SFC Files with DOJ/FTC About Ticketing Policy
We have long led the charge for fans’ rights, and we applauded President Trump’s Executive Order 14254 for taking direct aim at the monopolistic practices plaguing the ticketing industry. In response, we endorsed the TICKET Act as a powerful step forward. For years, SFC has pushed for reform through comments to the FTC and DOJ, active participation in federal workshops and roundtables, and strong support for antitrust action against Live Nation-Ticketmaster. But there’s still more to do.
To truly protect fans, we need bold action on market abuses, transferability rights, deceptive pricing, exclusive contracts, and the rampant lack of enforcement of existing laws. The momentum is building. It’s time to finish the job and, in the words of Kid Rock, “Make America Fun Again.”
Maine Lawmakers Ignored Fans. Now We’re Urging Gov. Mills to Veto LD 913
Earlier this year, LD 913 was introduced that would have given fans the right to transfer their tickets. Then, the monopoly and its venue partners hijacked the bill and turned it into a bill that caps resale prices, which exposes Maine’s sports fans to immense amounts of fraud. In response, thousands of Mainers stood up. They wrote, called, and emailed their legislators with a clear message: “Reject LD 913.” And what did the Maine Legislature do? They ignored them. They sided with Ticketmaster and its allies instead of the fans who simply want a fair chance to see their favorite teams, artists, and events live.
Diamondbacks Venom: Bad for Taxpayers
In 1998, Arizona rolled out the red carpet for the Diamondbacks. The team’s debut season came with a brand-new stadium, Bank One Ballpark (now Chase Field), built with a whopping $238 million in public funds from Maricopa County taxpayers. There was no public vote. There was no true accountability. And there were plenty of big promises: jobs, economic growth, urban revitalization.
Now, nearly three decades later, we’re still waiting on those promises. Unbelievably, the Diamondbacks are back asking for even more. Along with American Economic Liberties Project, Sports Fans Coalition sent a letter to AZ lawmakers highlighting the faults with this deal and urging them to reject the proposal.
Stop DC’s Billionaire Boondoggle Budget
Washington, D.C. is on the verge of one of the worst sports stadium boondoggles in American history and Sports Fans Coalition, along with a coalition of local activists, are blowing the whistle.
The proposed deal to bring the Washington Commanders back to the RFK site is nothing short of a massive public handout to a private equity billionaire. It’s $2.2 billion in giveaways to a team owned by a man worth $9.8 billion. We’re talking rent-free land, a stadium exempt from property and sales taxes, and development rights that could enrich the owner to the tune of $27 billion over 90 years. All this while basic city services are being slashed in the D.C. budget.
This isn’t just a bad stadium deal. It’s a once-in-a-generation wealth transfer from working families to Wall Street; a billionaire’s playground funded by the very residents who are being pushed out of their neighborhoods.
Big Ticket and Fans Fight to a Draw
We recently fired up fans across New York with our rally cry: "Big Ticket Comes for the Big Apple." Our message was loud and clear: fans deserve a fair and transparent system, not one that forces them back to street corners to buy tickets. As the legislative session nears the end, it’s clear: progress won’t win today—not yet, anyway.
Big Ticket Comes for the Big Apple
New York has long been a standard-bearer in ticketing law — a beacon for fans who just want a fair shot at seeing their favorite teams, artists, and events without jumping through rigged hoops or getting price-gouged by Big Ticket. Now, the Legislature is considering A8651/S8221, a bill that could take things to the next level — if they fix some major flaws that hand even more power to monopolies like Live Nation/Ticketmaster and their proxies.
Don’t Fall for the Ticket Price Cap Trap
There’s been a nefarious movement by the Ticketmaster monopoly and its like-minded industry associates at the National Independent Venue Association, National Independent Talent Organization, and some sports teams to trap fans in a scheme and lead to increased ticket sales fraud by enacting price caps on ticket resale. This will drive ticket sellers off of transparent marketplace platforms where buyers and sellers are protected, and drive ticket resale back to street corners and online classified ads, where fans get ripped off. The U.S. should learn from the mistakes of other countries, like Ireland and Australia and not fall into the ticket price cap trap.
Teams are Punishing Loyal Fans
What’s happening to sports fans right now should outrage every ticket holder in America.
Across the country, die-hard supporters — some of whom have shelled out for season tickets for decades — are being punished for something as simple as trying to recoup costs by reselling a few seats. Whether it's the Denver Broncos “bucking” loyal fans, the Detroit Lions revoking lifetime memberships, or the Green Bay Packers blacklisting ticket holders who can’t make the game, we’re witnessing a disturbing trend: teams acting like monopolies and punishing fans for transferring their rightfully purchased tickets.