[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 12 (Tuesday, February 4, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H252]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         GIVE FANS A CHANCE ACT

  (Mr. BLUMENAUER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, after the Green Bay Packers won the 
Superbowl, their fans stood in freezing temperatures for hours to catch 
a glimpse of their fans. The Packers are not an ordinary football team, 
their fans are not ordinary fans, and their community is not an 
ordinary community, in large part because 1,950 residents of Green Bay 
own their football team.
  The Packers are a vital part of the glue that holds the Green Bay 
community together, but they are unique because the NFL rules now 
prohibit any more public ownership of teams. At a time when fan loyalty 
is being tested by franchise moves, it is time to give fans a chance to 
own their own teams by eliminating league rules prohibiting public 
ownership of teams, requiring teams to listen to their fans and the 
community before moving, tying the league's broadcast antitrust 
exemption requirements to this bill.

                              {time}  1415

  The NFL earned $12.2 billion on broadcast rights last year. If my 
colleagues agree with me that more sports teams should be owned by the 
public, like the Packers, and the fans should have a voice on where 
their team decides to relocate, I invite my colleagues to support my 
Give Fans a Chance Act.

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