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SEC, Big Ten Back Senate College Sports Bill With Antitrust Protections

By  |  August 2, 2026
Antitrust Chronicle - Sports

The two most influential conferences in college athletics have endorsed a bipartisan Senate proposal that would reshape the governance of college sports, giving new momentum to legislation that includes limited antitrust protections for the NCAA and schools, according to Bloomberg.

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    Bloomberg reported that the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten announced their support after lawmakers revised the bill following negotiations over rules governing third-party name, image and likeness (NIL) agreements and entities that facilitate those deals. The conferences’ backing revives the measure’s prospects in the Senate after months of resistance from the two leagues.

    The legislation, known as the Protect College Sports Act, is sponsored by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. Bloomberg reported that supporters hope the measure can secure enough votes to advance before the Senate’s August recess.

    According to Bloomberg, the latest version of the bill would create a new $27.5 million allocation that schools could use to retain athletes, in addition to an existing revenue-sharing framework. The revisions also seek to strengthen restrictions designed to prevent schools from using affiliated third parties to circumvent compensation limits through NIL arrangements.

    Bloomberg reported that those changes addressed concerns raised by the SEC and Big Ten, which had argued earlier versions of the legislation did not adequately regulate so-called “associated entities” involved in athlete compensation.

    Read more: Auburn, Alabama Presidents Back Federal College Sports Bill

    The bill also includes limited antitrust protections for the NCAA and its member schools, a provision supporters say is intended to reduce litigation that has reshaped college athletics in recent years. According to Bloomberg, lawmakers view those protections as part of a broader effort to establish a national framework governing athlete compensation, NIL rules and enforcement.

    Despite gaining support from the SEC and Big Ten, Bloomberg reported that the proposal still faces significant obstacles. The measure would need to attract at least 60 votes in the Senate, and any legislation would also have to clear the House, where previous college sports proposals have struggled to advance.

    Bloomberg also reported that some lawmakers remain opposed to the measure, while smaller athletic conferences could object to provisions that would allow wealthier programs to devote substantially more money to retaining athletes.

    The renewed momentum for the legislation came as the NCAA faced additional legal setbacks in court, increasing pressure on Congress to establish a federal framework for college athletics, according to Bloomberg.

    Source: Bloomberg