(A) Public law 87–331 (15 U.S.C. 1291 et
seq; commonly referred to as the Sports Anti-
trust Broadcast Act of 1961).
(B) Public law 89–800 (80 Stat. 1508;
commonly referred to as the Football Merger
Act of 1966).
(C) Public law 93–107 (87 Stat. 350; re-
lating to a prohibition of local television black-
outs of network games which were sold out 72
hours in advance).
(D) Federal tax laws that allow deprecia-
tion of player contracts, capital gains, carryover
losses, and the formation of Subchapter S cor-
porations.
(8) The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
ruled in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commis-
sion v. National Football League (726 F.2d 1381
(9th cir. 1984); commonly referred to as Raiders I),
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission v. Na-
tional Football League (791 F.2d. 1356 (9th cir.
1986); commonly referred to as Raiders II), and Na-
tional Basketball Association v. SDC Basketball
Club, Inc. (815 F.2d 562 (9th cir. 1987); commonly
referred to as Clippers) that a league has the au-
thority to prevent a professional sports team from
relocating from one community to another commu-
nity.
SEC. 3. TEAM NAME.
(a) CONDITIONS ON APPROVAL OF RELOCATION.—
In a case in which a league approves the relocation of a
professional sports team from a community described in
subsection (b)—
(1) the registered mark that is used to identify
the professional sports team becomes the property of
the league;
(2) the league shall reserve the registered mark
and any portion of the registered mark for use only
by the community from which the team is relocating
until the earlier of—
(A) the expiration of the registered mark;
or
(B) the date on which the community in-
forms the league that a professional sports
team will not be using the registered mark; and
(3) the registered mark or any portion of the
registered mark may not be used by another profes-
sional sports team in the same league.
(b) COMMUNITIES COVERED.—A community referred
to in subsection (a) is a community in which a professional
sports team has been located for a period of at least 10
years.
SEC. 4. NOTICE OF PROPOSED RELOCATION OF A PROFES-
SIONAL SPORTS TEAM.
(a) REQUIREMENT.—A professional sports team
owner seeking to relocate the team from one community
to another shall provide notice of the proposed relocation
to the parties listed in subsection (b) not later than 180
days before the commencement of the season in which the
professional sports team is to play in the new community.
(b) PARTIES.—The notice required under subsection
(a) shall be provided to—
(1) the local government for the community in
which the professional sports team’s stadium or
arena is located;
(2) the owner or operator of such stadium or
arena; and
(3) each professional sports team that is a
member of the league for the professional sport con-
cerned.
(c) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—The notice re-
quired under subsection (a) shall—
(1) be delivered in person or by certified mail;
(2) be published in one or more newspapers of
general circulation within the community in which
the professional sports team is located; and
(3) contain an identification of the proposed
new location for the professional sports team, a sum-
mary of the reasons for moving the professional
sports team based on the factors listed in section 7,
and the date on which the proposed change is sched-
uled to become effective.
SEC. 5. REQUIREMENT TO MAKE EXPANSION TEAMS AVAIL-
ABLE TO COMMUNITIES UPON THE FULFILL-
MENT OF CERTAIN CONDITIONS.
(a) LEAGUE
REQUIREMENT
TO
GRANT
FRAN-
CHISE.—Not later than 12 months after the submission
of the name of an investor under subsection (b) to a
league, the league shall grant to the investor a new expan-
sion professional sports team franchise from the league
at a fee in an amount no greater than an amount equal
to 85 percent of the franchise fee charged by the league
for the last expansion professional sports team franchise
granted by the league.
(b) 
THREE-YEAR
OPPORTUNITY
FOR
INVEST-
MENT.—The requirement of subsection (a) applies to a
league in any case in which—
(1) the league approves, on or after January 1,
1993, the relocation of a professional sports team
from one community to another;
(2) not later than three years after such reloca-
tion, the community in which the team was pre-
viously located submits to the league the name of an
investor to be granted a new professional sports
team franchise in such community by the league;
and
(3) the investor demonstrates that he is finan-
cially able to purchase and support a team by plac-
ing the amount described under subsection (a), in
addition to an amount equal to the sale price of the
last professional sports team sale approved by the
league, in an escrow account.
(c) TEN-YEAR RELOCATION PROHIBITION.—In the
case of a grant of a professional sports team franchise
under subsection (a), the league may approve a resale of
the team, but may not approve a relocation of the team
during the ten-year period beginning on the date of the
grant of the expansion professional sports team franchise.
(d) EXCEPTION.—This section shall not apply in the
case of a community with a professional sports team if
the team relocates within 60 miles of the community.
SEC. 6. LEAGUE RELOCATION AUTHORITY AND RELOCA-
TION DETERMINATION CRITERIA.
(a) LEAGUE AUTHORITY.—It is not unlawful by rea-
son of the antitrust laws for a professional sports league
to enforce rules or agreements authorizing the member-
ship of such league to decide whether a professional sports
team that is a member of the league may relocate from
one community to another.
(b) DETERMINATION
CRITERIA.—In determining
whether to approve or disapprove the relocation of a pro-
fessional sports team from one community to another, a
league shall make specific findings regarding—
(1) the extent to which fan loyalty to and sup-
port for the team has been demonstrated during the
team’s tenure in the community;
(2) the degree to which the team has engaged
in good faith negotiations with appropriate persons
concerning terms and conditions under which the
team would continue to play its games in the com-
munity;
(3) the degree to which the owners or managers
of the team have contributed to any circumstances
which might demonstrate the need for the relocation;
(4) the extent to which the team, directly or in-
directly, received public financial support by means
of any publicly financed playing facility, special tax