Congress and Professional Sports: 1951-1978

• Published date: 01 September 1979
• Author: Arthur T. Johnson
• Date: 01 September 1979
• DOI: 10.1177/000271627944500112
• Subject Matter: Articles

102

Congress

and

Professional

Sports:

1951-1978

By

ARTHUR

T.

JOHNSON

Arthur

T.

Johnson

is

an

Assistant

Professor

of

Political

Science

at

Muskingum

College,

New

Concord,

Ohio.

He

has

written

several

articles

on

public

sports

policy,

and

recently

edited

an

issue

of

the

American

Behavioral

Scientist

devoted

to

the

political

economy

of

sport.

In

addition

to

sports

analysis,

his

research

interests

include

land-use

policy,

urban

politics,

and

interest-group

formation.

This

article

is

the

result

of

research

made

possible

by

a

Mack

Foundation

Grant.

ABSTRACT:

The

relationship

between

government

and

professional

sports

is

analyzed

by

reviewing

Congressional

activity

relative

to

professional

sports

during

the

period

1951-1978.

During

this

time,

nearly

300

pieces

of

sports

legislation

have

been

proposed.

Congressional

concern

with

sports

is

explained

by

the

impact

of

sports

events,

such

as

franchise

moves,

upon

specific

constituencies,

and

league-

initiated

requests

for

assistance.

Conflicting

perceptions

in

Congress

of

professional

sports

as

pure

sport

and

big

business

help

explain

a

change

in

Congress’

posture

toward

the

sports

leagues.

The

politics

of

professional

sports

is

explored,

and

a

Congressionally

defined

right

to

access

is

identified

and

explained.

The

article

concludes

that

due

to

Congress’

changing

perception

of

professional

sports,

it

has,

on

occasion,

enacted

legislation

opposed

by

the

leagues.

Nevertheless,

the

political

influence

of

club

owners

combined

with

the

persistence

of an

idyllic

image

of

sports

within

Congress

make

such

instances

rare.