Mississippi school district accuses sports brands of price fixing

Hancock County School District accuses industry leaders and local retailers of forming a cartel to fix the costs of sporting equipment.(CN) — In an eye-popping lawsuit on Thursday, a Mississippi school district accused several sports equipment suppliers of violating federal antitrust law with a scheme to rig bids for sporting equipment.In a class-action complaint filed in Mississippi, the Hancock County School District claimed that popular brands like Riddell Sports Group and BSN Sports — along with retailers including Hibbett, Sports Center and Rex Team Sports — were fixing the prices of goods and services sold to public schools in the state.Under Mississippi law, school districts are required to use a bidding process for equipment and services when the costs are between $5,000 and $75,000.From 2010 through 2023, equipment providers coordinated their bids, thus rigging the process, Hancock County School District argues.Deciding among themselves on the lowest and winning bidder, “defendants submitted bids with intentionally inflated prices that were designed to appear competitive,” the school district said in its complaint. It said these bids “were not genuine offers” and were instead “submitted to deceive the districts into believing that a competitive process had occurred.”The school district highlighted numerous sales professionals with Riddell, BSN Sports, Rex Team Sports and other companies who it said had pleaded guilty to violating the Sherman Act during the class period.Courthouse News reached out to the companies named in the class action for comment but did not receive responses before press time. The school district’s attorney, Don Barrett, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Both Riddell and BSN Sports are massive brands. Riddell manufactures and distributes football equipment and is identified as an industry leader in the class action. BSN Sports is also a titan in its own right, marketing and distributing sporting apparel and equipment to more than 150,000 university, high school, middle school and recreational program customers.Based on the claims, other class members may include any number of the 137 public school districts in Mississippi.Hancock County School District has requested the case be tried by jury. It is seeking damages worth three times the amount it was injured, though exact amounts have not yet been disclosed.For years, the rising costs of youth sports has been the subject of numerous articles and think pieces. In a report last year, the nonprofit Aspen Institute found families spent 46% more on youth sports in 2024 compared to 2019. With its lawsuit, Hancock County School District places at least some of the blame on what it describes as a sports equipment cartel in Mississippi.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads