Should Congress establish requirements for NIL for college student athletes?
This bill creates new requirements for name, image, or likeness (NIL) agreements for college athletes. This bill would determine athlete eligibility, outline transfer regulations, prohibit institutions from barring students from NIL agreements, and provide limited exemptions for college sports media rights, among other things. This bill would also adjust how college athletes report their NIL compensation and guarantee that scholarships cannot be revoked due to performance or injury.
Sponsor: Sen. Ted Cruz (Republican, Texas)
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How do you feel?
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Opponents say
• "The AFL-CIO and the AFL-CIO Sports Council, which represents athlete workers across professional sports leagues, opposed the Protect College Sports Act (S. 4668) today because “[t]he bill empowers the NCAA to unilaterally set rules for athletes, shielded from antitrust liability, with no suggestion that the rules ever be collectively bargained with athletes at the table." Source: AFL-CIO’s Statement
• "I write to express the NAACP's opposition to S. 4668, the Protect College Sports Act of 2026, and to urge the Senate not to advance this legislation. The Protect College Sports Act is not simply an NIL bill. Public institutions cannot depend upon Black athletes to fill their stadiums, secure television contracts, attract donations, and build nationally recognized brands, then claim neutrality when the political rights of those athletes, their families, and their communities are under attack." Source: NAACP President Derrick Johnson’s Letter of Opposition
Proponents say
• "For years, athletes, fans, and universities have watched the foundation of college athletics crumble. Court decisions, settlements, state laws, conference realignment, transfer disputes, NIL collectives, and uneven enforcement have all pushed college sports into a system where the rules are uncertain, the incentives are distorted, and the people with the least power are too often left exposed. Protect College Sports Act is a landmark, bipartisan bill that will preserve and strengthen our uniquely American system of college athletics." Source: Sen. Ted Cruz (Republican, Texas) via Press Release
• "The Administration supports passage of S. 4668, the Protect College Sports Act of 2026. The unique American institution of collegiate athletics provides life-changing educational and leadership-development opportunities to more than 500,000 student-athletes through almost $4 billion in scholarships each year, fuels American Olympic success, and serves as an indelible part of many local economies and communities. The future of college sports, especially the future of Olympic and non-revenue sports, is threatened by significant legal and financial uncertainty. Federal legislative action is imperative to fix the statutory ambiguities, ensure liability protection and uniform standards, and stop the endless litigation that is fueling this crisis, which will in turn provide the stability, fairness, and balance necessary to protect student-athletes and preserve collegiate athletic opportunities." Source: The Trump Administration’s White House Statement
