PRINTER'S NO. 4515
No. 892 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY COSTA, DeLUCA, DONATUCCI, GRUCELA, PALLONE, BOYD,
CREIGHTON, J. EVANS, FABRIZIO, GEIST, GEORGE, GODSHALL,
GOODMAN, HARRIS, HORSEY, KELLER, KILLION, LEACH, LESCOVITZ,
LEWIS, MAITLAND, MARSICO, MUSTIO, ROBERTS, SAINATO, SCHRODER,
WALKO, YOUNGBLOOD, ZUG AND PISTELLA, OCTOBER 18, 2004
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
OCTOBER 18, 2004
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the National Football League to reevaluate its
2 restrictions on local access to broadcasts of professional
3 football contests within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
4 WHEREAS, The Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles
5 professional football teams reside within the Commonwealth of
6 Pennsylvania; and
7 WHEREAS, Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia
8 Eagles contribute to the economic stability of the Commonwealth
9 of Pennsylvania; and
10 WHEREAS, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has dedicated
11 taxpayer money to build professional sports stadiums within this
12 Commonwealth; and
13 WHEREAS, Professional football has become the premier sport
14 within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with annual revenues
15 exceeding $1.2 billion in 2003; and
16 WHEREAS, The broadcasting of Pittsburgh Steelers and
1 Philadelphia Eagles professional football contests benefits fans
2 of the teams; and
3 WHEREAS, Central Pennsylvania's television broadcasters,
4 located within 75 miles of Baltimore, are subject to the
5 National Football League's blackout rules; and
6 WHEREAS, The broadcasting of the Baltimore Ravens
7 professional football contests has little direct positive effect
8 on the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; and
9 WHEREAS, Federal law allows professional sports leagues to
10 manipulate broadcasts of professional football contests to
11 benefit local teams; and
12 WHEREAS, The professional sports industry is the only
13 industry receiving an exemption from antitrust laws for joint
14 marketing of television rights under the act of September 30,
15 1961 (75 Stat. 732, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1291-1295); and
16 WHEREAS, The legislative intent behind that Federal law was
17 to help foster a professional league by ensuring physical
18 attendance at games; and
19 WHEREAS, Such legislative intent has become antiquated; and
20 WHEREAS, There is no recent corroborative evidence suggesting
21 that blackouts of professional football contests result in a
22 dramatic change in attendance of those contests; and
23 WHEREAS, The National Football League may arbitrarily rescind
24 blackout restrictions for any broadcast market; therefore be it
25 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
26 Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the National Football League
27 to rescind its rules regarding local access to broadcasts of the
28 Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles professional
29 football contests; and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to
20040H0892R4515 - 2 -
1 the National Football League, 410 Park Avenue, New York, NY
2 10022.
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