Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a co-author of the Protect College Sports Act, is urging the Congressional Black Caucus to support the bill, per a report by Roll Call. Cruz and Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell have been reaching out to Congressional Black Caucus members to gather input and secure their support for the bill in both the House and the Senate. The CBC is standing firm on its decision not to support it over voting redistricting efforts in several Southern states.
The proposed Protect College Sports Act, introduced by Cruz and Blackburn, would provide the NCAA with limited antitrust exemptions to enforce several eligibility and roster-management rules. Among the proposed changes are restrictions on unrestricted transfers, a five-year limit on athletic eligibility, a ban on former professional athletes competing in college sports, and measures designed to prevent schools from hiring coaches away from other programs during their seasons.
The Congressional Black Caucus sent a letter to Cruz and Cantwell asking them to pause the Protect College Sports Act until college leaders address “attacks on Black political representation.”
“Until college athletics leadership demonstrates a willingness to both engage on these issues and take concrete action in support of the communities that have contributed so much to their success, Congress should refrain from advancing legislation that would provide additional protections, authorities, benefits, or legal certainty to these institutions,” the letter read.
Now, both Cruz and Cantwell are warning that if the bill doesn’t pass, the effects could be devastating for HBCUs.
“If Congress doesn’t act, the consequences will be devastating. They will be devastating when the president of TSU says that they would be devastating for HBCUs. They would be devastating for hundreds of thousands, and over time, millions of athletes — many of whom are African American, many of whom are Hispanic, many of whom are from economically disadvantaged environments.”
Cruz attended a roundtable in support of the Protect College Sports Act, which was also attended by Texas Southern President James W. Crawford III. Crawford detailed how HBCUs are struggling with the expansion of name, image, and likeness rights. Crawford implied that recruiting in the NIL era is cumbersome and compared it to the Hunger Games.
“It’s about competing. … If you get at the ability where you have some controls on costs [and] you don’t have this continual bidding, you’re not in a constant recruiting mode because now you’re constantly trying to recruit that great player that just beat your team…Obviously, we manage our resources very carefully. We invest very hardily for our students to succeed. But controlling that ‘Hunger Games’ aspect, economically, would be very beneficial to historically black colleges and universities, as well as other institutions that are mid-size regional institutions.”
The Congressional Black Caucus says they are standing firm in the opposition to the legislation, citing the concerns raised in their June 3rd letter.
Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a co-author of the Protect College Sports Act, is urging the Congressional Black Caucus to support the bill, per a report by Roll Call. Cruz and Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell have been reaching out to Congressional Black Caucus members to gather input and secure their support for the bill in both the House and the Senate.
