Bipartisan Protect College Sports Act Introduced
Earlier this week, Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), respectively the Chairman and the Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee, announced they “have reached a bipartisan agreement on legislation to restore stability to college sports, titled the Protect College Sports Act of 2026.” The more than hundred-page bill addresses a broad range of issues relating to college athletics. Here is the Background section from the press release:
The legislation includes NIL protections, athlete-agent rules, NIL disclosure standards, academic and scholarship protections, student athlete medical coverage, health and safety standards, the establishment of an official student athlete ombudsman, transfer and eligibility rules, prohibited compensation and cap-evasion provisions, recruitment and tampering rules, legal certainty for covered enforcement, preemption of conflicting state rules, and neutrality on employment status.
The broadcast and media title creates a conditional framework for voluntary pooled media rights, local access to broadcast games, rivalry preservation, women’s and Olympic-sport protections, anti-consolidation guardrails, and use-it-or-lose-it non-football/non-basketball media rights.
A committee announcement regarding an upcoming hearing on the legislation is forthcoming.
Coverage: ESPN; N.Y. Times; USA Today.