College sports bill passes Senate committee despite SEC, Big Ten pushback

In a watershed moment for the Senate Commerce Committee, the Protect College Sports Act now moves to a full vote that has already begun lobbying.

As executives from across college sports watched from afar, Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) held court during a markup session Thursday that ultimately took aim at those within the SEC and Big Ten conferences who have opposed the bill in its current form.

“What we did today was say we’re not going to let the most powerful, richest conferences dictate to the rest of America what’s going to happen to 500,000 athletes,” Cantwell said after a 19-9 vote was secured.

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There have been several leagues that have supported the bill, while those representing the athletes have opposed it.

But gaining support from those within the Big Ten and the SEC footprint is clearly not an aspect of this process that both Cantwell and Cruz are concerned about.

Let the lobbying continue as the opposition holds firm

On Thursday morning, the SEC and the Big Ten released a joint statement about the legislation, making it clear they did not support it.

“From the outset, we identified a set of significant revisions to the PCSA that are necessary for the long-term sustainability of college athletics,” both conferences noted. “We have worked with both majority and minority staff to advance these revisions, which focus on better supporting student-athletes and stabilizing the college sports environment. We continue to believe that revisions are necessary to ensure our support for the bill.

“Despite our continued commitment and good faith efforts, these critical revisions have not been accepted. We are encouraged that more members of the Trade Committee share our concerns and support these recommendations.”

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SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey speaks during a roundtable discussion on college sports in the East Room of the White House on March 6, 2026, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick looks on. The Trump administration hosted the event, titled “Saving College Sports,” with executives from the Power Four conferences, media executives and former coaches. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

For the first time ever, a college sports bill has passed a committee vote that will now send it to the floor for potential landmark passage.

“Nobody got everything they wanted. But we created a framework that stabilizes college athletics,” Cruz noted Thursday.

As for the SEC and Big Ten opposing the bill, this comes down to a variety of issues, including the ‘voluntary’ pooling of media rights. Also the legislation takes aim at both to potentially form a ‘Super League’. But in an admission on Wednesday night, that changed.

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The anti-expansion provision in the bill now includes the Big 12 and ACC, with the Senators changing the language to now include conferences that bring in $700 million in revenue from not being allowed to join forces like the Avengers. This was down from the $1 billion previously proposed in the legislation.

There will continue to be opposition from the two largest conferences in college athletics, but Sen. Cantwell made it clear Thursday that they would not be deterred from pushing even if the SEC and Big Ten opposed it.

What’s Next for the Protect College Sports Act? A vote in the Senate

Will this ultimately work? Potentially, but there will be plenty of lobbying over the next month that could ultimately change the trajectory of this legislation. There are plenty of issues to be discussed.

But there were also a number of changes in the new legislation revised this week.

Olympic and women’s sports were separated from the media rights pooling provision, which now stands alone. This would set a minimum limit on scholarships and roster size that is not tied to the revenue from TV deals.

Federal Trade Commission Commissioner Mark Meador greets Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., ranking member of the committee, during a hearing titled “Oversight of the Federal Trade Commission” in Washington, DC, on April 20. (Al Drago/Bloomberg)

Before it was revised, these necessary protections would only be enacted if media rights were actually merged.

As we’ve noted numerous times over the past few weeks, there will be pushback on this bill on several fronts. There is language in the legislation that limits player compensation and the ability to transfer.

Given that, those opposed to the bill are already preparing lawmakers for an uptick in lawsuits that would come if you try to put a specific guardrail around player movement.

There has also been pushback from many regarding unions that oppose collective bargaining for student-athletes.

Regardless, Thursday’s vote was historic in this current era of college athletics. For years, the House tried to push through the SCORE Act, but fell short several times, ultimately resulting in the legislation not reaching the floor for a vote.

Now that the Senate Commerce Committee is opening the possibility for the Protect College Sports Act to be voted on the Senate floor, this college athletics bill has essentially passed the historic point.

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But with 50 days until Congress goes into summer recess, the clock is ticking for Senate Majority Leader John Thune to bring this to a vote. Can Cruz and Cantwell drum up enough support for this to pass?

It is ultimately only part of this process where Parliament is waiting.