Senate Approves Protect College Sports Act, Bill Heads to House

The U.S. Senate voted 77-22 to pass the Protect College Sports Act, a bill that would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption, restore a five-year eligibility rule, and impose limits on transfers and name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation. The legislation also includes provisions to maintain scholarships for women’s and Olympic sports, cap agent fees at 5%, and restrict conference realignment by requiring schools that switch power conferences to compete as independents for three academic years.

Supporters, including the NCAA, major universities and conferences, argue the bill is needed to bring order to what they describe as a “Wild West” era of college athletics. > "Right now, it is the Wild West. The Protect College Sports Act is bipartisan legislation designed to bring order to the chaos," Senator Ted Cruz said at a September news conference.

Opponents, ranging from labor groups to athlete organizations and the NAACP, contend the bill gives the NCAA excessive power while limiting athletes’ rights. > "I think the better way to frame it is 'The Protect the NCAA Act,'" said Sam Ehrlich, an associate professor who monitors college-sports litigation. > "That's what frustrates me — we have a bill that's going to protect the wealth and the gravy train for a lot of folks but puts burdens on college athletes," Senator Cory Booker added.

The bill now moves to the House, which is in recess until after the November midterm elections, leaving its ultimate fate uncertain. NCAA President Charlie Baker thanked senators for their effort and said the next step is to ensure student-athlete benefits are codified into federal law.