“Everybody makes money from college sports—the universities, the coaches and the athletes. But who makes all of that possible? The fans. My amendment would have done something for the people who pay for the tickets and make games possible by ensuring they don’t get hit with unlimited ticket-price increases.”
Watch Kennedy’s comments here.
WASHINGTON – The Senate blocked Sen. John Kennedy’s (R-La.) amendment to the Protect College Sports Act that would have protected college sports fans from excessive ticket-price increases. Kennedy’s amendment would have prohibited an institution, conference, or intercollegiate athletic association from increasing ticket prices by more than 4% annually.
“Everybody makes money from college sports—the universities, the coaches and the athletes. But who makes all of that possible? The fans. My amendment would have done something for the people who pay for the tickets and make games possible by ensuring they don’t get hit with unlimited ticket-price increases,” said Kennedy.
The Protect College Sports Act establishes a nationwide framework governing college athletics, including name, image, and likeness (NIL) compensation, athlete transfers and the distribution of revenue generated by college athletic programs. The legislation also provides colleges, universities and athletic associations with protections from federal antitrust laws. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 77-22.
Kennedy argued on the Senate floor that if Congress is providing special protections to college athletics, it should also provide protections to the fans who make college sports possible.
The Senate blocked Kennedy’s amendment by a vote of 42-54, leaving college sports fans without the proposed 4% annual cap on ticket-price increases.
Full text of the Protect College Sports Act is available here.
