Sen. Cruz says 50-50 chance of passing legislation this year
WASHINGTON >> Sen. Ted Cruz said Tuesday there is a 50-50 chance of Congress passing legislation that would provide antitrust protection and regulation to college athletics in the U.S. by the end of the year.
Cruz (R-texas) lowered his previous estimate of 60-40 from last fall of a bill getting through before the election in November, saying he and his counterparts are running out of time.
“The clock is running,” Cruz said after overseeing a panel on the topic that included former Alabama coach Nick Saban. “It’s not too late to get it done, but we’re getting close to it being too late to get it done. I still think there are elements there of getting bipartisan agreement. We just have not been able to get everyone to the table to sign off.”
Cruz said something will eventually get done to standardize how athletes can be compensated for their names, images and likenesses and to give the NCAA and conferences the ability to govern college sports without the constant threat of lawsuits and state laws undercutting their authority.
The gathering was not an official hearing, but going on at the same time in the House was the 12th hearing on college sports on Capitol Hill since 2020. This one was held in front of the Committee on Education and the Workforce and was focused on the possibility of college athletes joining unions.
But Cruz’s roundtable with Saban, Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner Jim Phillips and Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne stole the spotlight. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-kansas) and Richard Blumenthal (Dconn.) also attended.
Moran and Blumenthal put forth a bipartisan proposal for a college sports bill last summer, but like several efforts before and after it has gone nowhere.
“Mostly we would tell each other, ‘We’re just this close to getting something done,’ but it’s been going on a long time,” Moran said, pleading for stakeholders to provide feedback on what they can give and take. “This is the moment to strike. Please help us close that gap and get this done.”
NCAA President Charlie Baker has encouraged membership to act on its own, putting forth a proposal in December that would create a new tier of Division I where schools would be required to pay some of their athletes.
The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference, the two wealthiest and most powerful conferences, formed a joint advisory committee earlier this year to try to tackle the issues facing college sports.