Everything in the Senate Bill to Change College Sports

The Senate is set to pass the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA), a bipartisan bill that could significantly change college sports. This over 170-page legislation includes various provisions to reshape the college sports landscape. The bill aims to increase revenue sharing, limit revenue-sharing cap circumvention, and implement a one-time transfer and five-season eligibility policy for athletes.

It also restricts agent fees, imposes requirements for health and safety standards, and offers specific participation criteria for women's and Olympic sports. The NPCA would be granted the power to enforce a one-time transfer during undergraduate and graduate school, while preventing players over 24 years old from participating in college sports.

The NCAA would also have the authority to prevent athletes who engaged in sports betting from eligibility. The legislation introduces restrictions on head coaches from different FBS programs coaching each other during the same season, termed the "Lane Kiffin rule". Additionally, schools would be mandated to provide certain academic protections, healthcare benefits, and maintain a specific number of women's and Olympic sports roster slots.

The bill allows schools to pool and sell media rights, albeit with several limitations. Notably, the bill maintains neutrality regarding athlete employee status but critics argue that this neutrality may indirectly prohibit collective bargaining in the future.