Senate passes bill to reshape future of college sports

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The U.S. Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act Monday night, with a final vote of 77 to 22, after a series of votes on seven different amendments.

The bill addresses how colleges and universities pay their players and what athletes can and cannot legally challenge. It aims to limit players’ ability to transfer schools and curtail ongoing litigation. It would also give hundreds of thousands of student-athletes new health and labor protections.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a key proponent of the bill, said, “Let’s get back to playing sports again and let’s pass this legislation.”

Some lawmakers said enshrining pay for athletes’ name, image and likeness, known as NIL, into law is a good change, but said it has opened the door for fraud, which they say is why the bill is needed.

Others said the lack of rules has led athletic departments to break budgets, paying players in the most popular sports while taking scholarships away from younger players, at the expense of other sports.

Critics of the bill said the best players should earn what they deserve in a free market, and believe the bill protects powerful interests including broadcasters, large conferences and coaches. They also raised concerns about the federal government’s involvement.

“I think having conversations about the transfer portal, I think that makes some sense,” Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) said. “But to spend money we don’t have, we keep spending money we do not have.”

The bill faces an uncertain future in the House of Representatives, and Monday, House GOP leadership said it will not call members back to vote on the bill, meaning it will not be considered until after the midterm elections.