The Senate Just Passed a College Sports Law. Here’s What It Does.

The U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act with a 74-24 vote, moving it toward final consideration. Authored by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), the bill aims to standardize college athletics rules and codify elements of the House v. NCAA settlement. A key provision grants the NCAA and its member conferences a limited antitrust exemption, enabling them to enforce uniform eligibility and transfer rules without constant legal challenges.

The legislation significantly increases potential compensation for student-athletes. It integrates the $21.6 million revenue-sharing cap from the House v. NCAA settlement, adds a new $22.5 million retention fund, and allocates $5 million for Olympic and women's sports. This new structure could obligate schools to pay up to $50 million annually to athletes, more than doubling previous requirements. The bill also establishes a new federal right for athletes to earn compensation for their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), replacing a patchwork of state laws and capping agent fees at 5%.

Player welfare and academic protections are also central to the act. It guarantees scholarships for ten years post-eligibility, prevents scholarship loss due to injury, and mandates that Division I schools cover out-of-pocket costs for sports-related injuries for five years after eligibility. A medical trust fund of $60 million to $100 million annually will be created to assist schools with post-eligibility medical coverage and help athletes with long-term conditions like CTE. Transfer rules will allow one transfer without a sit-out period, with additional exceptions for graduate degrees, sport cuts, coach departures, or instances of sexual assault or harassment.

Furthermore, the bill includes measures to protect non-revenue sports. It requires schools earning over $80 million in athletic revenue to maintain a minimum number of sports and roster spots, similar to 2024-2025 levels, to prevent cuts to women's and Olympic sports. It also amends the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, allowing schools to pool and jointly negotiate media rights, akin to professional sports leagues, which could generate revenue for the medical trust fund. The legislation also tightens conference realignment rules, although initial restrictions were loosened in a final rewrite.