Senator Ted Cruz has recently unveiled the Protect College Sports Act, a bill aimed at exempting the NCAA from antitrust laws, allowing it to enforce caps on payments to athletes and set rules on eligibility and transfers in college sports.
The bill also creates opportunities for schools to sell their media rights as one large entity rather than on a conference- by-conference basis. This is intended to help fund less profitable sports and to close the significant financial gap between the Big Ten and SEC and most other college sports.
Written by Cruz with the help of Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, the bill passed the Senate Commerce Committee by a 19-9 vote last Thursday, making it eligible for a full vote on the Senate floor.
Cruz built a coalition of support around the bill, including endorsements from several major NCAA conferences, former University of Alabama Coach Nick Saban, and President Donald Trump.
Cruz’s decision to work in tandem with Cantwell and Democrats also gives the bill added momentum as it moves beyond the committee.
This would be considered the first major act of reform to college sports since the 2024 settlement that required the NCAA and athletic conferences to share revenue with athletes.
Opposition to the bill does exist, with the Big 10 and SEC speaking openly against it, as it would eliminate their ability to merge by banning large-revenue conferences from consolidating.
Republicans have also expressed concern that the bill doesn’t specifically address the employment status of college athletes.
Democrat supporters argue that college athletes should be classified as employees so that they can receive labor protections, form unions and ensure they are properly compensated. Republicans believe doing so would destroy smaller programs and non-revenue sports, along with decoupling sports from academics.
Cruz and Cantwell have addressed concerns and claim to be working on revising the bill’s language.
Nonetheless, Cruz sees the bill as urgent, feeling that there is a narrow window to regulate college sports before the potentially imminent Big Ten and SEC merger.