Can Congress Stop US Sports Teams From Moving Cities?

Published: 01 April 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

The legendary WWE star CM Punk recently described the current situation as being nothing but straight greed. The Illinois governor JB Pritzker noted that the latest developments felt like a massive slap in the face. A vast majority of loyal fans now say they will hold a permanent grudge over this. This growing wall of public disgust comes from the real possibility that the Chicago Bears might move. The team owners previously bought a site in Arlington Heights for a brand new stadium project. However, the negotiations over property taxes have stalled the construction of this much needed new facility. Meanwhile, the state of Indiana has entered the competition by passing a new state funding bill. This bill authorizes money for a stadium in Hammond which is across the state border lines. The current home for the Chicago Bears is the historic and beautiful open air Soldier Field. This venue is located right along Lake Michigan and is the smallest stadium in the whole NFL. Arlington Heights is about twenty five miles north but it still remains within the Illinois borders.

If US senators Bernie Sanders and Greg Casar succeed, the team owners may soon think twice. Last week these two politicians introduced a new bill called the Home Team Act to Congress. This law would require owners to give local communities a full year to buy the team. This notice period must happen before any professional sports team is allowed to relocate its operations. Sports in America should be about more than making billionaires richer, according to the senator Casar. Far too many people know the deep pain of losing a team they have always loved. Many communities have also had to pay billions in subsidies just to keep a profitable team. This bill aims to create a level playing field for fans and the hardworking local taxpayers. One of those affected fans is Bernie Sanders who grew up in the borough of Brooklyn. He was a lifelong fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers before they moved away to Los Angeles. There was a common joke in his neighborhood about the three worst people in modern history. These people were Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin along with the Dodgers owner named Walter O’Malley.

Sanders was only sixteen when the Dodgers left but it shaped his future anti corporate political views. The Home Team Act aims to protect fans from losing teams and taxpayers from huge subsidies. Owners would have to provide a year of notice before they could move a sports franchise. Relocation is defined as moving across state lines or to a different metropolitan area in the country. During that year the local community would have the chance to buy the team at value. The bill allows for private individuals or government entities to buy the team during this time. It also allows for community ownership models like the one used by the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are currently owned by more than five hundred thousand different shareholders in the local area. No single individual is allowed to own more than two hundred thousand shares in the famous team. This unique structure has helped ensure that the team remains in Green Bay for the fans. This model is a major outlier because most teams are owned by very wealthy individual owners.

For most teams relocation remains a recurring threat driven by the pursuit of much higher future profits. These owners often have little regard for the economic and social losses they leave behind them. The congresswoman Lateefah Simon represents Oakland which has lost all its major teams in seven years. The Golden State Warriors moved to San Francisco and the Raiders moved away to the state Nevada. The Athletics are also set to follow them and leave the city of Oakland in 2028. The impact of these moves has extended far beyond the world of professional sports and games. Small businesses have been affected and many jobs have been lost in these local city areas. The city has also lost a significant part of its cultural identity and its local pride. If the Home Team Act had been in place Oakland might still have a professional team. Consider the Chicago Bears which are currently valued at roughly eight point nine billion dollars today. Even with wealthy backers the financial burden on the local residents would be truly enormous now.

The idea of community ownership is very appealing and equitable but it is still largely theoretical today. The bill will also face very steep political obstacles before it can ever become a real law. It would need to pass both chambers of Congress before the president could sign it into law. The current president counts several billionaire sports owners among his closest allies and his personal friends. There are many practical questions about how to determine when a relocation process has officially started. Another question is who would set the fair market valuation for a multibillion dollar sports team. Even so the intent of the bill is very clear to everyone watching this political battle. If more ownership groups valued their communities then this legislation would not be necessary at all. Fans across the country are watching closely to see if their teams will stay at home. The bond between a city and its team is something that money should not easily break.

The debate over the Home Team Act has sparked a national conversation about the role of sports. Many people believe that sports teams are public goods that belong to the people who support them. Others argue that teams are private businesses and owners should have the right to move them. This conflict sits at the heart of the American sporting experience and its many complicated layers. In cities like Chicago the threat of losing a team feels like losing a family member. The emotional connection to a team is built over many generations of fans and their families. When a team leaves it leaves a hole in the heart of the city and community. This bill represents an attempt to put some power back into the hands of the people. Whether it can overcome the influence of wealthy owners remains a very big question for now. The future of American sports may depend on how Congress decides to handle this difficult issue. For now the fans in Chicago and elsewhere can only wait and hope for the best.

The economic reality of professional sports has changed significantly over the last few decades of our time. Modern stadiums cost billions of dollars to build and require massive amounts of public and private land. Owners often use the threat of relocation to pressure cities into giving them better financial deals. This tactic has worked many times in the past but public patience is finally wearing very thin. Taxpayers are increasingly tired of funding stadiums for owners who have more money than most small countries. The Home Team Act could change the power dynamic between the owners and the local host cities. By giving communities a chance to buy the team the bill creates a real alternative path. It moves the conversation from one of threats to one of true partnership and shared goals. However the high cost of sports teams makes community ownership a very difficult goal to achieve. Most cities simply do not have billions of dollars sitting around to buy a football team.

This is where the role of private investors and local business leaders becomes very important for the plan. A mix of public and private ownership could be the key to making the bill work well. This would allow the community to have a say without bearing the entire financial burden alone. It is a model that has worked in other parts of the world with great success. In European football many teams have strong ties to their local communities and their loyal fans. This sense of belonging is what makes sports so special to so many people around the globe. The Home Team Act is a bold step toward bringing that spirit to American professional sports. It challenges the idea that profit should be the only factor in deciding where teams play. While the road ahead is long the bill has already achieved something very important for us. It has given a voice to the millions of fans who feel ignored by the system. They are the ones who buy the tickets and the jerseys and the expensive snacks.

The struggle for the soul of American sports is far from over but the lines are drawn. On one side are the owners who view teams as assets to be moved and traded. On the other side are the fans who view teams as a vital part of life. The Home Team Act is the first major federal attempt to tip the scales for fans. It will be a long and difficult fight in the halls of the US Congress. Many powerful interests will work to stop the bill from ever becoming a law in America. But the passion of fans is a powerful force that should never be underestimated by anyone. If the fans can organize and speak with one voice they might just save their teams. For the people of Chicago the stakes could not be any higher than they are today. The future of the Bears will be a test case for the whole sports world. If they move it will be a sad day for a city with history. If they stay it will be a victory for the fans and the community. The eyes of the nation are on Chicago and Washington as this story unfolds.

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