As the Protect College Sports Act nears passage in the Senate, a group of Black Democrats has urged other lawmakers to withdraw their support for the legislation as part of a monthslong fight to prevent its proposed changes to college athletics from taking place.
The bill’s supporters say it addresses a variety of controversies that have plagued college sports over the past several years. Two major provisions include establishing a federal framework for student athlete compensation and granting the National Collegiate Athletic Association a limited federal antitrust exemption.
But Black Democrats in the Senate and House have argued the legislation ultimately favors institutions like the NCAA over student athletes across college sports.
“This is insane to me, especially because the revenue sports are disproportionately African American,” Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) told Politico this week. “When has the Democratic Party stood up for taking away rights from disadvantaged minorities? When have we ever done what we’re about to do right now? It is wrong. It is unjust, and it will disproportionately affect African Americans.”
The Congressional Black Caucus’s monthslong opposition to the bill began shortly after it was introduced to the Senate and House by a bipartisan group of legislators, including Sen. Ted Crux (R-Texas), Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA), and Rep. Michael Baumgartner (WA-05).
The group, which is composed of over 60 Democratic legislators and has allegedly excluded Black Republicans, sent a letter in May to Cruz and Cantwell asking them to pause consideration of the legislation.
“For generations, Black athletes have helped build college athletics into one of the most powerful and profitable industries in American life,” the letter states. “The success, visibility, and cultural influence of major athletic conferences and institutions are inseparable from the talent, labor, leadership, and cultural contributions of Black communities.”
“The Congressional Black Caucus believes institutions that profit from Black talent and Black communities have a responsibility to stand with those communities when their fundamental rights are under attack,” the letter continues.
Though the bill underwent revisions, the CBC and the organization’s chair Rep. Yvette Clarke (NY-09) have continued to oppose the bill, saying it would disproportionately impact Black athletes, coaches, agents, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
“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,” Clarke and the CBC said in an August statement. “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.”
(Photo: Rep. Yvette Clarke, via Rep. Yvette Clarke Facebook)