As we told you about last June, American Needle, a Buffalo Grove clothing company that spent decades making hats for the NFL, finds itself in the middle of a U.S. Supreme Court antitrust case that may have far-reaching implications for how sports business is conducted. Oral arguments begin today in American Needle v. NFL, the culmination of a legal battle that began with American Needle's unsuccessful 2004 suit of the NFL and Reebok following their 2001 licensing agreement for all official NFL apparel, a contract that wiped out the previous agreements between the NFL and smaller companies like American Needle. The subsequent appeal with the Seventh Circuit Court was also unsuccessful, so now American Needle demans satisfaction with SCOTUS. So then why did the NFL also request SCOTUS hear the case? more ›

Like many around the city, we thought it was a nice gesture to see basketball legend Michael Jordan pay a visit to the United Center Friday night to root on the Blackhawks. Interestingly enough, though, it seems that the Blackhawks jersey he's wearing is a custom-made one: team officials sewed a red patch over the Reebok logo. It's not really clear whether Jordan is contractually forbidden from displaying another logo or if it's a personal choice on his part. It's certainly not the first time this has happened. And not that we're surprised either. And, sure, maybe it's a minute detail to be focused on, but as several other blogs that have picked up this story have already said, it speaks to the continual entangling of sports and business. What's next? Ads on bases? Oh, wait... [Puck Daddy, via Deaspin] more ›