With the Protect College Sports Act passing in the U.S. Senate by a vote of 77-22 on Monday, Sept. 28, the Atlantic 10 Conference and Mid-American Conference released statements in support of the legislation.
“The Atlantic 10 Conference supports today’s action in the Senate regarding the Protect College Sports Act and commends the senators who have collaborated across party lines,” read the A-10’s statement, which was released late Monday. “College athletics needs clear, consistent, and sustainable national standards. This legislation starts us down that path. We are especially encouraged by provisions related to the one-time transfer exception and support for the recently adopted age-based eligibility model.
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“The changes underway in college athletics are significant. No single piece of legislation will resolve every issue. Ultimately, our focus must remain on building an environment that best serves the student-athlete experience. The A10 will continue to work with our membership, the NCAA, and our fellow conferences to build an effective framework for the future of college athletics. We thank the bill’s sponsors for their leadership and urge the House to advance this legislation.”
The federal bill now moves to the House of Representatives, which is not scheduled to vote on new bills until November.
The Protect College Sports Act, sponsored by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), has many aims, including enforcing a revenue-sharing cap for student-athletes and:
• Ending roster chaos” by allowing undergraduate athletes to transfer once.
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• Giving athletes five years of eligibility in a five-year span
• Enabling “enforcement of House settlement on revenue sharing and fake NIL deals.”
• Protecting “women’s sports, Olympic sports and scholarship opportunities.
• “Stopping “Super League consolidation.
• Keeping coaches from leaving one program during a season and joining another program.
RELATED: Protect College Sports Act is ‘absolutely necessary,’ says Dayton AD Sullivan
In the MAC’s statement, Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher called the act an “important step toward greater stability and predictability in college athletics.”
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“For many Division I institutions, stability is not an abstract concern,” he said. “It is essential to our ability to plan responsibly, sustain broad-based athletic programs and preserve meaningful opportunities for student-athletes across all sports.
“The legislation also provides important health, safety, medical and academic protections for student-athletes while preserving legitimate opportunities to benefit from their name, image and likeness. Just as importantly, it recognizes that education must remain fundamental to college athletics. The word ‘student’ must continue to matter, and academic progress and degree attainment must remain central to the college athlete experience.
“We appreciate Senators Cruz and Cantwell and the bipartisan coalition that worked diligently to advance this legislation. We now urge the House of Representatives to act promptly and send the Protect College Sports Act to the President. We also urge the President to sign this important legislation into law.”
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