The Ruling on the Field

Playing bipartisan defense on college sports’ “Wild West” era, the Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act 77-22 Monday.

Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) crafted the bill after a 2021 Supreme Court ruling allowing athlete pay triggered unregulated bidding for players and a turnstile transfer portal. The legislation:

• Protects the NCAA from lawsuits for enforcing transfer, eligibility, and compensation rules
• Codifies athletes’ rights to earn from their name, image, and likeness (NIL)
• Limits players to one no-benchwarming-required transfer
• More than doubles eligible schools’ player-pay caps

Critics, including Cory Booker (D-NJ), say the bill backpedals on athletes’ power, granting the NCAA an antitrust shield to cap pay while leaving coaches’ pay untouched. (See how your senators voted.)

The bill now gets lateraled to the House, where its future is uncertain. Its shot clock to become a law runs out on Jan. 3.

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Verse to consider whether you spend your days in the Senate chambers, on sports fields, in conference rooms, or in the minivan… “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy—dwell on these things.”
Philippians 4:8 (CSB) (read full passage)