Democratic senator warns colleagues of 'distorted system' if college sports bill passes

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Sen. Maria Cantwell warned her colleagues Wednesday that a bill heading to the House floor that would regulate college sports would solidify an unsustainable and growing gap between the nation's biggest athletic conferences and everyone else.

In a letter to members of the Senate Commerce Committee, where Cantwell, D-Wash., is the ranking member, she references the SCORE Act, which the House is set to vote on next week.

The NCAA and its top conferences support the bill. It would provide limited antitrust exemption for the NCAA, override state laws governing paying players in favor of one national statute and remove the possibility of athletes being considered employees of their schools.

Cantwell argued it would lock in a “distorted system" that would ultimately favor the Big Ten and Southeastern Conferences — the “Big 2,” she called them.

“The SCORE Act would entrench a college sports arms race that rewards power conferences at the expense of smaller schools and conferences, student athletes and America’s future Olympic competitiveness," she wrote.

Though the bill has bipartisan support in the House, there are a handful of Republicans who have come out against it. If it passes, it would face an uphill climb in the Senate, where it would need 60 votes if it were considered as a stand-alone bill.

In a report attached to her letter, Cantwell outlined the growing gap between the Power Four conferences and everyone else. One statistic: Power conferences will receive an average of $63 million more than other leagues from the College Football Playoff in 2025, an increase of $20 million in the gap between the groups since the CFP began at the end of the 2014-15 season.

The Big Ten and SEC benefit the most, Cantwell's report outlined. She argued it was no fluke that those “Big 2” conferences, which have been able to increase spending on men's basketball by around 70% since 2023, saw a corresponding surge in at-large bids to March Madness last season.

“This dominance also heightens the risk of the SEC and Big Ten demanding a greater share of TV rights revenue for the tournament when the current TV media rights deal expires in 2032, or even leaving the NCAA altogether,” the report read. “And it hurts fans who want to see Cinderella stories during March Madness.”

Among those lobbying for change on Capitol Hill is Cody Campbell, a billionaire member of the Texas Tech board of regents. Campbell is running ads during college games this season urging Congress to amend a law that prevents conferences from pooling their TV rights — a move he said could create a more even playing field for all schools in Division I.

Cantwell's report makes no mention of Campbell's proposal, though her concerns sound similar.

“I look forward to working with you to develop a more durable growth model for college athletics that will provide opportunities and reward all student athletes, increase audiences and revenues for college sports, and preserve women’s and Olympic sports,” she wrote.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports