Business of Baseball Resources
On this page you can find documents related to the business of baseball, made available by the SABR Business of Baseball Committee. These files include MLB collective bargaining agreements, labor lawsuits and legislation, antitrust hearings, performance-enhancing drug memos and Congressional testimony, and other documents.
Click on a link below to download the PDF file.
Labor
Agreements and Settlements
- 1970 Basic Agreement
- 1976 Basic Agreement
- 1981 Settlement memo
- 1985 Settlement memo
- 1990-93 Basic Agreement
- 1997-2001 Collective Bargaining Agreement
- 1997 MLBPA Benefits plan
- 2002-2006 Collective Bargaining Agreement
- 2005 MLBPA Agents regulations
- 2007-2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement
- 2012-2016 Collective Bargaining Agreement
- 2012-2016 CBA Summary
- 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement
- 2022 Joint Drug Agreement
- 2022-2026 Collective Bargaining Agreement
Labor Lawsuits
- 1882: Allegheny Base Ball Club v. Bennett
- 1894: Baltimore Baseball Club v. Pickett
- 1915: Federal League case files
- 1978: Finley v. Kuhn
- 1996: USA v. Indians
- 2004: Gionfriddo v. MLB
Labor Legislation
Executives
- The 12-Year Rain Delay: Why a Change in Leadership Will Benefit the Game of Baseball
- Executive Succession, Organizational Performance, and Charisma
Antitrust
Franchise Issues
Franchise Territory and Names
- 1971: Portland Baseball Club v. Kuhn
- 1974: Portland Baseball Club v. Kuhn
- 2005: Anaheim v. Orange County opinion summary
- 2005: Anaheim v. Orange County appeal opinions
2004 Montreal Expos move
- Montreal Expos minority owners complaint, 2000
- Commissioner statement on Expos partners, 2002
- Washington, DC Memo of Understanding, 2002
- Washington, DC Stadium Agreement, 2004
- Anacostia ballpark forecast, 2004
- Washington, DC lease, 2005
- Non-relocation agreement (draft), 2005
Moves and Sales
General Finance
- 2000 Blue Ribbon Report
- 2004: An Economic Evaluation of the Moneyball Hypothesis (Hakes/Sauer)
- 1994-2003 MMAC Milwaukee Brewers Audit
- 2004 Milwaukee Brewers Audit
- 2004 Milwaukee Brewers Limited Scope Review
Media Lawsuits
Other Lawsuits and Files
- 1912: “The Business of Baseball,” McClure’s
- 1946: League Report
- 2002: Popov v. Hayashi
- 2005-2006: Major League Constitution
- 2006: Astros v. CIGNA
- 2011: SABR Business of Baseball research webinar
- 2024: MLB Report on Pitcher Injuries
Performance-Enhancing Drugs
Drug Hearings
- Report on Investigation Into Rafael Palmeiro’s March 17, 2005 Testimony Before the Committee on Government Reform
- S.1960, 190th Congress; Integrity in Professional Sports Act
- Steroid Hearings, 109th Congress
- Brower testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Slides from Brower testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Bunning testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Canseco testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Davis opening statement, 2005 steroid hearings
- Fehr testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Garibaldi testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Hooton testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Letter from Davis and Waxman to Selig and Fehr regarding 2005 steroid hearings
- McGwire testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Palmeiro testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Pellman testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Schilling testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Selig testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Sosa testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Thomas testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Volkow testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Wadler testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
- Waxman testimony, 2005 steroid hearings
Drug Lawsuits
Drug Memos
19th Century League and Team Resources
- The 19th Century League and Team Resources Project, organized by SABR’s Nineteenth Century Committee, aims to collect all available pre-1900 baseball documents and make them available online to future researchers. The collection includes dozens of documents from the National League’s founding in 1876 to the NL’s final season as a sole major league in 1900. It also includes National Agreements for most seasons, American Association Constitutions from 1882 to 1891, early club constitutions and rules dating back to the 1845 Knickerbocker Rules, and more.