In a move that lowers the odds of the Protect College Sports Act becoming law, the Congressional Black Caucus—which has more than 60 members—issued a statement on Thursday opposing the PCSA.
“At the very moment that Black political representation is under attack across the country,” Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), the CBC chair, said, “we will not be complicit in efforts to further exclude the interests of Black people by advancing legislation that will determine the economic future of Black athletes, their families, and their communities without their meaningful participation and engagement.”
The CBC described the PCSA, which is supported by President Donald Trump and would extend a limited antitrust immunity and other legal protections to the NCAA and its members, as a gift to industry actors without corresponding benefits to the athletes.
“The so-called Protect College Sports Act grants sweeping new legal protections to powerful institutions while failing to adequately protect the athletes whose talent fuels this multibillion-dollar industry,” the statement asserts. “It falls short of providing Black athletes with the rights, representation, economic opportunities, and meaningful safeguards they deserve, while also failing to adequately recognize the interests of Black coaches, Black agents, HBCUs and other professionals whose futures will be shaped by this legislation.”
