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8 Prof. Sports & L. 1 (2017-2018)

handle is hein.journals/profsptla8 and id is 1 raw text is: Route To: / / PROFESSIONAL SI March-April 2017* Volume 8, Issue 1 and the Teams Look to Increased Netting at Ballparks to Mitgate Risk By Christopher Calnan longstanding lawhas protected profes- sional baseball from litigious injured fans, but teams are increasingly taking measures to guard against the unsavory optics produced by errant balls and bats. The so-called Baseball Rule shields teams and puts the onus on baseball fans to take responsibility for their safety while attending games. Yet changes to ballparks have narrowed the distance between play- ers and spectators so risk-conscious teams are installing additional protective netting. From a legal standpoint, the courts generally rule in favor of the park owners. In November 2016, a U.S. District Court judge of the Northern District of Cali- fornia dismissed a class action lawsuit in- volving Major League Baseball seeking additional safety netting at ballparks. The complaint was prompted by two MLB fans injured in separate incidents at both the Oakland Coliseum and Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium. Judge Gonzalez Rogers ruled that MLB's evidence produced no credible or immediate threat that the Oakland A's fan would be hit by a foul ball See TEAMS LOOK on Page 20 Browns Employ Creative Use of NFL Salary Cap For Future Success By Benjamin L. Rouder and Gregg E Clifton na league well known for the copycat tendencies among its franchises, the Cleveland Browns may have set a new Na- tional Football League (NFL) standard for evaluating and completing trades. After flirting with a 0-16 season in 2016, the Browns entered the offseason with a re- cord $100+ million in cap space. The NFL's mandatory salary floor requirement would have forced the Browns to spend at least 89% ofthat amount on players' salaries. The team's unmatched spending power placed them in position to leverage their financial flexibility to potentially sign multiple free agent players to help reinvent the franchise. In sharp contrast, while the Houston Texans finished the 2016 season with a 9-7 record, winning theAFC Southbefore losing in the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, the team entered the offseason with the seventh small- est cap space to sign players, only about $25 million. Numerous NFL pundits suggested that the remaining three years ofquarterback Brock Osweiler's (Osweiler) four-year $72 million contract would be an albatross that would hinder the Texans' ability to improve andmoveforward as aSuper Bowl contender. The immediate needs of both teams created the perfect opportunity for the type of trade that is frequently seen within the salaried cap structure of the National Basketball Association (NBA), but never See BROWNS EMPLOY on Page 7 Legal Expert Believes Rich Will Get Richer in DFS lndustry23 ABA Sports Division Appointments New Officers 24 COPYRIGHT C 2017 HACKNEY PUBLICATIONS (HACKNEYPUBLICATIONS.COM)

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