The For the Fans Act is designed to make professional sports broadcasts more accessible and affordable for everyday fans. Right now, sports leagues often use "blackouts" that prevent fans in certain areas from watching their local teams' games on streaming services, even if they pay for a subscription. This bill would ban that practice entirely—if you subscribe to a league's streaming service, you'd be able to watch every game no matter where you live.

The bill also requires major professional sports leagues (baseball, basketball, football, hockey, soccer, and others) to provide free access to all games for local fans—people who live in the same state or area as their team. This free access would come through either a local TV broadcast or a single streaming service, and it can include advertisements. The only exceptions are minor league teams and very small leagues with fewer than 8 teams. Essentially, if you're a local fan, you shouldn't have to pay to watch your home team play.

Two federal agencies would enforce these rules: the Federal Trade Commission would handle the streaming blackout ban, treating violations as unfair business practices, while the Federal Communications Commission would oversee the free local access requirement. State attorneys general can also sue on behalf of their residents if leagues violate the law, and they can recover damages and attorney's fees if they win.