{"id":1135,"date":"2026-06-11T13:14:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T13:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interstatelogisticshubs.com\/?p=1135"},"modified":"2026-06-11T13:14:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T13:14:21","slug":"congress-fumbles-college-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/interstatelogisticshubs.com\/?p=1135","title":{"rendered":"Congress fumbles college sports"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The Cruz-Cantwell \u201cProtect College Sports Act of 2026\u201d is pitched as a bipartisan rescue mission for a collegiate athletics system already gasping under NIL chaos, antitrust pressure and conference realignment absurdity.\u00a0<\/p>

Read more The SPLC is hoist by its own petard.<\/a><\/p>\n

The recent congressional hearing framed the bill as a way to \u201crestore order\u201d by giving lawmakers a stronger play in regulating athlete compensation and its huge marketplace. After decades of universities, coaches and broadcast companies turning college sports into a multibillion-dollar free-for-all, Congress now claims it can fix its plight.<\/p>\n

As much as I wish this was satire it is anything but.<\/p>\n

After all, nothing says \u201cefficiency and clarity\u201d like inviting Congress to step in and officiate a game it has no business being in.<\/p>\n

There is no denying that the college sports landscape is a dumpster fire and every sports reporter, broadcaster and fan that I spoke with believes Congress needs to stay out of it. One proposal floating through the frustration is clear as it is concise: cut all federal funds and loan support to any university that pours more than pocket change into its semi-professional sports empire.<\/p>\n

If schools want to run minor league franchises that is their business.\u00a0 Just don\u2019t bill the taxpayers for it.<\/p>\n

Considering the broad dysfunction in Washington, lawmakers need to stay out of NCAA business until they can tame the federal deficit.<\/p>\n

Moreover, they should forfeit their salaries until they do.<\/p>\n

There remains a nostalgic faction that pines for the 20th\u00a0century model of college athletics, where athletes received scholarships without pay and were required to attend class while broadcast revenues supported other sports programs and even academics.<\/p>\n

Yet somehow, we are all expected to stand by with straight faces and wait for its triumphant return.\u00a0 That will never happen. That epoch of sports history is dead and cremated.<\/p>\n

Such melancholy ignores the numerous lawsuits that exposed how players earned nothing, while coaches and administrators collected multimillion-dollar salaries.<\/p>\n

This imbalance made reform inevitable and any return to pure amateurism impossible.<\/p>

Read more Could data centers turn Red America Blue?<\/a><\/p>\n

The antitrust precedent prevents the NCAA from imposing compensation limits without collective bargaining. With billions in media revenue at stake, athletes in revenue producing sports will never accept a system where they do not share in the profits. NIL deals have only accelerated this shift.<\/p>\n

College sports morphed into professional minor leagues some time ago and should be treated as such.\u00a0 Solutions include taxing athletic departments as unrelated business income, removing their tax-exempt status, or designating them as for-profit subsidiaries.<\/p>\n

Since antitrust law and interstate commerce are inherently federal domains, Congress cannot avoid involvement.<\/p>\n

Some insist only federal law can impose salary caps, standardize NIL, and salvage competitive balance in a system they see as unsustainable.<\/p>\n

How about a purist return to academics first with no scholarships and no pay?<\/p>\n

Such an idea is truly na\u00efve as the economic incentives are much too powerful. Coaches\u2019 salaries that were once capped by unwritten norms have exploded with players naturally wanting their share of the booty.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are just some things Congress needs to leave alone, which guarantees they won\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Whether the solution lies in deregulation, taxation, collective bargaining, or federal legislation, the issue remains deeply contested.<\/p>\n

However, nearly everyone agrees on one point: whatever Congress does next it will almost certainly leave the dumpster burning hotter than before.<\/p>

Read more Western Governments Endanger Western Citizens<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"ChatGPT\"<\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Image generated by ChatGPT.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Cruz-Cantwell \u201cProtect College Sports Act of 2026\u201d is pitched as a bipartisan rescue mission for a collegiate athletics system already gasping under NIL chaos, antitrust pressure and conference realignment absurdity.\u00a0 Read more The SPLC is hoist by its own petard. 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