Senators Unveil Legislation to Restrict Franchise Moves

Angered by the departure of football teams from Oakland and Baltimore, several members of Congress Wednesday unveiled legislation that would restrict the freedom of sports teams to change locations--including one that would create new franchises in those two cities.

In all, four separate measures are being drafted to deal with what Sen. Thomas F. Eagleton (D-Mo.) described as “chaos” in professional sports. The measures are designed to halt threatened moves by the National Football League’s St. Louis Cardinals and New Orleans Saints but would do nothing to force the Raiders to return to Oakland or require the Colts to go back to Baltimore from Indianapolis.

The most restrictive measure, disclosed Wednesday by Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Wash.), would require all professional sports team owners--except soccer club owners--to abide by the decision of an arbitrator in cases where the franchise city objects to the departure of the team. The arbitrator would permit only moves made for economic reasons, including the adequacy of the team’s current stadium, fan support and operating revenues in comparison to other teams.

In addition, Gorton’s bill would require the NFL to create two new teams by 1988, including one in Baltimore, and two more teams by 1990, including one in Oakland. Major-league baseball would be required to expand by two teams before the start of the 1988 season.

The NFL is believed to favor a bill by Sen. Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.) that would empower the league to decide whether a team can move. A spokesman for DeConcini said the measure would be formally introduced later this month. Phoenix, in the senator’s home state, has been one of the chief bidders for a major-league football franchise.

Yet another measure, introduced Wednesday by Eagleton and Sen. John C. Danforth (R-Mo.), also would put the decision into the hands of the leagues, although baseball would be exempt. “There’s no chaos in baseball,” Eagleton declared.

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) also has introduced a measure that would allow cities to sue in federal court to prevent economically viable pro football teams from moving to more profitable locations. Specter is from Philadelphia, which recently fought to keep the Eagles from moving to Phoenix.

Team owners are expected to oppose the measures on grounds they represent an unfair intrusion by Congress into private enterprise. But sponsors of the bills noted that the teams enjoy antitrust exemptions and tax breaks granted by Congress, as well as many advantages provided by city governments--including tax-financed playing facilities.

“People like Robert Irsay (owner of the Indianapolis Colts) want socialized football,” said Rep. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.), co-sponsor of the Gorton bill. “They want a guaranteed stadium, they want guaranteed ticket sales, they want everything guaranteed. Then, when we try to protect the fans, they cry, ‘Capitalism.’ Well, you can’t have it both ways.”

At least two of the bills, if enacted, would be retroactive to the date of introduction. Sen. Alan J. Dixon (D-Ill.), co-sponsor of the Danforth-Eagleton measure, said the legislation is designed to tell any owner currently considering a move that he will do so “at his own peril.”