The Senate’s Protect College Sports Act, a rare bipartisan effort, targets the unregulated world of college sports agents.
Why Regulation Is Urgent
The author, a veteran attorney and MLBPA-certified agent, says student‑athletes lack business savvy and depend heavily on advisers.
No federal body currently oversees “street agents” who are not certified or lawyers, and state enforcement is sporadic, creating a de facto free‑for‑all.
Student‑athletes report fees from 5% up to 50%, contracts that steer decisions toward advisers, and pressure to enter the transfer portal for the adviser’s gain.
The CBO estimates the fee cap will add $35 million annually to athletes’ earnings, giving opponents a strong financial motive to resist.
Violators can be fined, decertified, or sued, making the law a real deterrent to predatory agents.
Political and Industry Pushback
Critics say the current system protects player rights, yet documented abuses show it leaves athletes exposed to fraud and roster chaos.
Some argue the bill threatens a lucrative, largely unregulated industry that profits from athlete exploitation, revealing a motive to protect income.
Others propose turning college sports into employee leagues, allowing unionization, but the act does not resolve the employee‑status question and faces legal hurdles in public universities outside the NLRA.
Path Forward
An independent governing board, ideally chaired by a former student‑athlete, would give athletes genuine representation and enforceable protections.
Congress must act now to curb predatory agents, preserve scholarships and medical benefits, and sustain non‑revenue college sports programs.
After the 2021 Supreme Court ruling in NCAA v. Alston, athletes already control their name, image and likeness; rolling back those rights is neither practical nor desired.
Failure to pass the bill would let predatory agents continue exploiting student‑athletes, undermining the very purpose of college sports.
