College sports needs real change, not just more government help
The Big Ten and SEC Slam the "Protect College Sports Act"
The nation’s top college sports leagues are in open rebellion against a new Senate bill designed to "fix" the crumbling NCAA system—only to find the proposed solution sorely lacking. The Protect College Sports Act, intended to resolve long-standing disputes over player compensation and transfer rules, has instead drawn sharp criticism from the Big Ten and SEC, two of the most influential conferences in the country.
Their verdict? The bill is too weak, too vague, and risks deepening the chaos it claims to resolve. The leagues argue that Congress is attempting a one-size-fits-all solution rather than working with them to address the real problems plaguing college athletics.
A System Built on Hypocrisy
Behind the polished spectacle of March Madness and college football’s Saturdays lies a decades-old scheme: a multi-billion-dollar industry that has long denied players their fair share.
For years, the NCAA and its member schools have operated as de facto businesses while insisting athletes remain amateurs—unable to profit from the revenue they generate. Now, facing legal pressure and public backlash, they’re turning to Congress for a lifeline, asking for special exemptions from laws that govern every other industry.
The Senate’s justification? The courts have thrown the system into turmoil. But the courts haven’t caused the chaos—they’ve merely forced the NCAA to follow the law, something it should have done from the start.
Instead of reckoning with their own failures, the NCAA and its allies are pushing Congress to rewrite the rules in their favor—allowing them to maintain control while avoiding accountability.
The Real Fix? Treat Players as Employees
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has proposed a radical but necessary solution: recognize college athletes as employees.
By granting players union rights and collective bargaining power, schools could finally negotiate fairly, avoiding antitrust pitfalls while ensuring athletes receive a just share of the profits they help create.
Yet the power brokers in college sports don’t want this. They’d rather cling to the status quo, where billions flow into their coffers while players remain powerless.
The irony? These same institutions—built on the backs of unpaid labor—are now begging the government for special favors to preserve a broken system. They’ve spent decades profiting off athletes without sharing the wealth, and now they expect taxpayers to bail them out?
The True Source of Chaos: The Schools Themselves
The real disorder hasn’t come from judges or lawmakers. It’s the result of decades of exploitation by the very institutions claiming to want reform.
For generations, schools have raked in billions from TV deals, merchandise sales, and ticket revenue while athletes—many of whom risk life-altering injuries—receive only scholarships and empty promises.
Now, as legal challenges mount and public scrutiny intensifies, the NCAA and its allies scramble for a quick fix. But the only real solution is the one they fear most: giving players a real voice.
Instead of rushing to Congress for favors, they should stop pretending this is about "amateurism" and start treating athletes as what they truly are—the backbone of a multi-billion-dollar industry.
The mess wasn’t created by the courts. It was made by the schools themselves.
