Sporting Goods Firms Strike Out Trying To Sell Metal Bats In N.Y.

MANHATTAN (CN) - The City of New York has the right to ban aluminum bats, despite the complaint of The National High School Baseball Coaches Association, U.S. District Judge John Koeltl ruled.

Plaintiffs, including USA Baseball, Wilson, Rawlings, and Hillerich & Bradsby sporting goods companies, claimed the City's ban on metal bats violated the state and federal constitutions, was an unconstitutional delegation of lawmaking authority, violated the Commerce Clause, and so on. But Judge Koeltl granted summary judgment to New York, finding that "the City Council could constitutionally make the legislative choice that promoting the safety of high school age students in competitive baseball games was more important than increasing the performance statistics of those players." Metal bats, which are lighter than wood ones, can be swung faster and drive the ball faster.

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