Let’s have an honest conversation about the Protect College Sports Act of 2026.
College athletics has become a massive business. Television contracts, ticket sales, sponsorships, conference money, donations and NIL deals have created an enormous financial ecosystem around college sports.
And at the center of that ecosystem are the players.
Without the athletes putting their bodies, health, time and talents on the line, there is no Saturday afternoon football, no March Madness, no packed arenas, no television ratings and no billions of dollars flowing through college athletics.
That is why I have serious questions about whether the players are getting the protection and representation they deserve.
The Senate has now passed the Protect College Sports Act by a bipartisan 77–22 vote, but the legislation still faces consideration in the House. The bill does contain provisions designed to protect athletes, including NIL rights, scholarship and health-care protections, revenue sharing and limits on certain agent fees.
But here’s where I believe we need to pay attention.
The bill also establishes limits on athlete revenue sharing and gives the NCAA and schools significant authority to establish and enforce the rules governing college athletics. Critics have argued that the legislation could limit athletes’ leverage and legal options, including because it does not classify college athletes as employees and does not provide collective-bargaining rights.
Meanwhile, college football coaches can still make millions of dollars. The Congressional Budget Office notes that the highest-paid football coaches average about $4 million annually, with the highest earners making more than $10 million.
So I have a simple question:
Where is the voice of the athlete?
If universities, conferences, athletic departments, administrators and coaches are going to have seats at the table, the people actually playing the games deserve a powerful seat there too.
Don’t misunderstand me. I believe college sports can and should continue to provide educational opportunities, scholarships and opportunities for young people to compete.
But the system should never forget who makes the product possible.
The players are not simply pieces on a chessboard.
They are students.
They are athletes.
They are human beings.
And their health, education, financial futures and rights matter.
They sacrifice their bodies while others build careers around their performances.
They practice while others negotiate television contracts.
They travel while others sit in offices making decisions.
They play through injuries while other people count the revenue.
And when their careers are over, many of them walk away without the long-term financial security that comes with professional sports.
So yes, let’s protect college sports.
But let’s make sure we’re protecting the college athletes who make college sports possible.
I hope moving forward that players have an even stronger voice in the process. I hope their representatives are sitting at the negotiating table. I hope their health and education are treated as more than legal language in a bill.
And I hope the people running college athletics remember something incredibly important:
There is no college sports business without college athletes.
Protect the universities.
Protect the programs.
Protect the traditions.
But most importantly—
PROTECT THE PLAYERS.
Because they aren’t just the labor behind the product.
They ARE the heart of college sports. ~OC
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