Senate Bill Aims to Stabilize College Athletics as Olympic Sports Programs Face Cuts

Washington — A bipartisan group of senators is pushing legislation they say would provide guardrails for college athletics while protecting women's sports and stemming the loss of Olympic programs across Division I schools.

The Protect College Sports Act, sponsored by Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Eric Schmitt of Missouri alongside Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, would establish national standards for Division I and Division II competition covering eligibility questions including academic requirements, professional status, legal violations, age and years of competition.

The bill has faced criticism from some women's sports advocates who claim it would undermine Title IX or override state laws reserving female athletic categories for biological women. Supporters counter that language in Section 127 of the legislation explicitly states nothing in the bill "will override, modify, or amend" Title IX, and the measure neither creates a federal right for men to compete in women's events nor pre-empts state laws establishing sex-based athletic categories.

A group of Republican senators has filed an amendment to further clarify the legislation does not supersede state women's sports laws.

Section 120 of the bill would protect athletes, employees and others from retaliation for reporting discrimination or participating in Title IX proceedings. The legislation also requires governing bodies to enforce rules related to state and federal law and allows individuals to sue when the law is violated.

The financial landscape driving the legislation is stark. NCAA data shows that 32 Division I Olympic-sports programs were eliminated between the announcement of the House settlement and May 2025. More than 40 Division I Olympic-sports programs were cut between May 2024 and July 2025. Notably, 75 percent of American Olympians in 2024 competed in collegiate athletics.

Even well-resourced programs have faced pressure. The University of Arkansas, backed by SEC funding, announced plans to eliminate its men's and women's tennis programs before donors intervened to preserve them.

The bill includes funding mechanisms to address these concerns. It creates a $22.5 million athlete-retention fund and allows schools to unlock up to an additional $5 million through eligible NIL investments in women's, Olympic and non-revenue sports. To receive the full $27.5 million retention allowance, schools must first invest $5 million in those programs.

The explosive growth of NIL deals has reshaped the financial stakes. A 2025 Final Four team operated with an approximately $4 million NIL budget, while projections suggest some teams could face budgets approaching $30 million by the 2027 Final Four.

President Trump has backed the legislation, having previously taken action to restore the biological definition of sex in federal policy.

The Supreme Court ruled in June that schools may legally exclude men from women's sports, providing additional legal foundation for schools maintaining female-only athletic categories.

The legislation faces an uncertain path forward as Congress works to address broader concerns about eligibility, transfer policy and NIL oversight in college athletics.