As Packers’ Season Kicks Off, Baldwin Calls for Passage of Her For the Fans Act

WISCONSIN - As the Green Bay Packers season kicks off Sunday, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is calling for the passage of her For the Fans Act to ensure Wisconsin fans always have a free, live option to watch the Packers play. The Senator's bill comes as more games are exclusively broadcast on streaming platforms, including four Packers' games in the 2026-2027 NFL season, forcing millions of Wisconsinites to pay for a subscription just to watch their home team play. Currently, only people living in the Green Bay and Milwaukee media markets are guaranteed Packers games to be broadcast on local TV, leaving more than approximately half of Wisconsinites potentially without access to the games unless they pay for the additional streaming service.

"Regardless of where you live in Wisconsin, your political party, or who you pray to, we all root for the Green and Gold. We celebrate together, we commiserate together, and we always come back the next week to cheer on the Pack together," said Senator Baldwin. "But, right now, we are watching the big billionaire-owned streaming giants and the NFL rig the rules and force us to fork up more and more money just to watch our home teams play. Wisconsin families have been crystal clear that they are stretched thin right now, and we need to help give them some relief. That's why we need to pass my For the Fans Act to lower costs for families, stop the confusing maze of subscriptions, and ensure we can all watch the Packers continue to run the NFC North."

Baldwin's For the Fans Act would improve access for consumers of professional sports broadcasts by requiring free viewing access for local fans and ending blackouts on league-owned streaming services, like NBA League Pass or MLB.TV. The bill applies to professional baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer leagues, and makes an exception for minor league teams and leagues with fewer than eight teams.

Polling from Data for Progress shows that overwhelming majorities of Americans support Baldwin's For the Fans Act to stop professional sports leagues from blacking out games for fans, end the complicated web of streaming services, and cut costs for viewers across the country.

A one-pager on the For the Fans Act is available here.

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