Senate passes college sports bill, sending it to House

The Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act Sept. 28, sending the proposed national framework for athlete compensation, transfers, and eligibility to the House. 

The legislation passed 77-22, with bipartisan support. Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., led the effort to address years of court rulings, differing state laws, and a 2025 settlement that allowed colleges to pay athletes directly. 

The bill would bar schools and athletic organizations from restricting athletes’ ability to earn money from their name, image, and likeness (NIL), subject to the bill’s rules. It would also regulate school payments, NIL deals, transfers and eligibility, and give the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), conferences, and schools limited protection from antitrust lawsuits over certain rules. 

It would cap an agent’s fee for an endorsement contract at 5% of the contract’s value. The bill would also guarantee scholarships for 10 years after eligibility, while letting athletes transfer once without having to sit out a year.   

The measure would also preserve the school payment cap established under the 2025 settlement while allowing qualifying schools to spend additional money to retain athletes. Other provisions address conference realignment and opportunities in women’s and Olympic sports. 

“Today is a monumental day for college athletics,” Cruz said after the vote. “The United States Senate voted to protect the hundreds of thousands of student athletes currently competing in college sports, the millions who will follow in their footsteps, and every college sports fan who wants to preserve this great American tradition for generations to come.”

The vote followed months of bipartisan negotiations. Several conservative groups, including CatholicVote, raised concerns that an earlier version could override state laws barring men from competing in women’s sports. The Senate Commerce Committee revised the text before the floor vote, Zeale News previously reported.

Some Democrats and athlete and labor advocates opposed the measure, arguing its legal protections for the NCAA and schools could make it harder for athletes to challenge rules that limit their earnings. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., one of the bill’s major opponents, said Sept. 28 that athletes would have too little say in rules governing college sports and argued the bill was “about protecting wealthy coaches” and “powerful institutions.”

President Donald Trump urged Congress to pass the bill in a Sept. 28 White House press release.

“President Trump believes wholeheartedly that college sports are worth fighting for — for the athletes, the schools, the fans, and America. Scholarships, roster spots, women’s and Olympic sports, and the traditions millions of Americans cherish are on the line,” the statement said. 

It added that the “greatest threat is inaction and uncertainty” and urged Congress to “act now to establish clear, fair rules for NIL and protect the future of college athletics.”

The House must also pass the measure before Trump can sign it into law. Its prospects there remain uncertain, with lawmakers expected to take it up after the November midterm elections.