Protect College Sports Act Clears Senate, Faces House Next

In the era of NIL and a seemingly unlimited transfer portal, many are concerned about the future of college sports. On Monday, the Senate took a step in the direction to create stricter guidelines for the NCAA.

The Protect College Sports Act was passed by the Senate with a 77-22 vote in the nation’s capital. Introduced in late May by co-sponsors Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell, this bill will help to enforce stricter standards on collegiate athletes and organizations.

One goal of the PCSA is to significantly increase direct compensation for players from the current $21.5 million cap. Supporters of the bill hope that a higher cap will create stricter cap rules and reduce spending that occurs above the cap, creating a fair system in the world of college sports, particularly football.

If approved, the PCSA would also limit the number of teams in Power 4 conferences to 19 to avoid the creation of a super conference.

Additionally, this bill would address controversy with the NCAA transfer portal. The PCSA would allow athletes a maximum of five years to participate in college athletics and to transfer just once without a penalty of missing a season. This would help limit the number of transfers and strengthen ties of loyalty to schools.

Another element of this bill is limiting fees from sports agents to help athletes retain money gained through their name, image and likeness.

In the face of divided support, two prominent figures have helped this bill gain traction. The PCSA is strongly supported by U.S. President Donald Trump and former Alabama football coach Nick Saban. Although a supporter of payment for collegiate athletes, Saban believes in the idea of a strong salary cap.

“What’s going to happen in college sports is you’re going to either take money from the academic side to support athletics because we’re in a runaway financial situation or you’re going to drop other Olympic sports and non-revenue sports that are very important to creating opportunities for young people,” Saban said on ESPN’s “Get Up.”

After approval from the Senate, the Protect College Sports Act now seeks approval from the House of Representatives. An action is expected to happen after midterm elections.

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