Bill
A 11050
Keeps NY professional sports franchises in their home communities by requiring a prioritized sale or transfer to local entities or nonprofits before relocation or elimination.
Jurisdiction: New York
Status: Introduced April 24, 2026; referred to Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development
Primary aim
- This bill creates a new Title H within the Arts and Cultural Affairs Law to restrict relocation or consolidation of professional sports franchises away from their home communities in New York, with procedures to facilitate keeping franchises within those communities.
Key definitions and concepts
- Community: The metropolitan statistical area (MSA) where the franchise plays the most regular season home games, or, if not clear within an MSA, the county with the most home games.
- Franchise, franchise owner: Standard terms for a professional sports team and its owner.
- Home community cooperative: A voluntary, democratically controlled, autonomous association centralized in the community and jointly owned, based in the community where the franchise plays most home games.
- Local government entity: Any local governmental unit with land-use authority where the franchise plays most home games, including the state.
- Consortium: A private investor group created for acquiring a franchise.
- Nonprofit organization, private company: Defined for purposes of eligibility to purchase.
- Proper notice: Specific requirements for notifying interested parties at least one year before relocation or elimination, including essential details (new location, reasons, effective date) and broad dissemination (news media and social media).
- Social media platform: As defined by common characteristics of user-generated content and interaction.
Prohibition and purchase framework (Article 27)
- Prohibition on moving or terminating franchises: The article does not seek to preempt existing collective bargaining rights or enforce changes to current labor agreements.
- Public policy preference: If a franchise in New York has a home community, ownership may be transferred to a government entity or the public, or be owned by those entities.
- Fair opportunity to purchase: Before relocating or eliminating, the owner must offer a fair chance to purchase to specified entities in priority order so the franchise remains in the home community (see below). A relocation or elimination may proceed only after this process.
- Priority groups for purchase (to keep the franchise in the community), in descending order:
1) Local government entity or a home community cooperative.
2) A nonprofit organization operating in the community or a public-private partnership involving a local government entity with a home community cooperative or nonprofit organization headquartered in the community.
3) A private person, private consortium, or company that resides or operates in the community.
- Timing and offer requirements:
- At least six months before relocation or elimination, the owner must:
- Provide proper notice to the comptroller and the community (as defined by statute).
- Offer the franchise for purchase at a fair price (see Appraisal section).
- If any offer meets or exceeds the fair price, accept an offer from an eligible entity according to the priority order above.
Appraisal of fair price (Article 27)
- When proper notice is provided, the Comptroller must appoint a team of professionally trained appraisers to determine a fair price for the franchise.
- The appraisal must deduct from the franchise’s value any government payments, credits, or subsidies tied to stadium construction where the franchise played the majority of its home games.
Enforcement (Article 27)
- Penalties: The Attorney General may impose a fine of $30,000 for each day a franchise owner violates the article.
- Civil action: Local government entities may file for injunctive and monetary relief in a suitable New York district court if the franchise owner violates the law.
Effective date
- The act provides for immediate effect upon enactment.
Impact and implications
- Aimed at preserving professional sports franchises within their home communities in New York by creating a structured, prioritized process for sale or relocation.
- Provides a mechanism for communities to acquire franchises or partner with nonprofits and local governments to maintain local ownership.
- Establishes a formal appraisal process to determine a fair price, accounting for public subsidies related to stadium financing.
- Introduces enforceable penalties to deter relocation or elimination in violation of the act.
- The bill does not alter existing labor agreements or collective bargaining rights, and it contemplates protections for employees’ bargaining rights.
Note on scope
- Applies to franchises within specified leagues (e.g., NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, NWSL, etc.) and any other leagues designated by the secretary of state.
For readers seeking specifics, see Sections:
- 27.01 Definitions
- 27.03 Prohibition on moving/terminating and purchase requirements
- 27.05 Appraisal process
- 27.07 Enforcement provisions
This summary reflects the bill text as introduced and does not account for subsequent amendments.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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