SFC Mourns the Passing of Congressman Pascrell

We are deeply saddened that Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. passed recently. His focus was on American fans and ensuring their rights against large corporations. To Sports Fans Coalition, he was a leader of reform who stood up to corporate greed, fought monopolies, and sought to make youth sports safer for children.

Congressman Pascrell was an unrelenting champion for sports fans in New Jersey and the country. He stood up for fans against Ticketmaster for 15 years, leading the charge on comprehensive reforms for the ticketing marketplace while fighting to break up Live Nation/Ticketmaster.

His BOSS and SWIFT Act became the model bill for consumer protection in live events and was supported by nearly every consumer advocacy organization in the country, including SFC. His refusal to back down helped inspire many provisions in the TICKET Act (HR 3950). Congressman Pascrell believed the memories families make at live events should not be tainted by ticket abuses. On the House floor, Congress Pascrell said the TICKET Act “starts to lay down the law to achieve real change for Americans.” Due, in part, to his decades of advocacy, the TICKET Act passed the House 388-24.

He also advocated for parents, the biggest sports fans of all, by pushing for legislation to improve how we talk about health issues in youth athletics. He sought to protect youth athletes by ensuring that regulations were set in place to prioritize the health and safety of youth athletes through the SAFE PLAY Act. The bill would improve the health and safety of youth athletes, specifically issues like heat exposure, EMS training, cardiac conditions, concussion response, and energy drink consumption. He knew parents could not express their full fandom for youth sports while worrying about their children’s health and safety. 

We mourn Congressman Pascrell's passing with his friends and family and hope to honor his legacy by advocating for sports fans with the same tenaciousness he did.