Senate delays Protect College Sports Act vote as HBCU-focused ad campaign is planned
The bill’s sponsors still say a September vote is coming, but more than a dozen Republican senators, labor unions and the Congressional Black Caucus oppose the legislation.
AUG 28, 2026
The Senate left for its five-week August recess without voting on the Protect College Sports Act, pushing any action until at least September.
Sens. Ted Cruz and Eric Schmitt, the bill’s sponsors, have said they expect a September vote. That remains a long way from passage: the legislation faces opposition from more than a dozen Republican senators, several labor unions and the Congressional Black Caucus. Even a Senate win would send the bill to the House for another vote.
As that fight moves into the season, Saving College Sports — the group founded by Texas Tech Board of Regents Chair Cody Campbell — is reportedly preparing a seven-figure campaign backing the bill. The ads are scheduled for HBCU football games in the first two weekends of the season, followed by national cable placements in the second week of September.
Dr. Charles McLelland, the SWAC commissioner, appears in the planned advertising and points to the bill’s proposed HBCU funding. “This legislation protects the rights of student athletes everywhere and provides nearly $1 billion for historically black colleges and universities.”
The HBCU-game placement directly addresses a central source of resistance. The Congressional Black Caucus said it would not support legislation affecting “the economic future of Black athletes, their families, and their communities” without meaningful participation and engagement.