Going Deep with The Nats

You all might remember Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game is a book written by Michael Lewis that was published in 2003 about Billy Beane the GM of the Oakland A’s.  The book was turned into a movie that was released in 2011 where Brad Pitt played Beane.

Why not a book about the MASN lawsuit? That’s exactly what a DC lawyer named Charles H. Martin, J.D., M.B.A. thought.  If you have followed the MASN history, you know it is a drama playing out in real-time.

Our first question to Charles Martin was to find out what motivated him to turn this MASN debacle into a book?

“First, I am a Nats fan. My grandfather was a Griffith Stadium vendor for thirty years. My father took me to see the Senators at DC/RFK Stadium.

Second, I negotiated and drafted corporate contracts for thirteen years. Then, I taught contract law full-time at two law schools for four years. I wrote academic articles on contracts that were popular. I wrote a big, long book on contracts (“Every1’s Guide to Electronic Contracts”) that was probably too academic to be popular. I plan to split it into several smaller and easier-to-digest books for the general public.

Third, the timing was right for me to write this book. I had finished my previous book in early 2014, and I was looking to apply the lessons I learned from that experience when I heard that the Orioles were trying to vacate the MLB arbitration results in a New York state court.

Fourth, I blog and I post on social media about contract law and its effects on small businesses, consumers and employees. Arbitration and non-compete agreements are two topics that recur regularly. Arbitration is at the heart of the MASN lawsuit. Non-compete agreements are indirectly involved through the history of the MLB antitrust exemption, and the now-defunct player reserve clause.”

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