Leveling the Playing Field: How a New Bill Could Revolutionize College Sports

College sports might be in for a major shake-up. A new bill is on the table that could change how TV deals work for college sports conferences. Right now, big conferences like the Big Ten and SEC rake in millions more than smaller ones. This bill could help even things out. The bill, called the Student Athlete Fairness and Enforcement Act, is being proposed by Sen. Maria Cantwell. She wants to let college sports conferences team up to sell their TV rights. This could bring in billions more dollars. The idea is to make sure smaller conferences and sports like track and swimming don't get left behind. Right now, conferences sell their TV rights separately. The Big Ten, for example, makes about $958 million, while the Big 12 makes around $558 million. That's a huge difference. The bill aims to close this gap. It would give conferences the same antitrust protection that pro leagues like the NFL have. The bill also has other protections for athletes. It would stop schools from taking away scholarships or health care. It would limit how often athletes can transfer schools to two times. And it would make sure local games aren't behind a paywall. This means more people could watch games for free. The extra money from these TV deals would have to be used to keep scholarships and spots for Olympic and women's sports. This could help these sports grow and stay competitive. The bill is seen as an alternative to another bill, the SCORE Act, which has stalled in the House. Investors have talked about creating super leagues that could bring in up to $15 billion more. But this bill offers a different approach. It's all about making college sports fairer and more exciting for everyone.