Noah Goodman, a 2008 graduate of Germantown Friends School in 2008, has been selected to make a presentation on June 1 at the Baseball Hall of Fame because of extensive research he has done over three years.

by Len Lear

According to a recent article on the Temple University Law School website, “Plenty of new law school graduates take a break from studying for the bar exam by catching a baseball game or two. But third-year Temple Law student Noah Goodman’s plans include an experience of the American pastime in a league all its own: presenting at the premier gathering of baseball scholars nationwide, known as the Cooperstown Symposium.”

Goodman, 26, graduated from Germantown Friends School in 2008 and from the University of Pennsylvania in 2012 with a degree in Urban Studies with a focus on Public Policy. He has been selected to make a presentation on June 1 at the Baseball Hall of Fame because of research he has done over three years on the history of the labor market in professional baseball and for his proposal for resolving inefficiencies within the current system.

Goodman's research, which he began as a staff member on the Temple Law Review, will be published this spring in the Sports Lawyers Journal. (Professor Ken Jacobsen was the faculty advisor and “wonderful mentor” for Noah's Law Review article.)

Although Noah has always wanted to be a lawyer, his passion has been baseball. He grew up playing Little League Baseball at Taney Youth Baseball Association and continued playing baseball (shortstop) throughout his time at GFS. He is a proud four-time Friends League Champion. He also coached an 11-12-year-old Little League team at Taney in 2009. (The Taney Dragons reached the Little League World Series in the 2014 tournament, capturing the imagination of the entire region.)

“I’ve grown up a Philadelphia sports fan,” Noah said last week, “and was fortunate enough to go to many Phillies games throughout my childhood.”

But Noah also knew he would pursue a career in the law “because I thought it was an incredibly noble profession where I could make an impact on clients, people and the community. Fortunately, I’ve had a wonderful experience at Temple Law School, which has reaffirmed and justified my interest in the profession.”

If the baseball buff can make it through a mock trial and three finals, he will graduate on May 19. His goal is to be a trial lawyer and practice labor and employment law.

“As I began my research,” he said, “I learned that the employment rights for professional baseball players have always been restrained by their owners. Between 1922 and 1972, the Supreme Court — in three distinct opinions —exempted Major League Baseball from federal antitrust laws. Effectively, the Court restrained the players’ legal rights by limiting employment mobility and freedom to contract. In the 1970s, the players were ultimately successful in overthrowing this system of absolute owner control through a determined campaign, which involved more litigation, collective bargaining and ultimately prevailing through arbitration.”

Goodman contends that the present system “distorts the market by suppressing labor costs initially and only giving players a chance of unrestricted free agency after their talent has peaked.” He insists that there is “no incentive” for team owners to bid against each other for players.

My guess is that most fans, including myself, believe that just the opposite is the case. How else can guys who bat .250 or pitchers who have a 4.00 ERA wind up with contracts for $8 million or $10 million a year — contracts that most fans undoubtedly feel are bloated beyond belief?

“Teams and owners have become more analytical and cost efficient,” Goodman replied. “Even if players are highly compensated, the current system of free agency misrepresents the labor market. Teams have become increasingly aware that they are better served investing their resources by signing younger players below market value to long-term contracts instead of bidding against each other for 29-32 year-old players on the open market that will inevitably decline.”

I doubt if fans have any sympathy for the owners, but several decades ago many players had to have part-time jobs or off-season jobs because they were paid so little by greedy owners like Connie Mack and Charles Comisky. Now, however, you have a Ryan Howard getting $25 million a year, and he has been atrocious for the last few years. So how can working class fans, who are lucky if they can pay the rent, much less baseball tickets, overpriced food and jerseys, etc., have any concern for these overindulged, pampered, overpaid players?

“In an abstract way,” Goodman responded, “that’s the basis of my argument. I don’t think fans are upset that players are getting paid $25 million a year, particularly because baseball is a multi-billion dollar industry. I think fans are upset because teams, and this has been demonstrated by the Phillies over the last several years, have been overpaying players who are past their primes. Like all other industries, players should be paid for their performance.

“If Ryan Howard was still playing like an MVP, his contract would easily be justified. Unfortunately, Ryan Howard, as a byproduct of the labor market, signed his contract AFTER his talent peaked. Therefore, he epitomizes the inefficiencies of the labor market because he is paid for his past, rather than current ability.”

When Noah was asked what his most important possession is, he said, “My mom passed away from cancer when I was 11, and I’ve always worn a cancer awareness bracelet in her honor.”

When asked if he could meet and spend time with anyone on earth, who would it be, he replied, “One of my oldest friends from GFS, Luke Sand, lives in New York and works on Saturday Night Live. I’d spend the day with him because he’s friends with the entire cast, and he usually picks up the dinner tab.”

More information at www.law.temple.edu/news/3l-noah-goodman-selected-to-present-at-cooperstown-symposium-on-baseball-and-american-culture/