The US Senate has voted 77-22 to give the NCAA an antitrust exemption and limit college athletes' pay and transfers. Stability for college sport, or a raw deal for players?
The Protect College Sports Act, led by Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell, roughly doubles what each school can pay athletes, to about $49m a year, but allows one penalty-free transfer and caps Power Four conferences at 20 schools. It now goes to the House, which is not expected to take it up until after 9 November.
What happened
On Monday 28 September the US Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act by 77 votes to 22, the first sweeping federal college sports bill to clear either chamber of Congress. Led by Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Maria Cantwell, it gives the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption to enforce its rules, raises the cap on direct payments to athletes from about $21.5m to roughly $49m a year per school, allows one penalty-free transfer, sets a five-year eligibility window and caps Power Four conferences at 20 schools. An amendment to cap coach salaries at $5m failed 52-47.
Why people disagree
Backers, including the NCAA, most conferences and many coaches, say years of lawsuits and differing state laws have left college sport chaotic, and that the bill more than doubles athlete pay while protecting women's and Olympic sports. Opponents, including Senator Cory Booker, the NAACP, the AFL-CIO and players' groups, say it caps players' pay and movement while coaches' pay stays unlimited, and hands the NCAA legal protection it has long sought.
What's still unclear
The House must act before the new Congress sits in January, and Republican leaders want changes such as an explicit ban on classing athletes as employees. Outlets give slightly different figures for the new pay cap.
Sources
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