Senate Advances College Sports Bill With 5-Year Eligibility Rule as NIL Fight Deepens
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 15
Senate Advances College Sports Bill With 5-Year Eligibility Rule as NIL Fight Deepens
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 15
Summary
A bipartisan Senate push moved the Protect College Sports Act to its next phase, setting up a possible floor advance later this week.
The bill would impose federal guardrails on college athletics, including a 5-year eligibility standard, transfer-portal limits, recruiting and tampering rules, a national NIL framework and a revenue-sharing cap.
Ted Cruz said federal antitrust litigation has stripped away existing rules since the NCAA opened NIL payments in 2021, leaving college sports in a "Wild West" landscape.
Opposition sharpened as Sen. Chris Murphy argued the measure would weaken athletes' bargaining power and grant colleges antitrust exemptions.
The Congressional Black Caucus also withheld support, tying its stance to broader attacks on Black voting rights, while Maria Cantwell said student-athlete protections should not be delayed over that fight.
Does granting antitrust protection to universities save college athletics, or permanently transform student-athletes into restricted professional employees?
How will regulators prevent wealthy athletic programs from finding new underground loopholes around the proposed compensation caps?