MLB players union files lawsuit against DraftKings & FanDuel over 'Flagrant' NIL violations

The MLB Players' Association sued major betting sites DraftKings, Fan Duel, Underdog and UK's bet365 for allegedly using baseball players' Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) without their consent. The union filed four separate complaints in federal courts in Philadelphia and Manhattan.

The MLBPA lawsuit was filed because the sites allegedly used the names and images of baseball players not for the purpose of news or reporting but for their own promotional gains.

The MLBPA is tasked with taking on private companies that use players' information and do not give compensation for the same. In this case, the MLBPA, through its business arm MLB Players, has asked for punitive damages alongside compensation.

As per the association, players have the sole right to their NIL rights and therefore should be compensated for the same.

"For professional athletes, the ability to control the commercial use of their names, images, and likenesses is a crucial return on their substantial career investment," the players said (per ESPN).

All four private organizations - FanDuel, DraftKings, Underdog and bet365 - did not comment. There wasn't any additional comment from the side of the MLBPA as well.

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MLBPA says baseball players getting different treatment

Recently, the NFL sued DraftKings for allegedly using their players' NIL on non-fungible tokens without compensation. The MLBPA referenced that in its complaint, but noted that using players' images on sportsbooks is misleading as users could get the idea that those players support gambling.

In this regard, their stance was that an individual on a betting site is not required to look at a baseball player's image to place a bet. Core statistics are enough to determine whether someone like Bryce Harper or Pete Alonso will hit a home run during a game.