Cruz-Cantwell bill to “protect college sports”

Auerbach has a preview: https://bsky.app/profile/nauerbach.com/post/3mmtupesbfs2n

- Sets national standards for NIL compensation & targets deals that are used solely to circumvent the revenue-sharing cap
- Allows CSC and schools to actually enforce the cap
- Enforceable transfer rules - one free transfer, additional transfers may require athletes to sit out

- Five-year eligibility clock (like the NCAA is exploring)
- Bars professional athletes from competing in the NCAA
- Prohibits tampering
- Limited antitrust protection for associations and conferences that enforce/comply with rules

- Provisions to guard against the formation of a Super League. (Conferences that distribute more than $1B in revenue last fiscal year cannot further consolidate)
- Options to pool media rights
- Some provisions to protect rivalry games

- "Lane Kiffin rule" -- copying the NFL in not allowing teams to poach head coaches from another team in-season (with legal protection to enforce that rule)
- the legislation takes a neutral stance on employment. Won't argue in favor or against employment status.

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Then I frankly think we need to really reconsider what "college" athletics even really is. And yes, I have an axe to grind. But the revenue sports will soon be seeing more and more 21+ yr old, already professional "freshmen" too. And it's going to be just as stupid as what's happening in Track and Field already.

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Sometimes I rhyme slow sometimes I rhyme quick.

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- No text -

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People in their mid to late 20s.

Here's an article from last fall re: the cross country scene.

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I'd have to dig into the details to have a really useful opinion but there's some apparently good stuff in it.

Whether it has the juice to move forward is another matter.

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"It's our blood and bones and these whistles and phones against Miller's and Noem's dirty lies."

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Whatever corrupt, awful, sham of a product is approved by the NCAA, it is one million times better than giving this regime permission to bring in the gestapo to brutalize anything they see as too 'woke', too diverse, or not properly deferential to the king, which is where this bill will end up.

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aside from the existing structures. It looks like it might be a reasonable effort at not treating athletes like serfs but avoiding the Wild West.

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"It's our blood and bones and these whistles and phones against Miller's and Noem's dirty lies."

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And there is some truth to the fact that we seem headed towards the demise of non-revenue generating college athletics if something doesn't change.

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Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) announced plans Wednesday for a bipartisan college sports bill, the latest development in a multi-year effort by college sports leaders to have Congress pass legislation attempting to stabilize the industry and curb the flood of legal challenges against the NCAA and power conferences.
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Cruz and Cantwell, the chair and ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, respectively, worked for months toward a comprehensive bill that could potentially garner enough bipartisan support to reach 60 votes in the Senate. Senators Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) quickly signed on as co-sponsors.

The article: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7311989/2026/05/27/senate-college-sports-bill-cruz-can...

The bill: https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/protect_college_sports_act.pdf

Don't think it gives Teddy much of a role in enforcement.

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The 2007 ND-UCLA game was a once in a lifetime experience, I hope

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And even if it makes it to law, we've seen that this administration doesn't need much excuse to declare themselves the sole arbiter of both interpretation and punishment for anything involving higher learning.

the Polo Grounds

Cruz-Cantwell bill to “protect college sports”

If they don't do the 5 years thing...

Whatʻs happening in track and field?

Tons of older, professional type foreign athletes.

It's not the worst idea in the world --

Giving Ted Cruz oversight over college athletics is bad

There's nothing that would give anyone real oversight

There is some good stuff in there

From the Athletic article on it

Still needs to go through markup, where I assume it will die

Maria Cantwell is not exactly MAGA