Challenge upheld: The Tipline for 14 August 2019

Purchasers of DirecTV’s “NFL Sunday Ticket” broadcast package sued the National Football League, its 32 franchises and the satellite television provider in 2015, alleging their “all-or-nothing” game bundling violated antitrust laws. A federal district court dismissed their lawsuit a few years later, but the plaintiffs reached into their sweaty sock, pulled out a red challenge flag and threw it towards the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. After a lengthy replay review, the appellate court reversed the ruling on the field. Now, the plaintiffs are back on the gridiron, but the endzone is still a long way away.