Trump Ramps Up Pressure for College Sports Bill: Senate Expected to Vote Monday

President Donald Trump is increasing pressure on the U.S. Congress to pass the “Protect College Sports Act” — the bill expected to receive a final Senate vote on Monday, the furthest a college sports bill has ever advanced in the U.S. Congress, as the Washington Examiner reports.

On Saturday, Trump traveled to Knoxville to attend the game between Texas (ranked No. 1) and Tennessee, just days before Monday’s vote. His support for the bill first came in June and was formalized with an administration statement on August 6. “The president calls on the Senate to pass the act,” said White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers. “We have to get that done. If we don’t, we’re very foolish,” Trump himself said of the bill.

The Senate advanced the bill on Thursday by 74–25 votes and approved the substitute amendment by Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell by 77–23 votes. The bill was introduced in May by Ted Cruz (Republican, Texas) and Maria Cantwell (Democrat, Washington), together with Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri) and Chris Coons (D-Delaware).

The bill’s main provisions include raising the revenue-sharing cap from $21.3 million to $48.8 million per school — including a $22.5 million fund for retaining current athletes and $5 million for non-revenue sports — as well as a cap of 22% of the average athletic revenues of “Power Four” schools. The bill also provides for a one-time transfer policy with a five-year eligibility window, a 5% cap on agent commissions, medical coverage for athletes during competition, a 10-year scholarship guarantee after eligibility expires, a limited antitrust exemption for the NCAA (like professional leagues), restrictions on conference realignment, and the preemption of state laws conflicting with the NIL, transfer and eligibility provisions. The bill takes no position on the employment status of athletes.

On the other hand, state laws banning male participation in women’s sports are not affected by the act, according to a White House legal counsel memo following the Hawley–Banks–Tuberville amendment. On Truth Social, Trump wrote that the bill “CLEARLY protects the Laws in 27 States protecting Women’s Sports.”

Support for the bill is broad: 28 collegiate conferences, over 370 colleges and universities, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, as well as renowned coaches Nick Saban and Deion Sanders. According to OpenSecrets, $31 million has been spent lobbying for this bill. Opposed are the Congressional Black Caucus (arguing the bill was negotiated without meaningful input from the athletes themselves), Senators Chris Murphy and Cory Booker, the NAACP and the AFL-CIO.

The biggest remaining hurdle is the House of Representatives, which is in recess until after the midterm elections — a possible vote could only come in the “lame-duck” session. Majority Leader Steve Scalise has publicly criticized the bill, while Speaker Mike Johnson delayed the hearing on it.