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The Protect College Sports Act inched closer to a Senate vote this week. But new demands from lawmakers just threw another wrench into things.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) filed cloture on the updated bipartisan bill, which is the formal step that starts moving legislation toward an actual vote. Lawmakers are staring down the August recess, though, and several senators want changes before they’ll sign off, changes that could reshape the final version of the bill entirely.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, there were still 10 objections to an expedited vote as of Friday afternoon, and that’s just counting Republican senators. Getting a fast-tracked vote requires unanimous consent. Right now, that’s not happening.
One of those holdouts is Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), who’s reportedly considering an amendment that would cap annual ticket price increases at 4%, according to Semafor’s Burgess Everett. Kennedy also wants clearer language stating the bill won’t shield the NCAA from liability. His words for the organization? It “lacks testicles and a spine.”
Thune himself isn’t sold yet either. He told Fox Sports’ Trey Wallace that the bill “needs more clarity” before it can get a final vote.
Then Thursday happened.
Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) filed an amendment aimed at protecting state laws that govern participation in women’s sports. The goal, according to a release from Hawley’s office, is to “provide a guarantee that state laws on the books that ban biological men in women’s sports are fully protected.”
That’s the kind of language that tends to cost votes from the other side of the aisle, and it’s already looking like it might cool Democratic support for the bill.
The Congressional Black Caucus piled on this week too, coming out against the legislation entirely. Their argument centers on process: they say athletes and the communities most affected by this bill weren’t given a real seat at the table while it was being written.
“At the very moment that Black political representation is under attack across the country, we will not be complicit in efforts to further exclude the interests of Black people by advancing legislation that will determine the economic future of Black athletes, their families, and their communities without their meaningful participation and engagement,” CBC Chair Yvette Clarke said in a statement.
Where the optimism went
Just days ago, this bill had real momentum. The Big Ten and SEC both endorsed the legislation after weeks of back-and-forth negotiating over the revenue-sharing cap and how it applies to “associated entities” (a catch-all term covering booster collectives and other outside groups tied to athletic departments).
That endorsement was supposed to speed things up. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), one of the bill’s three authors, told CBS Sports on Monday that he expected the Senate to pass it this week.
That timeline hasn’t held.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), another co-author, told CBS Sports’ Richard Johnson on Thursday that a government funding bill is still ahead of the Protect College Sports Act in the Senate’s queue.
“It is when we decide to leave for the August [recess], and so there’s a few things that could keep us into next week or potentially longer. It’s just really hard to say,” Schmitt said. “Friday is not a hard and fast deadline at all.”
A lot’s changed since Schmitt said that. CBS Sports reached out to his office to see if that optimism still holds up, but hasn’t heard back as of publication.
If the bill can’t get an expedited vote before recess, it’ll have to wait for Congress to reconvene in September. Some skeptics point out that midterm election years aren’t exactly known for producing smooth legislative wins. Even so, Semafor reports there’s still optimism the bill can clear the 60-vote threshold needed to dodge a filibuster in the Senate.
