“A bill to keep professional sports franchises in their home communities, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section states six congressional findings on the economic and cultural impacts of professional sports franchises on local communities, the detrimental effects of their relocations (including abandonment of fan bases and use of public funds for new stadiums), potential displacement of local residents, and the franchises' substantial effects on interstate commerce (via nationwide broadcasting, interstate travel by teams and fans, and league revenue-sharing models).
This section prohibits specified professional sports leagues (i.e., NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, WNBA, and NWSL) operating in or affecting interstate commerce from banning franchise ownership or transfers to government entities or the general public. The section requires a franchise owner to provide a fair opportunity to purchase—via proper notice (i.e., at least one year prior) and offer at fair market value determined under subsection (c)—to the following entities in descending priority before relocating the franchise from its home community (i.e., metropolitan statistical area where it plays most regular-season home games), across state lines, or eliminating it: (1) a local government entity or home community cooperative; (2) a nonprofit organization operating in the community or public-private partnership involving local/state government and a community-based cooperative or nonprofit; or (3) a private person, consortium, or company residing or operating in the community. It directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish appraisers to determine fair market value, deducting any government payments, credits, or subsidies for stadium construction where the franchise played most home games. The section authorizes the Attorney General to impose civil penalties of $30,000 per day for violations and permits local governments or states to sue for injunctive and monetary relief. It specifies that the prohibitions do not preempt employee collective bargaining rights or existing collective bargaining agreements.