State Rep. Sean Patrick Brennan plans to file legislation that would prohibit members of the Ohio General Assembly from accepting free or discounted tickets to professional sporting events—a perk he says undermines public confidence whenever lawmakers vote on stadium subsidies or other team-friendly measures.
“Accepting free or discounted tickets from teams that benefit from taxpayer dollars compromises our credibility,” Brennan, D-Parma, said in a statement. “Ohioans deserve to know their representatives are voting in the public’s best interest, not because they got a seat in a luxury box.”
Under current Ohio ethics rules, legislators must disclose the source of any gift worth more than $75 and lobbyists are limited to that same annual gift cap. But lawmakers can still attend games at no cost—as long as the tickets are reported. Brennan’s proposal would end that practice by banning free or below-market tickets outright unless the lawmaker pays fair market value.
Timing tied to Browns’ $600 million subsidy
The announcement follows last week’s adoption of a two-year state budget that earmarks $600 million in unclaimed-funds revenue to help the Cleveland Browns build a $2.4 billion domed stadium in suburban Brook Park. That allocation has already sparked a lawsuit from former state officials and drawn criticism from fan advocates concerned about ballooning public costs for private venues.
Brennan called the stadium financing a “perfect example” of why stricter rules are needed: “If we’re sending hundreds of millions toward a team’s new home, the public shouldn’t have to wonder whether free tickets influenced the vote,” he said.
The bill is expected to be formally introduced when lawmakers return from summer recess later this month. Brennan said he is seeking bipartisan co-sponsors and believes the measure will resonate with constituents across party lines who are frustrated by escalating stadium price tags and opaque ticketing practices.
If enacted, Ohio would join states such as New York—which bars officials from accepting most gifts of any value—in imposing a hard ban on complimentary sports tickets. Similar proposals have surfaced in other legislatures amid public backlash over “sweetheart” perks tied to stadium deals.
Freebie tickets have also driven questions regarding legislative impartiality for other live events, particularly as legislators on both sides of the Atlantic consider reforms to ticketing and ticket resale. One California legislator central to the reform battle in the most populous U.S. state played a significant role in backing Live Nation Entertainment’s legislative agenda there, having possibly received free tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour near her home district.
UK Labour leader Kier Starmer also found controversy after accepting thousands worth of complimentary event tickets – while his government has proceeded to take the entertainment industry’s preferred course in terms of potentially eliminating the legal and regulated ticket resale industry in that country.
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Brennan maintains the reform is straightforward: “Whether it’s the NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL, if taxpayer money is involved, the tickets should be off-limits.”
