Full Breakdown
Senate Likely Holds 60 Votes for the Protect College Sports Act Amid SEC and Big Ten Negotiations
7/18/2026, 7:00:00 AM
Core Legislative Push
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) told an Associated Press Sports Editors panel on July 17, 2026 that his bipartisan “Protect College Sports Act” probably enjoys 60 Senate votes—enough to overcome a filibuster. The next two weeks are described as “critical” as lawmakers try to resolve objections from the SEC and Big Ten before the Senate moves the bill to the floor and Congress adjourns for its August recess.
Background & Context
The legislation, introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wa.), seeks to give the NCAA and conferences limited-liability protection while preempting the patchwork of state laws governing athletes’ name, image, and likeness (NIL) payments approved by a federal court last summer. It also permits voluntary media-rights pooling, a provision proponents argue could generate “extra billions,” though the two power conferences have opposed the current language.
Official Statements & Responses
Sen. Schmitt emphasized that the bill’s antitrust shield is essential for the NCAA to enforce national rules on eligibility, transfers and NIL, warning that without it college sports could become “even further unrecognizable” within three years. NCAA President Charlie Baker urged legislators not to “kill in the crib” a measure that addresses eligibility, transfers and agent regulation, noting that “you can’t have national championships if you don’t have national rules. Period.” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, in a letter to school presidents, warned that the bill’s civil-lawsuit provision could increase litigation rather than reduce it and suggested rewriting that section.
Criticism & Opposition
Leaders from the SEC and Big Ten have met with the bill’s sponsors to negotiate changes. Their concerns focus on (1) the voluntary nature of media-rights pooling, (2) preserving the conferences’ ability to add member schools, and (3) the potential for increased lawsuits under the current civil-action language. Both conferences argue that the proposed changes could create “more problems than it solves.” The House, narrowly divided, is also expected to scrutinize the measure alongside the unrelated SCORE Act, which has yet to receive a floor vote.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We probably have 60 votes,” — Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.
- “If there’s any action that’s really going to be meaningful to get this done, the best time to do it is the next couple weeks,” — Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo.
- “People want to get it to yes,” — Charlie Baker, NCAA President.
- “You can’t have national championships if you don’t have national rules. Period.” — Charlie Baker, NCAA President.
- “This is a much bigger problem than I think people realize,” — Charlie Baker, NCAA President.
