Home Team Act of 2026

This bill would bar major professional sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, WNBA and NWSL, from banning ownership of a team by a government entity or members of the public. Before a team owner could move a team out of its home community, across state lines, or eliminate it, the owner would have to give at least one year of public notice and offer to sell the team at fair market value. Buyers would be offered the team in priority order: first local governments or community cooperatives, then local nonprofits or public-private partnerships, then local private buyers. A Treasury Department team of appraisers would set a fair price, subtracting any government money used to build the team's stadium. Owners who break these rules would face a $30,000 daily fine, and states and local governments could sue them in federal court.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Greg Casar Democrat sponsor
• 7 cosponsors