President Donald Trump on Thursday urged Congress to quickly pass the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act, praising legislation introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Chris Coons, D-Del., as a critical step toward stabilizing college athletics.
In a post on social media, Trump described college sports as a "Great American Institution" that has fallen into "total mess" after years of litigation, court rulings, and the rapid expansion of athlete compensation and transfer freedoms.
He warned that schools are losing hundreds of millions of dollars annually and argued that women's sports and Olympic programs are particularly at risk.
Trump said university presidents, conference commissioners, coaches, athletic directors, and student-athletes had told him the current system had become a "disaster."
He noted that he previously convened a bipartisan roundtable of sports executives, athletes, and political leaders to develop solutions and said he later signed an executive order addressing the issue. However, he maintained that congressional action remains the best long-term solution.
"I urge the House and Senate to come together to pass a final Bipartisan Law, that I can sign this summer," Trump wrote. "WE HAVE TO SAVE COLLEGE SPORTS!"
The Protect College Sports Act of 2026, negotiated by Cruz and Cantwell, is designed to create a national framework governing college athletics amid growing concerns over the impact of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) payments, transfer portal activity, eligibility disputes, and rising athletic department costs.
According to the Senate Commerce Committee, the legislation would establish uniform national rules covering NIL agreements, athlete-agent relationships, recruiting, transfers, eligibility standards, and enforcement mechanisms.
The bill would also require NIL disclosure standards, provide academic and scholarship protections, establish health and safety requirements, create a student-athlete ombudsman, and provide medical coverage protections.
Supporters say the measure would preserve athletes' ability to profit from their name, image, and likeness while preventing college sports from evolving into an unrestricted professional model.
The legislation also includes provisions aimed at protecting women's and Olympic sports, preserving traditional rivalries, preventing excessive consolidation among major conferences, and allowing conferences to voluntarily pool media rights to increase revenue.
Cruz said the bill would restore "real rules, competitive balance, rivalries, and a true connection to education," while Cantwell argued it would help curb "out-of-control chaos" and protect thousands of athletic opportunities that have been threatened by mounting financial pressures.
The Senate Commerce Committee is expected to hold a hearing on the legislation in the coming weeks.