AFPI Urges Congress to Pass the Protect College Sports Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following today’s press conference outside the U.S. Capitol that brought together Members of Congress, college coaches, and student athletes, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) echoes the sentiment of today’s event and the bipartisan momentum behind the Protect College Sports Act.

Today’s event sent a clear message: protecting the future of college sports is not a partisan issue. Now is the time for Congress to act to provide clear, consistent rules that protect athletes and preserve college sports. Current and future college athletes should not have to question whether their sport is on the chopping block, or if their opportunities to compete at the highest levels of sport are in jeopardy.

“[Sports have] allowed me to become the most disciplined, intelligent version of myself and they've even provided me, a 20-year-old track and field athlete, the opportunity to sit alongside U.S. Senators and advocate for a system, that has not only given me my dream but has transformed the lives of millions of Americans across the country over the last 120 years,” said Athletes for America’s Ella Brooks, who is a member of the women’s track and field team at Clemson University during today’s press conference. “That system is in great danger. Constant litigation has denatured a once simple, coherent, and fair set of rules. The NCAA and student athletes are now subject to the decisions of activist judges. Most recent eligibility cases are a perfect example. At the rate at which precedent is changing, I fear that the NCAA will no longer be able to sustain itself. Should that day come, hundreds of thousands of opportunities will disappear. The dreams of kids like my little brother and sister will be crushed, and worst of all, the United States will no longer be able to develop talent for its national and Olympic programs.”

The Protect College Sports Act has earned broad support across the collegiate athletics community. Athletes deserve clarity when it comes to their athletics; this legislation provides them with that much needed consistency.