College sports act overcomes filibuster in Senate, heading toward passage
by Mary McCue Bell · The Washington TimesA bill to create nationwide rules for compensating college athletes and limiting athletic conference consolidation is on a glide path to passage in the Senate after it cleared a filibuster Thursday.
The measure guarantees athletes the right to cash in on their name, image and likeness — or NIL. It also sets rules on athletes’ ability to transfer schools, and requires top-tier schools to maintain programs and scholarships for sports that don’t draw as much attention, such as Olympic events.
The bill cleared on a 74-25 vote — far more than the 60 needed to advance — but still needs to pass the House.
Backers said it is the only way to prevent an arms race in football programs, which could threaten to overwhelm colleges and drain money from their academics.
“If we’re going to have national competition, then it is only Congress that can establish a clear and enforceable legal rulebook. There’s no other option,” said Sen. Ted Cruz, the chief author of the bill. “That is what the Protect College Sports Act does. And this is what student-athletes, coaches, universities and conferences have repeatedly come to Washington asking Congress to provide. ”
Opponents have offered a range of complaints.
Some civil rights groups, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, have argued that the bill leaves too much power in the hands of schools, allowing them to profit off of athletes who won’t get fair compensation for their athletic prowess.
Other opponents called the bill an unwarranted intrusion into college sports.
Advertisement Advertisement
“Athletes and institutions should be free to make choices about who they want to work and play for, and what rules they should be subject to,” Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, wrote in an op-ed for OutKick on Thursday.
He chastised lawmakers for a rush to “micromanage” sports programs.
The bill’s most prominent change would be upping the amount of money schools are allowed to pay players. Each school’s rate is currently set at $21 million a year, under a court settlement. The bill would hike that to a maximum of $48 million, with some of that money reserved for women’s and Olympic sports.
It would allow NIL deals, though it would channel them so they’re not used to circumvent revenue-sharing caps.
Athletes would be allowed one transfer without a penalty, and would give them five years of eligibility to compete, starting either when they began college or turned 19.
Advertisement Advertisement
The top four athletic conferences would also be barred from consolidating further or growing too big.
Contact the author
Mary McCue Bell
Follow author updates Follow Click to follow. Manage followed authors