- United States
- Pa.
- Letter
Vote no on the Protect College Sports Act. This bill doesn't fix college sports — it reverses the legal wins athletes earned through years of court battles, including at the Supreme Court, and funnels the money back to executives and coaches. The Big Ten just signed a $13 billion broadcast deal. Revenue and fan support are at all-time highs. There is no crisis here except that athletes are finally getting paid.
The double standards in this bill are disqualifying on their own. It caps what athletes can earn but puts no limits on coaches' salaries or athletic program donations. It restricts athletes from transferring more than once while coaches can leave whenever they want. No other industry has a federal law trapping workers in place like this. And buried in the bill is an antitrust exemption that would let schools collude to suppress athlete compensation — the exact practice the courts already ruled illegal.
The NAACP, the AFL-CIO, and virtually every organization representing student athletes oppose this bill. They recognize it for what it is: a labor and civil rights issue. If Congress wants to reform college sports, pass a standalone bill barring pro athletes from competing, or give athletes the collective bargaining rights every other American worker already has. Don't hand schools a congressional license to exploit young athletes all over again.