After an antitrust lawsuit was filed on Wednesday alleging teenage major junior hockey players are exploited, Ken Campbell discusses the context.
A general view of a puck on the ice.An antitrust lawsuit was filed in New York federal court on Wednesday against the CHL and the NHL on behalf of plaintiffs, including two former WHL players.
Among the allegations include teenage players receiving minimal compensation for full-time labor and no compensation for using their names, images and likenesses.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
But lawsuits take time and money. And the fact of the matter is that even if this lawsuit were to be successful, it might not effect significant change in the hockey landscape. That’s because some of these actions have been successful in the court of law, but where the players and representatives have been stopped in their tracks are in provincial and state legislatures. One need look no further than the fact that major junior hockey players are considered “student athletes” and not employees, which allows junior hockey operators to pay the players far less than minimum wage.
If the provincial and state lawmakers continue to craft legislation that is sympathetic to those who run junior hockey, those who have been fighting for players’ rights might continue spinning their wheels.
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