The league is concerned about the erosion of its fan base within those cities left without a team. It is concerned about free agency and teams leaping to new markets to gain better deals and new dollars to bid for the best players. And it is concerned about Congress, which is considering leaping headfirst into the matter by developing antitrust laws that may force the N.F.L. to supply a city that loses a team with a new one. For that reason, the owners approved the move with two provisos:

1. That a referendum on May 7 in Davidson County, where Nashville is located, is passed. That referendum asks citizens to approve $80 million in bonds to be used to help finance the new, downtown stadium.

2. That there are no assumed punitive damages that Congress may decide to issue on franchise relocation.

"This is historic for all of us," said N.F.L. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue. "We are the first major sports franchise in Tennessee. And we are proud to be in Tennessee."

Others accepted the move minus the fanfare. The owners from Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Washington and the Giants voted against the move and the Raiders abstained.

Wellington Mara, the co-owner of the Giants, said: "It was similar to what we did with Cleveland, although we didn't promise them a franchise. I voted no because we don't know the situation with Congress. There was a lot of discussion on that. I just wanted to wait to see what Congress has to say on this issue of movement. Is this the last move for a while? I certainly hope so."