Senate Push for Protect College Sports Act Faces Conference Roadblocks

Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) are trying to move the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA) through the Senate, but the bill has stalled as the Big Ten and SEC—America’s two most powerful college-sports conferences—have not committed their support. The legislation, which would set nationwide rules for athlete compensation, media-rights pooling, and antitrust protections, cleared the Senate Commerce Committee on a 19-9 vote but faces an uncertain path to the Senate floor before the chamber’s summer recess.

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The $19 billion college-sports industry was reshaped by the 2021 Supreme Court decision that barred the NCAA from restricting athletes’ name, image and likeness (NIL) earnings. Lawmakers have since sought a federal framework to replace a patchwork of state laws. The House’s SCORE Act barred athletes from employee status but failed to become law. The PCSA aims to fill that gap by granting the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption, establishing salary-cap mechanisms, and allowing conferences to pool media rights.

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• June 1 – LSU’s board chair Lee Mallett and president Wade Rousse sign a letter supporting the House SCORE Act, not the Senate PCSA.

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• July 13 – Mallett and Rousse issue a separate letter stating they do not support the PCSA in its current form.

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• Late June – The Senate Commerce Committee votes 19-9 to advance the PCSA, with seven Democrats joining the Republican majority.

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• Early July – Cruz and Cantwell host a conference call with commissioners and Notre Dame Athletic Director Pete Bevacqua; lobbyists report “stunningly little progress.”

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• Mid-July – The Senate adjourns for the week without scheduling a floor vote, extending the window before the chamber’s summer recess in early August.

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• The industry generates roughly $19 billion annually.

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• The PCSA proposes a $20 million athlete-retention pool plus a $5 million pool for women’s sports; a later revision raises the retention pool to $22.5 million.

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• Committee support stands at about 70 percent according to Cruz.

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• The bill is said to have backing from two dozen conferences and more than 250 universities, though several major conferences remain noncommittal.

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Senator Cruz asserts that the bill is “the NCAA’s last, best hope” for congressional help and expects a “large bipartisan vote” on the Senate floor. Senator Cantwell emphasizes the need for a “voluntary” media-pooling provision to protect conference autonomy.

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Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman questioned the necessity of the media-pooling clause, noting the lack of modeling to prove revenue gains. SEC and Big Ten leaders argue that the bill does not adequately protect their lucrative TV contracts and worry about mandatory revenue sharing. Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama) warned that amendments could create gaps in high-school sports regulation and noted opposition from Auburn and Alabama universities. LSU officials clarified that their June 1 letter supported the House SCORE Act, not the Senate PCSA, and later rejected the bill’s current version.

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While Cruz and Cantwell have highlighted broad institutional support, LSU’s subsequent letters demonstrate uncertainty about the bill’s backing among key university leaders.

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Senate Majority Leader Thune may still call the PCSA for a cloture vote before the chamber recesses for the summer. If the bill fails to secure the necessary votes, conference leaders have indicated they may pursue independent rules through the College Sports Commission or develop their own governance structures.

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