Congress may finally have a bipartisan path forward on college athletics with Cruz-Cantwell legislation

Sen Eric Schmitt explains to Dan Dakich why Congress is the only entity that can save college sports as a whole right now.

After years of wrangling over how Congress could help leaders in college athletics curtail some of the ongoing issues at the forefront of chaos, we might actually be witnessing a compromise coming soon to the Senate floor.

As you have most likely seen, the ongoing debate over how to fix the issues that have arisen from the movement into a new era of college sports has led to disarray.

Whether it's the transfer portal, NIL, potential cutting of certain programs or the ongoing discussions around athletic departments having enough money to sustain themselves in this era, the overwhelming thought process centers around Congress getting involved.

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While this is obviously easier said than done, there has been movement recently that suggests the SCORE Act could make its way to the House floor next week, which is at least a step in the right direction.

The problem is that even if this passes through the House, getting Republicans and Democrats to agree on something of this magnitude is highly unlikely if it were to make it to the Senate floor.

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President Donald Trump shakes hands with Sen. Ted Cruz in a Whataburger restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Feb. 27, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)

In the meantime, you've seen President Trump sign an executive order pertaining to college athletics, with an emphasis on the transfer portal, eligibility (five years to play five seasons) and the current structure of