U.S. Senate votes 77-22 to pass Protect College Sports Act - ESPN

WASHINGTON — The federal bill aimed at reshaping the college sports industry took a major step toward becoming law Monday night when the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly voted 77-22 to pass it.

The Protect College Sports Act moves next to the House of Representatives, where it will face some opposition from both sides of the political spectrum and a narrow window to garner support. House representatives are not scheduled to vote on any bills until after November's midterm elections. If it doesn't get through the House during a lame duck legislative session before a new Congress takes over in January, the full process would have to start from the beginning.

«From the beginning our objective was not to squeak by with 60 or 61 votes, but to have a big bipartisan vote that demonstrates the importance of stepping in and saving and preserving college sports,» Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told reporters Monday night. «President Trump is eager to sign this legislation.»

«Student-athletes from across the country and all three NCAA Divisions worked hard to get this legislation moving and thanks to their advocacy, the bill just received a massive, bipartisan vote in the Senate,» NCAA president Charlie Baker said in a statement Monday night.

"… Now the bill moves to the U.S. House of Representatives and there is much work left to do to ensure student-athlete benefits are codified into federal law and future generations of young people can access those benefits and use college sports as the launching point for their careers."

The bill provides the NCAA with an antitrust exemption designed to help the association enforce a cap on how much teams can pay their athletes as well as other rules that have deteriorated due to legal challenges in recent