S. 4668

Protect College Sports Act of 2026

Sponsor: Ted Cruz

9 cosponsors
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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

Protect College Sports Act of 2026

This bill establishes requirements for name, image, or likeness (NIL) agreements for college student athletes and provides a limited antitrust exemption for schools and conferences to pool and sell certain college sports media rights. The requirements address elements of the court-approved agreement to settle In re College Athlete NIL Litigation (i.e., House settlement).

First, the bill statutorily prohibits institutions, conferences, or interstate intercollegiate athletic associations (e.g., the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA]) from restricting student athletes from entering NIL agreements (subject to specified limitations). Students must report to their institution NIL compensation greater than $600.

The bill requires agents to register with a state and caps agent endorsement contract fees at 5%.

The bill also provides student athletes with one transfer without losing athletic eligibility and restricts football personnel from becoming the head football coach at a different institution during the same season.

Further, the bill prohibits institutions, conferences, or specified entities acting for the benefit of an institution from providing athletes with compensation that circumvents the limit on sharing revenue with student athletes established under the House settlement. The bill also makes the limit permanent and provides for an annual inflation adjustment.

The bill generally prohibits Division I conferences from reducing the number of varsity or Olympic sports teams that a member institution must sponsor. Specifically, large institutions ($80 million or more in annual athletics revenue) must offer and maintain at least as many grant-in-aid opportunities and roster spots for sports that do not generate positive net revenue as the institution provided during academic year 2024-25. The bill provides for a waiver of this requirement under certain circumstances of financial hardship and the requirements expire nine years after the enactment of the bill.

Additionally, the bill establishes (subject to specified conditions) a limited antitrust exemption for institutions or conferences that form joint agreements to transfer their sports telecasting rights to a third party. Such an agreement requires participation from at least 75% of the institutions in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Text of the bill

Expand all
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents Changed · Sep 28

Where this section came from

  1. Jun 2, 2026 · Introduced in Senate Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Jun 2
  2. Sep 28, 2026 · Engrossed in Senate S.Amdt. 6779: To improve the bill. Official page › S.Amdt. 6777: To improve the bill. Official page › S.Amdt. 6776: In the nature of a substitute. Official page › S.Amdt. 6831: To modify the prohibition on certain conference mergers and acquisitions. Official page › S.Amdt. 6830: To require the disclosure of foreign financing of intercollegiate athletics. Official page › S.Amdt. 6828: To modify the provision relating to the relationship of this Act to existing law. Official page › On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed — Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Agreed to, 74–24 · Roll Call 235On the Motion to Proceed — Motion to Proceed Agreed to, 77–22 · Roll Call 236On the Cloture Motion — Cloture Motion Agreed to, 70–21 · Roll Call 240On the Amendment — Amendment Agreed to, 77–23 · Roll Call 242On the Cloture Motion — Cloture Motion Agreed to, 74–25 · Roll Call 243On the Amendment — Amendment Agreed to, 96–1 · Roll Call 245On the Amendment — Amendment Rejected, 1–94 · Roll Call 246On the Amendment — Amendment Rejected, 42–54 · Roll Call 247On the Amendment — Amendment Rejected, 49–50 · Roll Call 248On the Amendment — Amendment Rejected, 47–52 · Roll Call 249On Passage of the Bill — Bill Passed, 77–22 · Roll Call 250
What changed in the text

(a) Short title. This Act may be cited as the Protect College Sports Act of 2026.

(b) Table of contents. The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. TITLE I—Protections of student athletes and fair competition Sec competitionSec . 100. Definitions. Sec. 101. Name, image, and likeness protections. Sec. 102. Modifications to Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act. Sec. 103. Agent registry requirements for intercollegiate athletic associations. Sec. 104. Disclosures and establishment of name, image, and likeness agreement database. Sec. 105. Academic protections. Sec. 106. Medical coverage requirements. Sec. 107. Health, wellness, and safety standards. Sec. 108. Office of the Student Athlete Ombudsman. Sec. 109. Comparable standards for access to facilities, services, and events. Sec. 110. Rules governing certain mid-season coaching transitions. Sec. 111. Student athlete representation on intercollegiate athletic association governing boards. Sec. 112. Transfer protections. Sec. 113. Eligibility to participate in intercollegiate sports. Sec. 114. Prohibited compensation and agreements. Sec. 115. Extension Congressional approval of the continuation of revenue share cap . and retention fund. Sec. 116. Commission on the Future of College Athletics. Sec. 117. Recruitment and tampering. Sec. 118. Limitation on liability. Sec. 119. Private right of action. Sec. 120. Whistleblower protection. Sec. 121. Relationship to existing law. Sec. 122. Neutrality on employee or non-employee status. Sec. 123. Applicability. Sec. 124. Severability. Sec. 125. Protection of women’s sports and Olympic sports.Sec. 126. Mid-sized conference representation on intercollegiate athletic association governing boards.Sec. 127. Title IX savings clause.Sec. 128. Protecting opportunities for American student athletes.Sec. 129. Disclosure of foreign financing of intercollegiate athletics. TITLE II—Sports broadcasting Sec broadcastingSec . 201. Definitions. Sec. 202. Limitation on liability for transmission of collegiate sports competitions. Sec. 203. Requirements for entities selling media rights. Sec. 204. Market level broadcast access for college football and basketball. Sec. 205. Prohibition on certain conference mergers or acquisition. Sec. 206. Amendments to intercollegiate and interscholastic football contest limitations. Sec. 207. Media rights utilization requirement for college sports other than football and basketball. TITLE III—HBCU Sports Media and Connectivity ProgramSec. 301. Short title.Sec. 302. Grants for improvement of broadband, technology, media, and sports broadcast infrastructure of HBCUs.Sec. 303. Grant uses.Sec. 304. Coordination.Sec. 305. Reports and evaluation.Sec. 306. Definitions.Sec. 307. Authorization of appropriations.

(a) Short title. This Act may be cited as the Protect College Sports Act of 2026.

(b) Table of contents. The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.TITLE I—Protections of student athletes and fair competitionSec. 100. Definitions.Sec. 101. Name, image, and likeness protections.Sec. 102. Modifications to Sports Agent Responsibility and Trust Act.Sec. 103. Agent registry requirements for intercollegiate athletic associations.Sec. 104. Disclosures and establishment of name, image, and likeness agreement database.Sec. 105. Academic protections.Sec. 106. Medical coverage requirements.Sec. 107. Health, wellness, and safety standards.Sec. 108. Office of the Student Athlete Ombudsman.Sec. 109. Comparable standards for access to facilities, services, and events.Sec. 110. Rules governing certain mid-season coaching transitions.Sec. 111. Student athlete representation on intercollegiate athletic association governing boards.Sec. 112. Transfer protections.Sec. 113. Eligibility to participate in intercollegiate sports.Sec. 114. Prohibited compensation and agreements.Sec. 115. Congressional approval of continuation of revenue share cap and retention fund.Sec. 116. Commission on the Future of College Athletics.Sec. 117. Recruitment and tampering.Sec. 118. Limitation on liability.Sec. 119. Private right of action.Sec. 120. Whistleblower protection.Sec. 121. Relationship to existing law.Sec. 122. Neutrality on employee or non-employee status.Sec. 123. Applicability.Sec. 124. Severability.Sec. 125. Protection of women’s sports and Olympic sports.Sec. 126. Mid-sized conference representation on intercollegiate athletic association governing boards.Sec. 127. Title IX savings clause.Sec. 128. Protecting opportunities for American student athletes.Sec. 129. Disclosure of foreign financing of intercollegiate athletics.TITLE II—Sports broadcastingSec. 201. Definitions.Sec. 202. Limitation on liability for transmission of collegiate sports competitions.Sec. 203. Requirements for entities selling media rights.Sec. 204. Market level broadcast access for college football and basketball.Sec. 205. Prohibition on certain conference mergers or acquisition.Sec. 206. Amendments to intercollegiate and interscholastic football contest limitations.Sec. 207. Media rights utilization requirement for college sports other than football and basketball.TITLE III—HBCU Sports Media and Connectivity ProgramSec. 301. Short title.Sec. 302. Grants for improvement of broadband, technology, media, and sports broadcast infrastructure of HBCUs.Sec. 303. Grant uses.Sec. 304. Coordination.Sec. 305. Reports and evaluation.Sec. 306. Definitions.Sec. 307. Authorization of appropriations.

I Protections of student athletes and fair competition

II Sports broadcasting

III HBCU Sports Media and Connectivity Program