Protect College Sports Act Advances With Bipartisan Support in Congress

College athletics face a structural crisis driven by uncontrolled spending spirals and a chaotic transfer portal environment, according to co-sponsor Sen. Ted Cruz. In an exclusive interview with Hoops HQ’s Seth Davis and Andy Katz, Cruz stated, This is a big deal that we now have bipartisan legislation. We introduced it because college sports are in crisis.

The legislative push centers on the Protect College Sports Act, which cleared the Senate Commerce Committee with bipartisan backing and support from major athletic conferences and universities. The bill addresses name, image, and likeness compensation while leaving athlete-employment status unresolved, steering clear of the divisive employer designations that derailed earlier Republican proposals like the SCORE Act. While none of the college sports bills introduced in Congress over the past six years have advanced, there is optimism that the Protect College Sports Act could break the trend.

Legislative Pillars and the Push for Bipartisan Consensus

Drafted alongside Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell, the Protect College Sports Act introduces strict national standards designed to stabilize collegiate competition. The proposed framework restricts undergraduate athletes to one “free” transfer, institutes a five-year eligibility window that excludes professional athletes, and caps sports agents’ fees at 5 percent. The bill also prevents coaches from taking new jobs in the middle of a season and proposes a narrow antitrust exemption related to transfers and eligibility, protecting the NCAA from legal challenges in those areas.

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Furthermore, the bill mandates public disclosure requirements for name, image, and likeness compensation deals worth more than $600. It also regulates school revenue-sharing and booster-funded pay-for-play structures while providing a limited antitrust exemption while leaving athlete-employment status unresolved.

Supporters say the measure would bring stability, strengthen historically Black colleges and universities, and protect men’s and women’s sports, while critics—including some Senate Democrats, athlete advocates and members of the Congressional Black Caucus—say it could restrict compensation and harm Black athletes, coaches and HBCUs.

Public Friction and High-Stakes Advocacy

Despite momentum in committee, the path forward on the Senate floor remains complex, requiring 60 votes to advance past a planned Senate floor vote that was delayed before the August recess. High-profile figures have stepped forward to lend their backing, including Colorado coach Deion Sanders and former Alabama coach Nick Saban, who back the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act.

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The legislative effort is also bolstered by outside financial backing. An advocacy campaign funded primarily by Texas Tech booster and oil executive Cody Campbell has expanded its advertising budget to $6 million.

Public reception has proven turbulent. During a roughly nine-minute appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay at the University of Texas before its matchup with Ohio State, Sen. Ted Cruz promoted the bill but was repeatedly booed and met with “Ted, you suck” chants.

Protecting the 99 Percent Amid Out-of-Control Spending

Proponents of the legislation emphasize that the primary beneficiaries of federal oversight are not elite college superstars, but the vast majority of student-athletes who will never turn professional. Cruz noted that elite earners like Michael Jordan or Arch Manning are going to do great and make millions of dollars, and they are going to be just fine.

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Instead, the legislative focus remains squarely on the remainder of competitors across the country. “I’m worried about the 99 percent of college athletes who will never play in the NFL or will never play in the NBA, but college sports has been their avenue to go to school, to get an education, to get a degree and to learn all the skills that you learn through competitive athletics — to learn teamwork and discipline and hard work and sportsmanship,” Cruz explained.

Without legislative guardrails, athletic directors facing unsustainable spending spirals will continue canceling women’s sports, track and field, Olympic sports, and tennis. Cruz warned that if Congress does not act, within three to five years, the total number of schools that have football teams that are competitive nationally will drop down to somewhere between 30 and 50 schools, with everyone else basically becoming a high school team and no longer competitive in any meaningful way.