A team of CRA Competition economists advised counsel to the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) to defend against claims by a rival organization that two bylaws enacted by the PRCA were anticompetitive. CRA economist Andrew Dick provided written and trial testimony in the US District Court for the Northern Division of Texas on the bylaws which relate to competing rodeo associations and PRCA membership and events. The rival organization, the Elite Rodeo Athletes (ERA), sought a preliminary injunction to bar the PRCA from implementing its bylaws, claiming they excluded competitors and harmed professional cowboys. The PRCA is a non-profit membership-based organization and the largest professional rodeo association in North America with approximately 6,000 members. The ERA is a for-profit association founded and owned by a small group of professional rodeo cowboys, all members of the PRCA.
CRA’s analyses demonstrated that the PRCA does not have market power with respect to hosting rodeos and that there was no barrier to entry preventing rivals from competing successfully without violating the PRCA bylaws. The Court denied ERA’s motion for a preliminary injunction. The ERA subsequently withdrew its complaint. CRA’s team advised Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates, counsel to the PRCA.
