White House Reviews Bipartisan College Sports Bill as Senate Weighs 75% FBS Revenue-Sharing Trigger
Updated
Updated · Roll Call · Jun 2
White House Reviews Bipartisan College Sports Bill as Senate Weighs 75% FBS Revenue-Sharing Trigger
3 articles · Updated · Roll Call · Jun 2
Summary
Wednesday’s Senate Commerce Committee hearing will test whether the White House backs the bipartisan college sports bill, with officials saying Trump wants “meaningful, permanent reforms” but has not decided whether to support the measure.
The Senate proposal would set more-specific NIL rules, leave athlete employee status unresolved, and create a media-rights revenue-sharing pool only if 102 of 138 FBS schools opt in.
The House bill takes a different path by giving the NCAA more authority to write guidelines and explicitly barring athletes from being treated as employees—a provision the AFL-CIO called union-busting.
SEC presidents and chancellors have already opposed the Senate-style revenue-sharing approach, rejecting any requirement to hand conference media rights to a third party or national entity.
Trump has blamed the courts for opening the NIL era after the 2021 Alston ruling, while allies on his college sports commission—including Nick Saban and Randy Levine—have pushed Congress toward a bipartisan deal.
With powerful conferences opposing federal oversight, can any new law truly unify college sports or will it just spark more legal battles?
Will new federal rules protect student-athletes, or will they limit their earning potential and freedoms in the name of 'saving' college sports?
As college sports move towards revenue sharing, how will universities balance billion-dollar athletics with their core educational mission?
Reforming College Athletics in 2026: The Protect College Sports Act’s Impact on NIL, Antitrust, and Athlete Pay
Overview
In June 2026, Congress launched a major bipartisan effort to address the growing challenges in college sports by introducing the Protect College Sports Act of 2026, led by Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell. This bill, which combines earlier proposals, aims to stabilize college athletics for the 500,000 athletes nationwide by creating uniform rules and addressing financial disparities. The Act is currently under review in the Senate Commerce Committee, reflecting urgent calls from lawmakers to prevent the system’s collapse during this period of rapid change and to ensure a sustainable future for college sports.