The Protect College Sports Act has cleared another major hurdle. The Senate voted to advance the measure.
The bill is backed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.
This legislation aims to create a national framework for college athletics.
Download the Straight Arrow app today to get the stories that matter free from manipulation, bias or agenda.™
Point phone camera here
That includes setting federal rules for NIL compensation, transfers, eligibility and athlete protections while giving schools and conferences some antitrust protection.
Some who spoke on the Senate floor also discussed how the bill aims to protect U.S. collegiate athletes.
“The growth of NIL money only creates more incentives for foreign athletes to cash in on the American system at the expense of student-athletes in this country,” Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, said. “If the U.S. Congress is being asked to save college sports, we better darn sure make sure that we save it for American student-athletes.”
Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., voted in favor of the measure. It has also gotten some support from some of the biggest names in college coaching.
However, the bill had far from unanimous support.
Several senators spoke against the measure.
“It is not protecting athletes,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said. “It is doing all kinds of things to stop players from earning money, putting bureaucracy between them and those possibilities but it does nothing to protect coaches. In other words, it’s treating college athletes as a different class.”
The measure will now be discussed on the Senate floor before another vote.
If it does move over to the House, it’s unclear what the level of support is for the bill.
President Donald Trump has voiced his support for the bill.
