US Senate passes college sports reform bill, but rejects ticket price cap

The US Senate voted 77-22 on Monday, September 28, to pass the Protect College Sports Act, a sweeping bill reshaping compensation, transfer and eligibility rules for college athletes. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives and, if approved there, would go to President Donald Trump's desk, according to Golfweek.

Why lawmakers say the bill is needed

Senator Ted Cruz, one of the bill's authors, told USA TODAY Sports that college sports today operate like "the Wild West," with athletes entering the transfer portal repeatedly, older players competing against 17-year-olds, and athletic departments losing tens of millions of dollars. Cruz warned that without congressional action, hundreds of thousands of roster spots and scholarships — out of roughly 500,000 college athletes nationwide — could disappear. Senators Maria Cantwell and Eric Schmitt are also among the bill's backers.

Ticket price amendment rejected

On the same day, the Senate rejected, 42-54 (60 votes were required), a separate amendment from Republican Senator John Kennedy that would have capped annual ticket price increases for student sports events at 4%, according to UA.News, citing The Hill. Kennedy argued that fans fund college sports' cash flow and that ticket prices sometimes rise 30-40%. Per The Hill, citing Axios, the average price of a college football ticket rose from $59 in 2015 to $129 in 2025, while Sports Illustrated reported ticket costs rose more than 45% in a year at the University of Texas and over 60% at the University of Tennessee. Cruz, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, opposed the amendment, saying it would impose uniform price controls without accounting for differences between large and small schools or between sports.

Implications for golf and NIL deals

The bill would not eliminate NIL (name, image and likeness) agreements such as the recent TaylorMade deal with Charlie Woods, son of 15-time major champion Tiger Woods and a Florida State commit. Instead, it aims to establish a national framework for NIL and create additional revenue-sharing opportunities, which supporters say could help preserve funding for Olympic and non-revenue sports, including golf, Golfweek reports.