The Senate passes the Protect College Sports Act, but the bill's future is unclear

The US Senate has passed the Protect College Sports Act with a vote of 77-22. The bill aims to establish a federal framework for college athletics to protect student athletes. According to CBS News, some Democrats argued that the bill could have the opposite effect.

The bill's supporters, including the NCAA, say it will bring order to what they describe as a "Wild West" era of college sports, which has been marked by litigation challenging long-held rules around eligibility, transfers, and pay. The PCSA was introduced in May by Senators Ted Cruz, Maria Cantwell, Eric Schmitt, and Chris Coons.

The bill's provisions include codifying name, image, and likeness rights for college athletes, a one-time transfer policy, and a five-year age-based eligibility policy. It also imposes restrictions on agents and coaching transfers, and offers a limited antitrust exemption and preemption of state laws. Front Office Sports and Yahoo Sports reported that the NCAA and power conferences have spent over $10 million lobbying for Congressional intervention in college sports over the past six years.

Brief written by urgent.news from NPR, CBS News, Front Office Sports, Yahoo Sports, Sportico — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.