The Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act on Monday night by a vote of 77-22, marking a significant step toward enacting national legislation aimed at regulating college athletics amid ongoing industry upheaval. Sponsored by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), the bill seeks to address the challenges posed by skyrocketing athlete payments, increased transfer activity, and extensive litigation that have reshaped college sports in recent years.

The legislation would establish federal rules governing athlete compensation for name, image, and likeness (NIL), revenue sharing, transfer protocols, and eligibility standards. It also proposes new health, medical, and academic protections for student-athletes, while providing limited antitrust protections for the NCAA, conferences, and schools enforcing the new system. Among its key provisions, the act would codify a 2025 court settlement allowing colleges to pay players and would raise the current revenue-sharing cap from $21.5 million to $48.8 million through an additional “retention pool” to help schools keep their top players.

Supporters argue the bill is necessary to bring stability and predictability to a sector struggling with unchecked spending and continuous legal disputes. Senator Ted Cruz described the measure as a solution to the “chaos” engulfing college athletics and called for the House of Representatives to act swiftly, potentially passing the measure before the end of the year. The bill also received backing from major college sports conferences like the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference, as well as players’ unions such as the NBA and NFL Players Associations.

However, the bill faces significant hurdles in the House, which remains divided on how far congressional intervention should go. Some House Republicans criticize the bill for not providing stronger antitrust protections for the NCAA and view it as excessive government involvement. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise highlighted the issue of athlete employment status, which the bill leaves unaddressed and which remains a contentious point, with concerns that recognizing athletes as employees could impose extensive legal changes and financial burdens on schools.

Democratic lawmakers and advocacy groups have raised concerns that the bill does not go far enough in protecting student-athletes. Senator Cory Booker and others argued the legislation risks entrenching a system of exploitation that disproportionately affects Black athletes and limits their negotiating power. Organizations such as the NAACP have voiced objections, warning the bill could harm athletes rather than help them, and some Democratic supporters withdrew their backing amid broader political disagreements and redistricting disputes.

If the bill does not pass before the end of the year, some observers expect Democrats, should they regain control of the House, to push for more far-reaching reforms. Meanwhile, conferences have discussed self-governance models to impose their own rules without waiting for congressional action, though these efforts face challenges without federal legal protections.

The Senate-approved Protect College Sports Act sets up a federal framework including a new office under the Department of Education to oversee college athletics, but it does not address federal taxation of NIL payments, a point of ongoing debate. With the House not scheduled to return until after the November elections, the bill’s future remains uncertain, but its passage in the Senate marks the most comprehensive congressional action on college sports to date.