U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.)—the chair and ranking member, respectively, of the Commerce Committee—are set to release a new bill, the Protect College Sports Act, that attempts to thread the needle of reforming college sports without creating new problems.
The bill will likely face political and legal hurdles, though it reflects a bipartisan approach that might attract significant support.
The Protect College Sports Act contemplates a targeted antitrust exemption related to eligibility and transfers, media rights pooling and a hard cap on school spending, among other components.
It’s the latest effort in what has thus far been a futile movement within the college sports community and on Capitol Hill to facilitate legal changes to the relationship among the NCAA, conferences, colleges and athletes. More than 40 college sports bills have been introduced in Congress over the last six years, and none has advanced, despite some garnering significant media coverage and confident statements by lawmakers.
The newest bill contains features that might give it a better chance, though it still faces high odds and could still be challenged in courts. Most noticeably, the Protect College Sports Act avoids a declaration that college athletes aren’t employees.
