Professional Sports Franchise Relocation Act of 1998

[AI summary unavailable — showing source text] Professional Sports Franchise Relocation Act of 1998 - Declares that it shall not be unlawful under the antitrust laws for a professional sports league to issue or enforce rules, or to enter into or carry out agreements, to permit or restrict the relocation of any member team of such league. (Sec. 4) Requires any person seeking to change a team's home territory to submit to the appropriate professional sports league, within 210 days before the commencement of the season in which it proposes to play in a new location, a request for approval of the proposed change. Specifies request requirements, including that each request: (1) be made available to the news media and be published in one or more general circulation newspapers in the team's home territory; and (2) contain the proposed location, the reasons for the change, and the intended effective date. Requires each league to establish rules and procedures for approving or disapproving requests that shall be made available upon request to any interested party. Includes among the criteria each league shall consider: (1) fan loyalty ; (2) the extent to which the team received public financial support by means of any publicly financed …