Senate approves sweeping bill to regulate college sports, despite opposition from some Democrats

Washington — The Senate on Thursday approved a sweeping college sports bill to establish a federal framework for college athletics aimed at protecting student athletes — despite some pushback from Democrats who argue that it could do the opposite.

In a 77 to 22 vote, the Senate passed the bill, known as the Protect College Sports Act, with some amendments. The bill regulates college athletics, including transfer eligibility and name, image and likeness rights. Its backers argue that it will stabilize college athletics as a flood of money enters the space.

Proponents of the bill tout its uniform eligibility rules, transparency around athletic compensation and moves aimed at safeguarding opportunities in women's and Olympic sports.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, the bill's sponsor, said it is aimed at quelling the "uncontrollable bidding wars" that could lead colleges to drop less lucrative college sports.

"The system we have today is unsustainable, plain and simple. Students are transferring three and four times, pros are trying to play ball against college kids, conflicting court decisions have created a fragmented system, one that no one intended. And young men and women are losing opportunities to compete and receive an education," GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, the bill's sponsor, said. "The question before this body is whether we will act or stand by while the institution that Americans have known and loved for generations — college sports — is fundamentally changed."

The bill would adopt a revenue-sharing framework outlined in a settlement agreement, which allows universities to share roughly $21.6 million with athletes for the 2026-2027 school year, along with an athlete retention fund with an additional $22.5 million per institution. 

It would also grant athletes one transfer without losing eligibility, and impose health and safety protections for athletes, among other things. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised the bill in recent days as the result of years of work, with input from coaches, athletic directors and student athletes. And the bill's passage and strong bipartisan reception came after the Big Ten and SEC athletic conferences backed the legislation, which also has the backing of the White House. 

But some lawmakers and advocacy groups have voiced their opposition, like the Congressional Black Caucus, which said the bill "has failed to meaningfully incorporate the perspectives of Black athletes, Black coaches, Black agents, HBCUs, or the Congressional Black Caucus."

Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, a former college football player, took aim at the measure earlier this month on the Senate floor, sparring with the bill's main Democratic backer, Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington. Booker said while there are "good things in this bill worthy of trumpeting," some major athlete groups haven't backed the bill, arguing that they know the bill "undermines their rights, undermines their collective bargaining, undermines their health and safety, creates an unequal playing field for them relative to the other monied interests in this bill, including the coaches."

"For years and years and years, I watched my own image on Madden's video game — my own image — and never got paid for that," Booker said. "And now athletes bring it to the courts and win time and time again."

Booker lamented that on name, image and likeness rights, Congress didn't take action for decades, "but as soon as athletes start winning in court their NIL rights, suddenly Congress swoops in and is saying that we're saving their NIL rights?"

"That is a lie. The reality is, they don't need Congress' beneficent actions to give them NIL rights, they've earned them in the courts," Booker argued. "What this bill actually does is it takes away rights for them to legally challenge anything that the cartel of the NCAA does. That's why the AAJ, the trial lawyers, are against this, because it undermines their ability to win more court cases in the future."

Cantwell pushed back on Booker's assertions, arguing that revenue-sharing rights in the bill could be meaningful because the settlement agreement that last year cleared the way for schools to begin paying their athletes millions of dollars could expire.

"Us recognizing that money and recognizing the revenue sharing rights is a historic first," Cantwell said. 

Cantwell called the legislation the result of "a bipartisan effort to try to bring some reason to the craziness that has basically been plaguing the most important aspects of college sports." And she praised the bill for giving athletes five years of eligibility, along with its work to preserve women's and Olympic roster slots, its effort to address "skyrocketing coaches' salaries," and whistleblower and healthcare protections. She noted that the bill creates a commission made up of athletes to discuss how to move forward on issues like collective bargaining. 

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut has also spoken out about the legislation, warning that it protects an exploitative system — and questioning why the Senate's focus is on college sports at this moment. 

The attention on the college sports legislation comes as the Senate is preparing to leave town in the coming days until after the midterm elections. 

Some senators have voiced frustration that the chamber is focusing on college sports, rather than on the affordability issues that are expected to motivate voters in November. But Senate GOP leaders had promised the bill's sponsors a vote on the legislation after the chamber returned from its August recess. And a push to address cost-of-living issues may come later this week. 

CBS News' parent company, Paramount Skydance, has reported paying for lobbying for the college sports legislation in financial documents.