NFL, MLB, NCAA, NASCAR back bill to disable drones at stadiums - ESPN

The NFL, MLB, NCAA and NASCAR said they support a bill introduced in Congress on Thursday that would give state and local law enforcement the ability to disable drones during sporting events, which the leagues say have become an increasing threat.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) and entitled the Disabling Enemy Flight Entry and Neutralizing Suspect Equipment (DEFENSE) Act, would provide «the tools for local and state law enforcement to protect citizens,» Cotton told ESPN.

«Local law enforcement already protects the perimeter of these events,» he said. «We already expect them to stop a dump truck that would cause harm, so we need to also give them the tools to protect the airspace from weapons and biological threats.»

Currently, only federal law enforcement on-site at events such as the Super Bowl, the World Series, the Rose Bowl and the Boston Marathon can disable unauthorized drones. Nearly all other major sporting events, including thousands of NFL and MLB games, do not have officials on-site with the legal authorization to quickly remove a drone threat.

Cotton said federal agents represent «a small fraction of law enforcement» and that there are «not enough» to man large-scale sporting events on-site. «They need these local and state authorities to protect the restricted airspace,» he said.

In a press release, Cotton's office said the four leagues have endorsed the bill.

«If enacted, this legislation would dramatically increase the security of our stadiums and the safety of the 70,000,000 fans who attend our games annually,» MLB's senior vice president of security and ballpark operations David Thomas said in a statement.

The NFL said that in the 2023 season alone, it