WASHINGTON – A sweeping effort to reshape college sports cleared an important hurdle in the Senate as influential coaches, the NCAA and other prominent supporters intensify their campaign to pass the measure before the midterm elections.
Senators voted 74-24 Tuesday to open debate on the bill, marking a significant advance for legislation designed to control rapidly rising spending in college athletics. The industry is adjusting to a new era in which universities can compensate athletes, and the proposal has the backing of major conferences, Senate leaders and President Donald Trump.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said the measure is intended to bring an end to what he called “the chaos we have in college sports.”
“It threatens the viability of many college athletic programs, it threatens the roster spots and scholarship positions of hundreds of thousands of student athletes,” Cruz said. “It threatens women’s sports. It threatens Olympic sports. If Congress does not act, all of that is in jeopardy of going away.”
Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, the Commerce Committee’s senior Democrat, described the legislation as “the last chance to save college sports.”
But the bill still faces resistance from multiple groups, potentially making a swift Senate passage difficult during the chamber’s final three weeks in session before the November elections.
Some Republicans want the proposal to include stronger provisions addressing transgender girls and women in sports. Labor organizations argue that it offers athletes too little protection. The NAACP has also pledged to oppose the measure, saying lawmakers should not reward universities and athletic conferences “while many remain silent as Black voting rights come under attack in the states where they operate.”
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said before the vote that the bill would grant the NCAA broad authority without imposing enough accountability or safeguards for athletes.
“Look at their history, it is not about player protection,” Booker said. “This is a money play, plain and simple.”
Bill targets rapidly escalating college sports costs
The proposal would allow schools to follow nationwide standards governing recruiting and competition while establishing new rules for transfers and player eligibility. Those issues have triggered dozens of lawsuits against the NCAA in just the past month.
It would also give the NCAA limited protection from lawsuits, an effort aimed at reducing the legal challenges that have repeatedly disrupted college athletics. The latest disputes involve a new rule allowing players five seasons of eligibility spread across five years.
A central provision would redefine “third-party” NIL — the name, image and likeness sponsorship agreements widely blamed for driving up college sports expenses. Under the current system, schools may distribute as much as $21.3 million in shared revenue among athletes across their athletic departments.
The bill would raise the school-by-school salary cap to nearly $49 million. Supporters hope moving more compensation from outside NIL deals into the capped system will create a clearer and more realistic ceiling on athletic spending.
Lawmakers and college sports leaders make a final push before the elections
Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the chamber. Democrats are trying to flip the Senate in November’s midterms, which can complicate the legislative agenda.
“We’re going to get one shot at this, and I don’t know if we ever will again soon,” said Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt just ahead of the vote. “We’ve got a moment.”
The bill, he said, could “define the trajectory of college athletics.”
