More than 40 years after the Colts left Baltimore for Indianapolis like thieves in the night, those in a profession that enjoys nearly the same level of respect are trying to prevent it from happening again.
Two members of the U.S. Congress — Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Representative Greg Casar (D-Texas) — have introduced legislation that would require owners of professional sports teams to give local communities a chance to buy the franchise before moving it.
Sanders and Casar were joined by Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and five members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
“The American people are sick and tired of billionaires threatening to move the sports teams they own to different states unless they get hundreds of millions in corporate welfare to build new stadiums,” Sanders said in a press release. “In my view, professional sports teams should be owned and controlled by the fans who love them, not by the multibillionaire oligarchs who are getting even richer by charging outrageous prices and getting taxpayers to pick up their extravagant costs. You shouldn’t have to be wealthy to take your family to a football game. You shouldn’t have to fear that a multibillionaire will move your favorite team to a different city if taxpayers refuse to subsidize it. The Home Team Act is a very modest piece of legislation that begins to address this problem. I am proud to support it.”
The bill would require franchise owners to give one year’s notice before moving across state lines or into a new metropolitan area. In that year, one or more members of the team’s current community would have a chance to buy the team at a fair price.
The bill includes a penalty provision for owners who don’t comply.
The bill would not require anyone to purchase a team, and it would not prevent teams from moving if there is not a buyer able to meet a fair and reasonable price, as assessed by a team of appraisers.
It’s highly unlikely that the bill will make its way out of the current Congress, if it even makes it to the House or Senate floors. Even then, President Trump would have to sign it into law.
And even if it becomes law, there surely would be legal challenges if/when it’s ever enforced. The NFL, for instance, has specific rules regarding ownership structure. The press release mentions the Packers’ model as one way to prevent relocation; the NFL’s current rules prohibit that type of business model.
This content was brought to you by: profootballtalk
