Protect College Sports Act Heads to the Senate Floor

The bipartisan Protect College Sports Act now heads to the Senate Floor after passing 19-9 in the Senate Commerce Committee Thursday.

What does the act entail?

The act would prohibit coaches from leaving for other jobs mid-season and athletes from transferring more than once during their college careers. Additionally, it would prohibit teams and conferences from leaving the NCAA to form a "Super League" and create nationwide standards on recruiting tampering and NIL disclosures.

What did party leaders say?

• Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas): “If Congress doesn’t fix these laws and pass this bill, the cost of our failure will be measured not only in dollars, or wins and losses. The cost of our failure will be measured in lost opportunities.”
• Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Washington): “Collegiate athletics is a hallmark for human development. Let’s not ruin it with out-of-control chaos. This bill puts new tools and new rules on the table to rein in runaway costs while still preserving NIL, revenue sharing, and women’s and Olympic sports.”

The bill, introduced by Cantwell and Cruz last month, aims to create more stability around college athletics.

A revised version was presented to the Senate Commerce Committee, resulting in a bipartisan 19-9 vote. Seven Democrats voted in support of the bill and two Republicans voted against it.

“The greatest threat to college sports is inaction," Cruz said in the hearing. "The laws enacted by past Congresses are the reason why the current system is growing more unstable. If Congress doesn’t fix these laws and pass this bill, the cost of our failure will be measured not only in dollars, or wins and losses. The cost of our failure will be measured in lost opportunities.”

Over the past few years, college athletics have changes immensely with the introduction of NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) rules in 2021. Over time, many say it is changing the future of college athletics.

“Collegiate athletics is a hallmark for human development. Let’s not ruin it with out-of-control chaos," said Cantwell. "This bill puts new tools and new rules on the table to rein in runaway costs while still preserving NIL, revenue sharing, and women’s and Olympic sports”

Former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban expressed his support for the legislation to Congress in early June.

Although the legislation has received support from the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conferences, with the Big Ten and Southeastern Conferences expressing concerns about the flexibility of the legislation.

The bill may now continue to the Senate floor, following Thursday's vote.