The Congressional Black Caucus on Thursday voiced its opposition to the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act that’s currently under consideration in the Senate, urging Democrats to block the bill until it “reflects the interests of Black athletes.”
In a statement, CBC Chair Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) said that though the legislation has “evolved” from when Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) first introduced it, “fundamental concerns” remain.
The bill — which seeks to establish a single federal framework for name, image and likeness rights for athletes, limit conference expansions and grant collegiate sports a limited federal antitrust exemption — has already secured the backing of powerhouse conferences like the Big Ten and SEC.
But the stakes extend far beyond the playing field, Clarke said Thursday.
“Black athletes have transformed college athletics into one of the most successful enterprises in America. Yet the people most affected by this legislation have not been meaningfully included in shaping it,” Clarke said.
Most of the CBC are members of the House, but a handful of Black Democratic senators — Cory Booker (N.J.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (Del.), Raphael Warnock (Ga.) and Angela Alsobrooks (Md.) — are also in the caucus.
Clarke added that the legislation would offer sweeping federal protections to powerful institutions that have remained silent at “the very moment that Black political representation is under attack across the country.”
It’s an argument the CBC made earlier this year, when its members came out against the SCORE Act — a separate bipartisan effort aimed at providing the NCAA renewed authority to regulate the collegiate athletic system. The CBC’s opposition helped sink that bill in the House, where caucus members’ support was considered crucial getting it over the finish line.
The caucus, made entirely of Democratic members, also expressed support for the NAACP’s call urging Black student athletes to avoid committing to top public athletic programs in Southern states as the redistricting battles in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Callais ruling continues.
Both the CBC and NAACP have emphasized that Black athletes serve as major economic divers for some of the nation’s top collegiate sports programs. A 2026 report from NCAA found that Black athletes accounted for nearly 16 percent of all the organization’s athletes during the 2024-25 school year, and 20 percent of all Division I student-athletes are Black.
Clarke on Thursday said Senate Democrats have a “responsibility” to ensure the legislation reflects the concerns of Black Americans, who have “done their part in strengthening and advancing our democracy.”
“Congress should not determine the economic future of Black athletes,” Clarke said, “without ensuring they and the communities they come from have a meaningful voice throughout the process.”
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