Sen. Baldwin is For the Fans
A friend and ally of Sports Fans Coalition, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), today released a bill designed to make sports viewing more affordable and easier for fans. Sen. Baldwin released her "For the Fans Act," which would require leagues to make the home team's games available for free to anyone in that team's state, plus neighboring areas as the FCC would determine, and prohibit blackouts of the home team's games on league-owned streaming services. Importantly, the bill would allow state Attorneys General to enforce the new requirements, giving the bill real teeth. Sen. Baldwin's press release is here and the bill text is here.
Sports Fans Coalition supports Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s bill because fans pay higher prices across more platforms than ever before, while leagues and billionaire team owners get taxpayer subsidies, antitrust exemptions, and record-setting valuations. If Congress will not repeal the leagues’ broadcast antitrust exemption, the next best thing would be enacting Sen. Baldwin’s bill so local fans can watch their home team’s games for free, avoid needless blackouts, and State Attorneys General can sue leagues that fail to meet these requirements.
Our March 27 comments in the FCC's sports video docket stated that Congress should repeal the antitrust exemption created by the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, but failing that, it should require that professional leagues make every local team's games available for free to fans in the home market. Sen. Baldwin's bill would accomplish that.
