Anheuser-Busch Sues MLB

Anheuser-Busch sued Major League Baseball in federal court Friday, claiming the league renewed the company's rights to be its official sponsor but then demanded to renegotiate the contract after the brewer signed a contract with the National Football League. Budweiser and other Anheuser-Busch products have sponsored America's pastime for more than 30 years, and Budweiser is the official beer of 26 of the 30 MLB teams. Losing the marquee sponsorship would be "unquantifiable," the suit claims. Anheuser-Busch wants a court order stating that its April negotiations with MLB are valid and that any interaction with another beer company would violate the agreement the two parties signed. MLB announced the partnership in April, but later said "marketplace dynamics" would require Anheuser-Busch to pay much higher fees to retain the sponsorship.