The Supreme Court denied the National Football League its long-sought goal of broad protection from antitrust suits, in a case involving a license for making souvenir caps. The court, in a unanimous opinion by Justice John Paul Stevens, rejected the NFL's argument that the league should have broad protection from antitrust lawsuits because it operates as a "single entity" business, not as 32 separate team businesses that are potential competitors. The court said that while there are times NFL teams need to cooperate, in the area of licensing the league isn't immune from an antitrust lawsuit because teams are potentially competing suppliers. "Although NFL teams have common interests such as promoting the NFL brand, they are still separate, profit-maximizing entities, and their interests in licensing team trademarks are not necessarily aligned," Justice Stevens wrote.