrastate, it is now held by this Court that the boxing bout becomes interstate commerce. What this Court held in the Federal Baseball case to be incident to the exhibition now becomes more important than the exhibition. This is as fine an example of the tail wagging the dog as can be conjured up.

We are not dealing here with the question of whether the appellees have restrained trade in or monopolized the radio and television industries. That is a separate consideration. What others do with pictures they are allowed to take of a wholly local spectacle or exhibition by thereafter using the channels of interstate commerce to exhibit them does not make a package deal. The appellees have nothing to do with the transmission of sound or the pictures. Because these incidents are not directly involved, no effort was made to bring the radio and television companies and the sponsors into the case.

The Court says: 'The conspiracy, it is claimed, began in 1949 with an agreement among the defendants and Joe Louis, then heavyweight champion of the world, that Louis would resign his title, that he would procure exclusive rights to the services of the four leading title contenders in a series of elimination contests which would result in the recognition of a new heavyweight chamption, that he would also obtain exclusive rights to broadcast, televise, and film these contests, and that he would assign all such exclusive rights to the defendants.' Of course, there was at the time only one champion, Joe Louis. He had a monopoly on that, and while he got it by competition, he did not get it in trade or commerce. I do not suppose that Joe Louis had to go back into the ring and be walloped to a knockout or a decision before he could surrender his championship. And if he arranged with four other fellows to fight it out in elimination contests for the championship and no one else was restrained from doing the same, it is difficult for me to see how there was any conspiracy. If other promoters wanted to start an elimination contest they were free to do so. Whether they received public acceptance depended upon something other than trade or commerce. What does a boxer or athlete have for sale but 'personal efforts, not related to production,' which, as Justice Holmes said, is not commerce? Such services they may contract about free from any control of the Sherman Act. Suppose the appellee did, as the Court states, control what the parties called all but two of twenty-one championship contests, what trade or commerce have they restrained?

As I see it, boxing it not trade or commerce. There can be no monopoly or restraint of nonexistent commerce or trade. Whether Congress can control baseball and boxing I need not speculate. What I am saying is that Congress has not attempted to do so. If there is a conspiracy, it is not one to control commerce between the States.

Notes