US Senate pushes Protect College Sports Act to regulate athlete pay and safeguard women's programs

The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing on the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act, introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R‑TX) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D‑WA). The bill would regulate compensation for collegiate athletes, limit transfers to one free move per career, and add a “Lane Kiffin Rule” preventing coaches from leaving programs mid‑season. It also ties media‑rights pooling to mandatory scholarship and roster funding for women’s and Olympic sports, aiming to halt recent cuts to those programs.

Former Alabama coach Nick Saban testified in support, warning that unchecked spending threatens the sport’s stability. Senators Cantwell and Cruz stressed the crisis, citing over 100 programs and 1,000 scholarships in women’s and Olympic sports eliminated since 2023. The Senate’s two most powerful conferences, the SEC and the Big Ten, opposed the legislation, arguing it leaves critical issues unresolved. The hearing highlighted the bill’s potential to reshape college athletics financing and preserve non‑revenue sports.