MADISON, Wis. — Yesterday, Senator Tammy Baldwin rolled out legislation that would make viewing sports such as Brewers, Packers, and Bucks games more accessible for Wisconsinites. The legislation is part of a larger Democratic effort to fight against big corporations and for working Wisconsinites. It would fight streaming services that jack up prices to view the games by ensuring local fans receive a free broadcast option. The legislation ensures that fans can cheer on their favorite team regardless of economic status or location.

See below for more on Senator Baldwin’s proposed legislation: 

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tammy Baldwin targets game blackouts, expensive sports streaming apps

Have you ever turned on your TV to watch the Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks or the Green Bay Packers – only to find the game isn’t on the usual channel?

That kicks off a search to find the correct streaming service, if it’s even available at all.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, is taking aim at what she called the “maze of subscriptions” with legislation that would prohibit game blackouts and require a free access option for local fans.

WEAU: Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s bill proposed to keep Packer games off streaming-only platforms

In a USA Today opinion piece, Baldwin argued that “watching your favorite team has become confusing and a hassle in recent years,” describing a landscape of “streaming subscriptions, unexpected blackouts” and the need to explain new platforms to older relatives — “and where the hell to find it.”

This past season, the wild-card playoff game in January between the Packers and Bears was exclusive to Amazon Prime Video for a national audience. Two other regular-season games involving Green Bay were also available nationally only to streaming subscribers.

Baldwin’s bill, dubbed the For the Fans Act, targets major professional leagues in baseball, basketball, football, hockey and soccer — including men’s and women’s leagues — as she warns that exclusive streaming deals and blackout rules are leaving fans paying more and getting less.

Wisconsin Examiner: Sen. Baldwin introduces bill to stop sports blackouts

Currently, for a fan in Wisconsin to watch every Packers, Brewers and Bucks game in a year it costs more than $1,500 annually to purchase the necessary streaming services and subscriptions — a cost that Baldwin said Wednesday benefits league and streaming service executives, as well as the billionaire owners of sports teams, at the expense of fans. 

“This isn’t just a Packers or a Wisconsin issue. This has become an American issue,” Baldwin said during a Wednesday news conference. “What used to be grabbing the remote and hitting a button or two has turned into a maze of streaming subscriptions, unexpected blackouts or a sky high payment. To top it all off, there is no consistency, and it is flat out confusing for fans.” 

The Athletic: U.S. senator introducing bill intended to make sports TV more accessible to fans

In an interview with The Athletic, Baldwin said that sports can be a unifying experience for fans, like in her backyard with the Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers and Milwaukee Bucks, but also said that too often these days it is bringing people together for the wrong reason.

“The other thing that has been unifying us recently is absolute frustration about how confusing it is to watch your games and how costly it is to follow your teams and keep up to date with these streaming services and blackouts,” Baldwin said.

NBC News: Senator Tammy Baldwin will introduce bill aimed at game accessibility

“For many fans in Wisconsin, the only place to watch the game was on Amazon Prime, so families were forced to pay Jeff Bezos just to watch the game,” Baldwin said. “It’s extremely frustrating to not know how or where to watch the games we love. It’s also damn expensive.”

Additionally, the bill would remove local blackouts on out-of-market services when the game is available only on another streaming service. (That doesn’t happen for the NFL’s Sunday Ticket, since the local Sunday afternoon games are available — for now — for free on CBS or Fox.)