All articles tagged with #media rights pooling
Senators Cruz and Cantwell advance the Protect College Sports Act toward a Senate floor vote, seeking federal rules to govern college athletics amid ongoing tension with the SEC and Big Ten over media-rights pooling, NIL concerns, and a potential antitrust exemption; passage remains uncertain as lobbying intensifies ahead of the August recess.
Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Maria Cantwell push the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act through markup, keeping the 75% media-rights pooling provision intact despite ongoing resistance from the SEC and Big Ten; the revised bill also imposes minimum roster guarantees for large revenue Olympic and women’s programs and faces potential lawsuits and further negotiations as Congress heads toward a recess.
Despite NCAA momentum from a recent eligibility ruling, the Protect College Sports Act faces pushback from the SEC and Big Ten over current language that would let 75% of FBS programs pool media rights and could block a merged superleague, with potential implications for intraconference postseasons and CFP eligibility; amendments before a Senate vote are possible, or the bill could move forward despite objections.
Texas Tech QB Brendan Sorsby’s injunction against his eligibility collides with Congress’s Protect College Sports Act as the NCAA signals it could use the bill to influence cases like his; meanwhile the SEC and Big Ten resist pooled media rights even as lawmakers push for antitrust relief, prompting Big 12 deliberations on sanctions, potential forfeits, and a high-stakes week of decisions that could reshape college athletics’ structure and governance.
Senators Cruz and Cantwell introduced the Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan bill to grant the NCAA a narrow antitrust exemption, enforce transfer rules (one transfer allowed, five-year eligibility), cap agent fees at 5%, bar coaches from leaving teams mid-season, and allow schools to pool media rights with enforcement by a College Sports Commission.