Leagues Urge Congress

The commissioners of the NFL, NBA and NHL urged Congress to defeat a bill they said would unconstitutionally force their leagues to grant expansion franchises to cities that lose teams to relocation.

“Such unprecedented intervention into the core structure of a private entity cannot be justified,” NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue told a House subcommittee. “No other business is subject to legislation that would determine how many operating units it must maintain or whom it must accept as an owner or partner.”

The proposal’s backers said it was necessary to protect fans at a time some owners were moving to areas that lured them with bigger stadiums and luxury sky boxes.

“Some owners in the NFL have a new, brazen attitude. To them, NFL seems to mean ‘Not For Long’ in this town,” said King County council chairwoman Jane Hague of Seattle.

Rep. Steve Largent, R-Okla., a Hall of Fame receiver for the Seahawks, said forced expansion “represents a direct intrusion in the operations of a private business.”