NFL owners voted Tuesday to lift the longstanding cross-ownership prohibition, meaning they are now free to own a different professional sports team in cities that have an NFL team. That change, approved at the league’s annual fall meeting, could have a significant impact on the sports landscape.

The rule, in place for decades, prohibits owners of NFL teams from owning professional baseball, basketball, or hockey teams in other NFL markets. A big reason it was put in place was so that fellow NFL owners, partners in the league, were not pitted against each other and competing for the same sports dollar.

It’s why, for instance, Rams owner Stan Kroenke had to put the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche in a family trust rather than run those franchises himself. The NFL didn’t want him going head to head with Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen in that city, elbowing each other for the loyalty of fans.

...