Stay-to-Play Watch: Lawsuits, Bills and Rule Changes
This page lists court filings, bills and policy news on tournament hotel rules, newest first. Facts and links only. Each entry says what happened, who, status, and where to read it.
Allegations below are claims in filings or news reports. Nothing here is a finding by a court unless the entry says so.
What is the current status of stay-to-play law?
As of 2026-10-14, no U.S. state law bans stay-to-play, according to Travel Sports Truth, October 3, 2026. Bills in New York and New Jersey are in committee, and the federal bill is in committee, according to the same report and the bill pages.
Two federal lawsuits (Team Travel Source, Black Bear) are in early stages. A third (U.S. Junior Nationals) was dismissed with leave to amend, according to Ballertube. The table below sorts everything by date.
Timeline, most recent first
| Date | What happened | Who | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-17 | New Jersey Assembly Bill A5506 introduced. It would make it an unlawful practice for a youth sports organization to require a designated hotel, travel agent or transportation company as a condition of participating. Fines of $10,000 (first offense) and up to $20,000 (later offenses). | NJ Assembly, sponsor Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis | Referred to committee | Hoodline |
| 2026-09-01 | Oliver et al. v. Black Bear Sports Group, Inc., 1:26-cv-01106, filed as a proposed class action. The complaint alleges the stay-to-play policy at these events deceptively coerces parents into booking hotels; it concerns the policy at Defender Hockey Tournaments, Tier 1 Hockey Federation and National Girls Hockey League events. | U.S. District Court, District of Delaware | Early stage | Almeida Law Group, Front Office Sports |
| 2026-09-11 (reported) | Black Bear's attorney Doug Gansler told Front Office Sports the allegations are "entirely without merit." He also said the contracts parents sign "make clear that the organization receives rebates from participating hotels." | Black Bear Sports Group (statement) | Statement, not a ruling | Front Office Sports |
| 2026-08-27 | Antitrust class action against U.S. Junior Nationals dismissed. According to Law360, the plaintiff "failed to show a market the organization monopolized." According to Ballertube, dismissal was with leave to amend. | U.S. District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania; Ballertube names Judge Mary Kay Costello (Martinez v. U.S. Junior Nationals, Inc., 2:25-cv-00851-MKC) | Dismissed with leave to amend | Law360, Ballertube |
| 2026-06 | Congressional subcommittee hearing on private equity in youth sports, including stay-to-play requirements, according to Ballertube. | Congressional subcommittee (Ballertube does not name it) | Held | Ballertube |
| 2026-05-20 | Law firm announces Russell et al. v. The Complete Plan, Inc. d/b/a Team Travel Source, 3:26-cv-00360-CHB. The complaint alleges mandatory "junk fees" and that "lower rates are often available through other booking platforms." Team Travel Source has denied the allegations (see 2026-05-15). | U.S. District Court, W.D. Kentucky | Newly filed class action | PR Newswire |
| 2026-05-15 | Team Travel Source class action filed by five parents, according to Buying Sandlot. Seeks a nationwide class with a five-year lookback. Team Travel Source told the outlet: "We deny participation in any alleged violation of the law in connection with the allegations in the proposed class action lawsuit." | U.S. District Court, W.D. Kentucky | Pending | Buying Sandlot |
| 2026-05-15 | New York Senate Bill S10428, "Fairness in Youth Sports," introduced. Would prohibit stay-to-play arrangements and require an itemized list of annual costs before the season. Exempts public school programs, NYPHSAA and organizations with annual costs of $750 or less. | NY State Senate, Sen. Rachel May | In Senate Consumer Protection Committee | NY Senate |
| 2026-05-13 | Let Kids Play Act introduced as S. 4522 (Sens. Murphy and Booker) and H.R. 8788. Purpose line: "prohibit vulture investors from investing in youth sports." The bill text bars "conditioning eligibility to participate in any aspect of youth sports on the use of a designated travel agent, hotel or lodging accommodation, or transportation entity." H.R. 8788 (Rep. Deluzio) was referred to the House Judiciary Committee and others. | U.S. Senate (Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs) and U.S. House | Introduced, in committee | GovInfo S. 4522, GovInfo H.R. 8788, Oklahoma Watch |
| 2025-06-06 | First amended complaint filed in the U.S. Junior Nationals case. The complaint alleges a tying arrangement with broker TCI Housing and opt-out fees of $250 to $1,000. | U.S. District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania | Motion to dismiss later granted (see 2026-08-27) | National Case Alert |
| 2025-02 | Original U.S. Junior Nationals complaint filed by Patricia Martinez. | U.S. District Court, Pennsylvania | See above | Ballertube |
| 2024-12 | Final approval of an $82.5 million Varsity Brands antitrust settlement. According to Ballertube, for five years at least 35% of Varsity cheer competitions would not require approved accommodations. Defendants did not admit wrongdoing, per the same report. | Federal court (Ballertube does not name it) | Approved | Ballertube |
What do the complaints say?
The quotes below are the plaintiffs' allegations, as published by their law firms or reported by news outlets. They are not court findings.
| Case | Quoted allegation | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Black Bear (D. Del.) | "Deceptively coerces parents into booking hotels through a designated platform" | Almeida Law Group |
| Team Travel Source (W.D. Ky.) | The suit alleges the company told parents their children's teams could not compete unless they booked through its platform (paraphrase of the press release) | PR Newswire |
| U.S. Junior Nationals (E.D. Pa.) | "Any deviation from the mandatory booking requirement will result in the team's forfeiture from the tournament." | National Case Alert |
What have the companies said?
Black Bear's attorney said "there is no coercion or coverup, and plaintiffs are either misinformed or intentionally distorting the facts," per Front Office Sports (September 11, 2026). He also said stay-to-play policies are "used throughout competitive youth hockey and by USA Hockey" to ensure adequate hotel rooms.
All three statements are in Front Office Sports. Team Travel Source's denial is quoted in Buying Sandlot. No published response from U.S. Junior Nationals was found.
Any governing-body policy changes?
No governing-body policy change was confirmed for this page. Current rules are on each organizer's own page. See the explainer.
Open questions this page cannot answer
Whether the Let Kids Play Act advances is unknown. Duane Morris wrote: "The Let Kids Play Act faces a challenging path in the current Congress, where Republicans hold the majority." (Duane Morris).
Send corrections with a source link. This page is updated when a filing, bill or policy changes.
Claims
| Claim | Source URL | Date checked | Checker |
|---|---|---|---|
| NJ A5506 introduced 2026-09-17, Drulis, $10,000 / up to $20,000, referred to committee (secondary: news report) | https://hoodline.com/2026/10/new-jersey-bill-would-bar-mandatory-hotel-bookings-for-youth-sports/ | 2026-10-14 | worker-b |
| Oliver v. Black Bear, 1:26-cv-01106, D. Del., filed 2026-09-01; Defender, Tier 1, NGHL; "Deceptively coerces..." allegation | https://www.almeidalawgroup.com/investigations/black-bear-sports-group-stay-to-play-lawsuit/ | 2026-10-14 | worker-b |
| Gansler: "entirely without merit", rebates, "no coercion or coverup", USA Hockey use (article dated 2026-09-11) | https://frontofficesports.com/article/parents-sue-black-bear-sports-over-youth-hockey-hotel-tactics/ | 2026-10-14 | worker-b |
| USJN dismissed 2026-08-27, E.D. Pa., "failed to show a market the organization monopolized" | https://www.law360.co.uk/competition/articles/2518557/youth-basketball-tournament-escapes-hotel-antitrust-claims | 2026-10-14 | worker-b |
| USJN leave to amend, Judge Costello, filed Feb 2025; June 2026 congressional subcommittee hearing; Varsity $82.5M, Dec 2024, 35% term | https://www.ballertube.com/news/753/stay-to-play-is-heading-to-federal-court-youth-sports-hotel-model-faces-growing-legal-pressure/ | 2026-10-14 | worker-b |
| USJN 2:25-cv-00851-MKC, amended complaint 2025-06-06, TCI Housing, $250 to $1,000, forfeiture quote | https://nationalcasealert.com/campaigns/usjn-stay-to-play-lawsuit-youth-basketball-tournament-hotel-tying-arrangement/ | 2026-10-14 | worker-b |
| Russell v. Complete Plan, 3:26-cv-00360-CHB, W.D. Ky., release 2026-05-20, junk fees, "lower rates are often available" | https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/almeida-law-group-represents-parents-suing-team-travel-source-over-stay-to-play-junk-fee-302777991.html | 2026-10-14 | worker-b |
| TTS suit filed 2026-05-15, five parents, five-year class, TTS denial.; "Tens of thousands" quote cut as unverified | https://www.buyingsandlot.com/p/youth-sports-parents-sue-tournament-housing-firm-over-stay-to-play | 2026-10-14 | worker-b |
| NY S10428, introduced 2026-05-15, Sen. May, Consumer Protection Committee, exemptions | https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/S10428 | 2026-10-14 | worker-b |
| S. 4522 introduced 2026-05-13, Murphy and Booker, Banking Committee, hotel-conditioning prohibition text | https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119s4522is/html/BILLS-119s4522is.htm | 2026-10-14 | worker-b |
| H.R. 8788 introduced 2026-05-13, Deluzio, referred to Judiciary and others | https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr8788ih/html/BILLS-119hr8788ih.htm | 2026-10-14 | worker-b |
| Let Kids Play Act aims to ban stay-to-play; sponsors | https://oklahomawatch.org/2026/05/26/federal-bill-would-ban-stay-to-play-and-force-private-equity-out-of-youth-sports/ | 2026-10-14 | worker-b |
| No state law against stay-to-play as of 2026-10-03; NY and NJ bills in committee | https://travelsportstruth.com/blog/state-bills-stay-to-play-all-in-pricing | 2026-10-14 | worker-b |
| Republican-majority Congress quote | https://www.duanemorris.com/alerts/new_bill_seeks_let_kids_play_limiting_private_equity_youth_sports_0526.html | 2026-10-14 | worker-b |