[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 49 (Tuesday, April 28, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H2342]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE ``GIVE FANS A CHANCE ACT''

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 21, 1997, the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Madam Speaker, this month a little drama is being 
acted out in New York City and the venue is Yankee Stadium. What should 
have been the glorious 75th anniversary of ``the house that Ruth 
built'' may in fact see the end of a tradition unless New York City 
comes up with perhaps as much as $1 billion.
  This is another example of professional sports, instead of being a 
source of civic pride, are to be often a symbol of what people do not 
like. The players now are the television networks, major corporate 
sponsors, athletic equipment and apparel giants. The fans appear to be 
almost an afterthought.
  This trend, some would suggest, started about 40 years ago when the 
Brooklyn Dodgers tore the heart out of that community by moving a very 
profitable franchise to the West Coast in pursuit of greener pastures.
  It continues today. I have heard from fans all over America: Houston, 
Chicago, Sacramento. New York is just simply the most recent and 
perhaps the most egregious example. And of course it has come full 
circle because recently the Dodgers were sold again, this time to 
Rupert Murdoch, and the trend is growing. Over 50 million people live 
in and around communities with sports teams which have recently moved 
or are threatening to relocate.
  The change of focus away from the fans has become more acute as these 
leagues have upped the ante. Between now and the year 2006, more than 
$7 billion will be spent on new stadiums, most of which will be public 
money. In comparison to the stadiums, teams are cheap. The stadiums 
currently under construction range in price from perhaps $250 million 
to, in the case of the New York Yankees, as we have mentioned, perhaps 
$1 billion or more.
  But wait a minute. The average value of a baseball team is only $134 
million. The average for a football franchise, $205 million. Thus, 
these stadiums cost significantly more than the teams themselves; in 
the case of the Yankees, as much as four times as much.
  Madam Speaker, it would be cheaper for the community just to buy the 
team. Well, there is one city in America that does not have to worry 
about this little drama. Green Bay, Wisconsin, one thirty-fourth the 
size of Los Angeles, owns perhaps the most successful franchise in 
American sports. But the NFL will not let it happen again. They have 
passed rules against municipal ownership.
  The Federal Government must stop aiding and abetting this abuse. We 
are not innocent bystanders. Besides the massive tax subsidies that we 
provide for the construction of stadiums, we provide an antitrust 
exemption that enables professional sports franchises to make billions 
of dollars. The NFL, for instance, will earn $17.6 billion over the 
next 5 years. We have made the NFL rich, yet the NFL will not allow 
another community to own its franchise.
  That is why I have introduced the ``Give Fans a Chance Act.'' It 
would tie the sports broadcast antitrust exemption to the elimination 
of rules that prohibit public ownership. And it would give communities 
a voice in relocation decisions.
  The advantages are clear: It would end the franchise feeding frenzy; 
it would make stadium decisions based on what is good for a team and 
community, not on what looks to be blackmail; it will make it easier to 
get support for needed stadium expansions; and will help eliminate the 
cynicism that is permeating professional sports.
  Sports fans from coast to coast love this idea. There is a 
congressional responsibility to help these fans, since we helped create 
this monster. I urge my colleagues to give fans a chance and support 
H.R. 590.

                          ____________________