Florida State University Law Review Volume 44 Issue 2 Winter 2017 Article 1 Winter 2017 Major League Soccer as a Case Study in Complexity Theory Steven A. Bank UCLA School of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.law.fsu.edu/lr Part of the Contracts Commons, Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law Commons, and the Other Law Commons Recommended Citation Steven A. Bank, Major League Soccer as a Case Study in Complexity Theory, 44 Fla. St. U. L. Rev. 385 (2018) . https://ir.law.fsu.edu/lr/vol44/iss2/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Florida State University Law Review by an authorized editor of Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER AS A CASE STUDY IN COMPLEXITY THEORY STEVEN A. BANK* ABSTRACT Major League Soccer has long been criticized for its “Byzantine” roster rules and regu- lations, rivaled only by the Internal Revenue Code in its complexity. Is this criticism fair? By delving into complexity theory and the unique nature of the league, this Article argues that the traditional complaints may not apply in the context of the league’s roster rules. Effectively, critics are applying the standard used to evaluate the legal complexity found in rules such as statutes and regulations when the standard used to evaluate contractual complexity is more appropriate. Major League Soccer’s system of roster rules is the product of a contractual and organizational arrangement among the investor-operators.