In what may make more than a few team dealers across America smile just a little bit, Varsity Brands, the parent company of BSN Sports, has reportedly agreed to pay $43.5 million to settle a federal lawsuit that alleged the producer of cheerleading events abused its industry dominance, causing private gyms and spectators to pay artificially inflated prices.

According to a number of reports, the deal would resolve one of three federal antitrust lawsuits Varsity has defended over the last three years. This lawsuit was filed in 2020 by California cheerleading gym Fusion All Stars, which alleged that Varsity had violated the Sherman Antitrust Act by acquiring cheerleading events and shutting down its rivals in the All-Star cheer business to gain market dominance and then using that market dominance to produce events.

The suit also alleges that Varsity used its control over the sport’s governing bodies, including the U.S. All-Star Federation (USASF), to impose rules that disadvantaged its rivals, relegating potential event-producing competitors to “B League” status. The suit claims that Varsity’s monopolistic measures resulted in control over approximately 90 percent of the All-Star competition market and 80 percent of the All-Star apparel market.

Varsity did not admit wrongdoing or liability in settling the case, and it said, “the company remains confident it has acted appropriately and in the best interest of our sport.”