The U.S. Senate just pushed the “Protect College Sports Act” through with a 77-22 vote on Monday night, but don’t hold your breath for any big celebration. This supposed “federal bailout” for big-time college sports is already dead on arrival in the House, with SI.com’s Pat Forde quoting an unnamed source saying there’s a “0.0 percent chance” it gets anywhere before the midterm elections. Talk about a cold shower for the folks screaming about “catastrophe”!
This ‘Catastrophe’ Talk Is Straight Up Bullshit
The NCAA and its member schools are clamoring for an antitrust exemption and other sweet benefits they say are needed to “stave off a catastrophe.” Really? Because from where we’re sitting, college football is raking in more cash than ever, “more popular and profitable than ever,” the source says. So this narrative of “chaos” they’re peddling? It just doesn’t add up. It feels like a convenient excuse to roll back the clock and keep control.
Players Are Sitting Pretty, And That’s The Problem For The Suits
Let’s be real about who’s actually facing “chaos.” Not the players. For years, they were getting “exploited by a system that denied them the opportunity to participate meaningfully in the value they generate.” Now? They’re finally “sitting pretty.” This isn’t chaos for them; it’s the “free market in operation.” It looks like the schools are the ones who “can’t be trusted to balance their budgets,” and you know what? That’s what the source calls “bullshit.” You can bet your bottom dollar it is.
So where does this leave us? The bill’s heading to the U.S. House of Representatives, but with that “0.0 percent chance” before midterms and Democrats “widely expected to seize control of the House” in November, it’s a long shot, to say the least. The question remains if any “meaningful business” will even happen before a new Congress rolls in come January. Don’t expect any quick fixes for the NCAA’s self-inflicted wounds. It’s a “long way to go” before they get the federal help they’re so desperately craving.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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