As the college football season gets underway, supporters of the Protect College Sports Act are intensifying their push to secure Senate passage before the chamber leaves for its upcoming break.
The legislation would establish limits on rapidly rising spending in college athletics as schools adjust to a system that allows them to compensate players. The bipartisan measure has support from major conferences, Senate leaders and President Donald Trump, but lingering opposition could prevent a vote this fall.
“This bill protects the billions of dollars that coaches and sports industry executives are making over the suppression of compensation for some of the most highly valued athletes in the world,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said during a call with reporters Monday. “What we’re being asked to do is to basically allow colleges and conferences and the NCAA to illegally collude.”
Murphy’s criticism came after Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas and co-sponsor of the bill, made a prominent appeal for its passage Saturday on ESPN’s “College GameDay.” Cruz spent nearly 10 minutes outlining his case for the legislation as a University of Texas crowd loudly booed behind him.
Cruz and Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington introduced the measure in late May. After months of discussion, it has returned to the spotlight with a Senate vote possible before Congress recesses for the midterm elections.
Speaking at a Washington news conference alongside Cantwell, college athletes, coaches and members of Congress, Cruz said he expects the Senate to vote on the bill this week or next. He hopes it will pass with strong support from both parties.
“I believe we are going to get this done,” Cruz said. “I have a very high level of confidence that the House will pass this bill, and one of the best ways to do that is get a big bipartisan vote coming off the Senate.”
Supporters have mobilized prominent coaches and boosters to advocate for the proposal. Billionaire Texas Tech alumnus Cody Campbell, former Alabama coach Nick Saban and current Colorado coach Deion Sanders have appeared in commercials airing nationwide as the football season begins.
“The Protect College Sports Act ends the NIL chaos in college athletics by protecting our student-athletes and teams and safeguarding women’s sports and Olympic programs,” Saban says in an ad.
Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari, Gonzaga’s Mark Few and Houston’s Kelvin Sampson have also endorsed the bill.
“I think this clears up about 75-80% of our issues,” Calipari said in Washington. “Nothing is perfect. This is a bite out of the apple.”
Few echoed Calipari’s assessment, saying, “This bill might not be perfect, but it’s far, far away the best thing we got out there right now.”
Despite its high-profile backing, the bill faces a compressed schedule and the Senate’s 60-vote threshold for passage. Following months of negotiations, the Big Ten and Southeastern conferences endorsed the measure in late July, but it remains uncertain whether supporters can assemble the necessary votes.
Republicans currently hold a 53-47 Senate majority. Democrats are seeking to take control of the chamber in November’s midterm elections, a political dynamic that could complicate the legislative calendar.
Murphy has emerged as one of the bill’s strongest critics. He said he will work with opponents to persuade senators to reconsider and pursue legislation that advances reforms without permanently preserving the current system at the expense of athletes’ health and safety.
“This bill doesn’t stop billionaires from spending money on athletic facilities,” Murphy said. “This money doesn’t stop billionaires from directly subsidizing the salaries of coaches. No, the only thing this bill does is to limit the relatively small slice of money in the system that goes to athletes.”
Murphy rejected the argument that college sports have become chaotic since athletes began receiving compensation for their name, image and likeness rights. He argued that coaches and universities are the groups most affected by the issue and that the bill would do little to address broader spending problems.
Standing with NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson, Murphy noted that many of the most valuable athletes are Black, while many of those defending the system’s billions of dollars are white. The Congressional Black Caucus opposes the legislation.
“This bill has nothing to do with protecting college sports,” Johnson said. “Any college sports legislation must protect the whole ecosystem, including student-athletes, universities, conferences and historically Black colleges and universities by guaranteeing athletes have a real voice, fair economic rights, long-term health and educational security.”
In a separate congressional effort to regulate college athletics, Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan and Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio introduced legislation Monday that would cap international athletes at 20% of each varsity sports team.
“American colleges and universities should first and foremost provide opportunities for American students,” Walberg said. “America has built the strongest collegiate athletic system in the world, and we should make sure it continues to develop the next generation of American students and American Olympians.”