Senate Advances Protect College Sports Act in 74-24 Vote
The Senate pushed the Protect College Sports Act ahead on September 15, invoking cloture on the motion by a 74-24 vote. That gets the bill, formally S. 4668, closer to more Senate votes before it can reach the House. Cloture isn't passage. It ends debate and forces a vote.
Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, introduced the legislation with Ranking Member Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat. Her pitch: the current system is fragmented, and the bill fixes it. "This bill brings order to [college sports]," she said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote. She said the proposal also backs revenue sharing for athletes and creates a commission to study the sport's future, collective bargaining included.
At its core the bill grants student athletes a federal Name, Image, and Likeness right, swapping the state-by-state patchwork for one national standard. NIL contracts and agents get rules too, with agent fees capped at 5%. There are scholarship protections: athletes could hold onto scholarships for up to 10 years after eligibility ends and finish their degrees. Division I schools would have to cover certain out-of-pocket medical costs tied to athletic injuries or illness. More post-eligibility coverage could follow for sports-related conditions.
Non-revenue sports get their own treatment. Bigger athletic departments would have to keep minimum roster spots and grant-in-aid opportunities for women's and Olympic sports, measured against the 2024-25 academic year, with exemptions and a waiver process in place.
On media rights, schools could voluntarily form collectives to pool and negotiate deals, and the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 would be amended to extend antitrust protection to college sports. Football and basketball games would have to be offered non-exclusively to at least one free local TV outlet in each participating school's home market. Sponsors say that pulls in more revenue and eases pressure on academic budgets and student fees. Participation stays voluntary, and existing media contracts wouldn't be cancelled.
Back in June the Commerce Committee advanced an earlier version 19-9. A revised draft landed in August after talks between Cruz, Cantwell and other senators. Support has come from 29 collegiate athletic conferences and more than 370 colleges and universities. The NAACP has urged senators to reject the bill, warning of consequences for athletes and programs.
As of September 17, the Senate schedule had a vote on the motion to proceed to S. 4668 set before noon. Clear the Senate and the bill goes to the House, then to the president.