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In a move that lowers the odds of the Protect College Sports Act becoming law, the Congressional Black Caucus—which has more than 60 members—issued a statement on Thursday opposing the PCSA.
“At the very moment that Black political representation is under attack across the country,” Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), the CBC chair, said, “we will not be complicit in efforts to further exclude the interests of Black people by advancing legislation that will determine the economic future of Black athletes, their families, and their communities without their meaningful participation and engagement.”
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The CBC described the PCSA, which is supported by President Donald Trump and would extend a limited antitrust immunity and other legal protections to the NCAA and its members, as a gift to industry actors without corresponding benefits to the athletes.
“The so-called Protect College Sports Act grants sweeping new legal protections to powerful institutions while failing to adequately protect the athletes whose talent fuels this multibillion-dollar industry,” the statement asserts. “It falls short of providing Black athletes with the rights, representation, economic opportunities, and meaningful safeguards they deserve, while also failing to adequately recognize the interests of Black coaches, Black agents, HBCUs and other professionals whose futures will be shaped by this legislation.”
In a recent Sportico opinion column, Paul McDonald, who is co-counsel for the college athlete plaintiffs inJohnson v. NCAA, urged Senate Democrats to pause consideration of the PCSA given the risk of “alienating the Black Democratic base ahead of November’s midterms.”
He questioned the logic of passing legislation that would benefit institutions in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial decision in Louisiana v. Callais on race and gerrymandering.
The CBC’s opposition to the previous high-profile college sports reform bill, called the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements Act, played a key factor in its failure to advance.
Thursday’s statement also arrived shortly after the AFL-CIO and the AFL-CIO Sports Council, which represents athlete workers across professional sports leagues, issued a similar statement urging no votes on the PCSA. The AFL-CIO is opposed to the bill on grounds it “empowers the NCAA to unilaterally set rules for athletes” without offering a pathway for collective bargaining with those athletes.
The PCSA’s fate was already uncertain. The Senate is set to go on a five-week recess beginning on Friday, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has indicated a vote might not happen.
Even if a successful vote is taken on the PCSA before the Senate recess, the House of Representatives will not be in session for much of the remainder of the year due its own recess and holidays. There is also the possibility of a government shutdown. With political experts expecting the Democrats to win a House majority in the 120th Congress, the window for the PCSA to become law is shrinking.
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“At the very moment that Black political representation is under attack across the country,” Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), the CBC chair, said, “we will not be complicit in efforts to further exclude the interests of Black people by advancing legislation that will determine the economic future of Black athletes, their families, and their communities without their meaningful participation and engagement.”
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The CBC described the PCSA, which is supported by President Donald Trump and would extend a limited antitrust immunity and other legal protections to the NCAA and its members, as a gift to industry actors without corresponding benefits to the athletes.
“The so-called Protect College Sports Act grants sweeping new legal protections to powerful institutions while failing to adequately protect the athletes whose talent fuels this multibillion-dollar industry,” the statement asserts. “It falls short of providing Black athletes with the rights, representation, economic opportunities, and meaningful safeguards they deserve, while also failing to adequately recognize the interests of Black coaches, Black agents, HBCUs and other professionals whose futures will be shaped by this legislation.”
In a recent Sportico opinion column, Paul McDonald, who is co-counsel for the college athlete plaintiffs inJohnson v. NCAA, urged Senate Democrats to pause consideration of the PCSA given the risk of “alienating the Black Democratic base ahead of November’s midterms.”
He questioned the logic of passing legislation that would benefit institutions in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s controversial decision in Louisiana v. Callais on race and gerrymandering.
The CBC’s opposition to the previous high-profile college sports reform bill, called the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements Act, played a key factor in its failure to advance.
Thursday’s statement also arrived shortly after the AFL-CIO and the AFL-CIO Sports Council, which represents athlete workers across professional sports leagues, issued a similar statement urging no votes on the PCSA. The AFL-CIO is opposed to the bill on grounds it “empowers the NCAA to unilaterally set rules for athletes” without offering a pathway for collective bargaining with those athletes.
The PCSA’s fate was already uncertain. The Senate is set to go on a five-week recess beginning on Friday, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has indicated a vote might not happen.
Even if a successful vote is taken on the PCSA before the Senate recess, the House of Representatives will not be in session for much of the remainder of the year due its own recess and holidays. There is also the possibility of a government shutdown. With political experts expecting the Democrats to win a House majority in the 120th Congress, the window for the PCSA to become law is shrinking.
Best of Sportico.com
Sign up for Sportico's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Continue reading...
