As the NFL and other sports leagues try to maximize the dollar value on their media rights deals, the fan viewing experience has deteriorated. But one U.S. Senator is hoping to make things just a little easier for fans.
According to The Athletic's Andrew Marchand, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) intends to introduce the For The Fans Act. This bill, if passed, would require nationally-televised games involving a team from a given state to be available throughout the state for free through broadcasting, streaming or some other free service.
“It is leveling the playing field for fans,” Baldwin said. “Sports leagues and teams of all sizes will continue to be able to make money from advertising and media rights. We just want to have some basic ground rules to bring down costs for fans.”
One recent example of this being an issue was the 2026 playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. While it was available to view on local affiliates in Green Bay and Milwaukee, most of the state could not view it without an Amazon Prime subscription.
“For many fans in Wisconsin, the only place to watch the game was on Amazon Prime, so families were forced to pay Jeff Bezos just to watch the game,” Baldwin said. “It’s extremely frustrating to not know how or where to watch the games we love. It’s also damn expensive.”
The bill would also remove local blackouts on out-of-market services when the game is only available on another streaming service.
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Obstacles
As nice as the bill looks on paper, it's likely to face some opposition, particularly from Senators representing states with multiple teams or just in states that are far larger in size. California, Florida and Texas are just a few of the states likely to have issues with the letter of the law even if they respect the spirit of the law.
But the bill does represent yet another federal push to fight back against the NFL's increasing move towards paid streaming services.
The ongoing federal investigation into the NFL's business practices on that front has been the biggest step so far. But if the investigation fails to get the desired outcome, perhaps legislation can.
