Draft legality question

[SoapyCy]

A draft pick can only negotiate with the team that drafts him. If he doesn't that team is usually compensated with good picks for the following year. How is this legal under labor laws? Don't employees have the right to negotiate with any employer they desire?

Is the NFL/MLB, etc a single employer or is each team their own entity?

Why wouldn't a player challenge this in court?

 

[Mr Janny]

A draft pick can only negotiate with the team that drafts him. If he doesn't that team is usually compensated with good picks for the following year. How is this legal under labor laws? Don't employees have the right to negotiate with any employer they desire?

Is the NFL/MLB, etc a single employer or is each team their own entity?

Why wouldn't a player challenge this in court?

Professional sports enjoy some special exemptions from Federal Anti-Trust laws. The franchises of the NFL are not viewed, legally, as competitors, nor are they really viewed as partners either. It's a special status that they have.