SEC, B1G Release Statement on Protect College Sports Act

[TTown]

They did change the anti expansion last night to 700 million revenue and that now would include the ACC and Big 12, not just Big 10 and SEC. Sure that is not gonna make some folks in the ACC  happy. Would mean Miami, FSU , Clemson, UNC are stuck where they are. As well with many other teams. Good luck with that. And no changes to the TV pooling rights. Gonna be fun to watch , but still say in the end DOA.

[Steamboat Willie]

2 minutes ago, HonkEm said:

I get the frustration, but blaming Sankey for “not leading” here is missing the point. The SEC and Big Ten aren’t losing because Sankey is asleep - they’re losing because the smaller‑school coalition has been organizing for months while the two power leagues assumed Congress would never take the bill seriously. That’s why this joint statement exists in the first place: it’s the wake‑up call.

And let’s be real: Sankey’s job isn’t to throw out wild proposals just to look busy. His job is to protect the SEC’s leverage, and the fastest way to lose leverage is to negotiate against yourself in public. The Big Ten floated the 24‑team playoff because they need it. The SEC didn’t, so they didn’t.

Cody Campbell buying influence doesn’t mean the bill is suddenly inevitable. It just means the SEC/B1G finally realized they can’t sit back and assume the smaller schools won’t get their way. This statement is them stepping into the fight - not getting buried by it

The question is whether the SEC recognized the political threat early enough. Right now, the scoreboard says Campbell got his bill through committee and the SEC is issuing statements about why it doesn't like the result.

[Glass Joe]

17 minutes ago, HonkEm said:

I think folks are reading way too much into this. The SEC and Big Ten didn’t put this out because the bill is “definitely passing,” and they didn’t put it out because they’re about to secede tomorrow morning. They put it out because they finally realized the smaller‑school coalition has been running circles around them in the legislative process, and this is their way of saying, “We’re not letting you write the rules without us anymore.”

There’s nothing in the public record showing a new version of the bill or a new statement today - So until something official drops, all we really know is that the two power conferences are trying to flex before anything gets locked in.

The politics, the antitrust talk, the Cruz/Campbell stuff -  that’s all noise here. The only thing that matters is whether Congress wants to protect the small schools or let the market keep splitting. And right now, nobody in DC has shown they can get anything across the finish line.

So yeah, it’s worth paying attention to, but let’s not act like this is the Treaty of Versailles. It’s just the SEC and Big Ten reminding everyone they’re still the adults in the room.

The bill is going through mark-up in the Senate as I type this, and once completed, it will progress to the Senate floor for full consideration by the end of the day today.

So, the notion that “we’re not letting the little schools write the rules anymore” was just slapped down within the last 3 hours.  The little schools political benefactors just WROTE the rules and attached them to the bill in the Senate this morning.

Whether the bill ultimately passes the Senate and House is still TBD, but the rules are now written in the Senate so all that’s left is the voting.

[HonkEm]

4 minutes ago, Steamboat Willie said:

The question is whether the SEC recognized the political threat early enough. Right now, the scoreboard says Campbell got his bill through committee and the SEC is issuing statements about why it doesn't like the result.

The “scoreboard” only matters when you’re looking at the final score, not the first quarter. Getting a bill through committee isn’t the finish line - it’s the easiest part of the process. Congress moves at the speed of erosion, and nothing about this bill is anywhere close to inevitable.

The SEC/B1G didn’t miss the threat; they misjudged how seriously the smaller‑school bloc would push it. That’s why they’re stepping in now. And when the two richest, most powerful conferences in the country decide to engage, the dynamic changes fast. Committee momentum doesn’t mean much once the heavyweights start throwing their weight around.

So yeah, Campbell got his early win. But the part that actually matters - the part where legislation has to survive the House, the Senate, amendments, markups, floor votes, and the courts - hasn’t even started. And that’s where the SEC and Big Ten have the most leverage

[Tres Comas]

2 hours ago, UTexas said:

 

[HonkEm]

7 minutes ago, Glass Joe said:

The bill is going through mark-up in the Senate as I type this, and once completed, it will progress to the Senate floor for full consideration by the end of the day today.

So, the notion that “we’re not letting the little schools write the rules anymore” was just slapped down within the last 3 hours.  The little schools political benefactors just WROTE the rules and attached them to the bill in the Senate this morning.

Whether the bill ultimately passes the Senate and House is still TBD, but the rules are now written in the Senate so all that’s left is the voting.

Mark‑up isn’t “the rules are written and it’s over.” Mark‑up is literally where Senators throw amendments at a wall to see what sticks. Committees pass stuff out all the time that never survives contact with the full Senate, much less the House. Calling this a “slapdown” of the SEC/B1G is just reading way too much into a procedural step.

And let’s not pretend the smaller‑school bloc suddenly won the war because they got their language into a committee version. The real fight starts when the full Senate, the House, and the courts get involved - and that’s where the SEC and Big Ten have the most leverage. This joint statement wasn’t meant to stop mark‑up; it was meant to influence everything after mark‑up, which is where the actual outcome gets decided.

So sure, Campbell got his language into the draft this morning. But acting like that’s the final word is misunderstanding how federal legislation works. The heavyweights just entered the ring - the match hasn’t even started yet.

[HonkEm]

This has actually turned into a really good conversation, and I appreciate everyone bringing different angles to it. The only thing I’d add is that mark‑up and committee movement don’t really change the bigger picture. Bills get rewritten, amended, gutted, and reshaped all the way through the process - today’s version isn’t tomorrow’s version, and it’s definitely not the final version.

The SEC/B1G statement wasn’t meant to stop a committee mark‑up; it was meant to influence everything that comes after it. And that’s where the real leverage gets applied. So yeah, Campbell got his language into the committee draft this morning, but the real fight is still ahead, not behind.

Edited 49 minutes ago by HonkEm

[CJ Vogel]

 

[GoHorns1]

1 hour ago, ClubWhatever said:

Unfortunately they worry more about money because money can be used to nullify or change public opinion.

Bingo

[charlie990]

2 hours ago, UTexas said:

Does anyone think this bill or something similar will ever see that light of day and be passed?

I don't.

The clock is quickly running out on passing this. Maybe lame duck session in the winter or the next congress. 

[GoHorns1]

27 minutes ago, David Latiolais said:

I can't see any of the senators from Alabama, Louisiana, Ohio, Michigan, South Carolina, Missouri, or Miss. voting for this bill. So there goes your 60 needed. 

Follow the money when comes voting in the senate.

[Steamboat Willie]

15 minutes ago, HonkEm said:

The “scoreboard” only matters when you’re looking at the final score, not the first quarter. Getting a bill through committee isn’t the finish line - it’s the easiest part of the process. Congress moves at the speed of erosion, and nothing about this bill is anywhere close to inevitable.

The SEC/B1G didn’t miss the threat; they misjudged how seriously the smaller‑school bloc would push it. That’s why they’re stepping in now. And when the two richest, most powerful conferences in the country decide to engage, the dynamic changes fast. Committee momentum doesn’t mean much once the heavyweights start throwing their weight around.

So yeah, Campbell got his early win. But the part that actually matters - the part where legislation has to survive the House, the Senate, amendments, markups, floor votes, and the courts - hasn’t even started. And that’s where the SEC and Big Ten have the most leverage

The SEC and B1G may still win the war (and we all hope they do), but they clearly lost the opening rounds. The anti-expansion language survived, the TV pooling language survived, and the conferences publicly acknowledged that their key concerns were not addressed. That's not what winning looks like. Maybe, the SEC and the B1G throw their weight around and stop it. But if that happens, it will be because they finally engaged after the bill gained traction, not because they were ahead of it from the beginning.

[Steamboat Willie]

14 minutes ago, HonkEm said:

This has actually turned into a really good conversation, and I appreciate everyone bringing different angles to it. The only thing I’d add is that mark‑up and committee movement don’t really change the bigger picture. Bills get rewritten, amended, gutted, and reshaped all the way through the process - today’s version isn’t tomorrow’s version, and it’s definitely not the final version.

The SEC/B1G statement wasn’t meant to stop a committee mark‑up; it was meant to influence everything that comes after it. And that’s where the real leverage gets applied. So yeah, Campbell got his language into the committee draft this morning, but the real fight is still ahead, not behind.

Why are the SEC and B1G issuing statements after the fact explaining why the bill is flawed instead of shaping the bill before it got this far?

[HonkEm]

13 minutes ago, Steamboat Willie said:

The SEC and B1G may still win the war (and we all hope they do), but they clearly lost the opening rounds. The anti-expansion language survived, the TV pooling language survived, and the conferences publicly acknowledged that their key concerns were not addressed. That's not what winning looks like. Maybe, the SEC and the B1G throw their weight around and stop it. But if that happens, it will be because they finally engaged after the bill gained traction, not because they were ahead of it from the beginning.

Well said.....this has actually been a really good back‑and‑forth. And you’re right that the SEC/B1G didn’t win the early rounds. The smaller‑school bloc was organized, Campbell had momentum, and the anti‑expansion and pooling language surviving mark‑up shows that the power leagues underestimated how fast this thing could move.

But I don’t think that means the SEC/B1G are “too late” or that today’s version is anywhere close to the final outcome. Committee wins are the easiest wins in the entire process. The real pressure points - full Senate, House, amendments, reconciliation, and the courts - are still ahead, and that’s where the two power conferences have the most leverage.

So yeah, fair point on the early scoreboard. But the part that actually decides this hasn’t happened yet, and that’s where the SEC and Big Ten finally engaging will matter a lot more than what survived mark‑up this morning.

[Steamboat Willie]

2 minutes ago, HonkEm said:

Well said.....this has actually been a really good back‑and‑forth. And you’re right that the SEC/B1G didn’t win the early rounds. The smaller‑school bloc was organized, Campbell had momentum, and the anti‑expansion and pooling language surviving mark‑up shows that the power leagues underestimated how fast this thing could move.

But I don’t think that means the SEC/B1G are “too late” or that today’s version is anywhere close to the final outcome. Committee wins are the easiest wins in the entire process. The real pressure points - full Senate, House, amendments, reconciliation, and the courts - are still ahead, and that’s where the two power conferences have the most leverage.

So yeah, fair point on the early scoreboard. But the part that actually decides this hasn’t happened yet, and that’s where the SEC and Big Ten finally engaging will matter a lot more than what survived mark‑up this morning.

I don't disagree that the hardest part is still ahead. At this point, the bill's supporters have proven they can move legislation. The SEC and B1G still have to prove they can stop or significantly reshape it. Given their resources and influence, I wouldn't bet against them. But today is a reminder that political power and market power aren't always the same thing.

[Tres Comas]

Aggy would be wise to take some of the money they're using to buytheir recruiting class and divert it to getting their corrupt dog back on a leash

[Thanos72]

Cody and Cruz are trump honks so they’ll get what they want. Enjoy college football while you can. Majority, rule of law, nothing matters much anymore. He’ll just draft another abuse of power EE and congress will continue to abide. Next up is music. Anything that brings people together will be broken down. This is only political if you think any president should have this much unchecked power. 🫏 🐘other, it doesn’t matter. No one or branch should be above checks and balances. We don’t even have a Supreme Court anymore. Accepting gifts, overriding precedent for party purposes. All while most continue to close their eyes and hide behind party lines. I feel sad for my kiddos and their future. These are all trial balloons to see what people will tolerate. Thankfully, most pushed back on the gambling thing but there’s a much graver game at play. We do not want congress in college football. We need an “ncaa” with empowerment, objectivity, brains, and common sense.

Before yall flush this with whataboutisms, I’d say the same for Biden, Obama, Bushs’, Clinton, etc. I care about where the country is headed and not the party leading it. We’re starting to see it infect everything. It’s only leans political because politics is invading everything in our country. Anything Cody is political and serves one purpose: him and those in his inner circle.

Please don’t maga, or whatever the left equivalent is, me. I’m not looking for a political conversation. My point is politics is already steering this very topic and it’s going to get harder to ignore it.

First and last comment on this 🤘🏽

[Lock n Horns]

Here is my caveman understanding of the situation.

Now that we are paying players only the blue bloods can afford that because they have the lucrative tv deals (ie SEC and Big10)

all the rest of the schools don’t like that and want to be subsidized via pooling/sharing of tv rev even though they contribute little to nothing to the pool so that they can carry the same player payroll and compete for natty. This is pure socialism IMO

The proposed law also restricts SEC/B10 from expanding and contracting in an attempt to keep them regaining market power. 

this whole thing wreaks. Am I off base here?

[HonkEm]

8 minutes ago, Lock n Horns said:

Here is my caveman understanding of the situation.

Now that we are paying players only the blue bloods can afford that because they have the lucrative tv deals (ie SEC and Big10)

all the rest of the schools don’t like that and want to be subsidized via pooling/sharing of tv rev even though they contribute little to nothing to the pool so that they can carry the same player payroll and compete for natty. This is pure socialism IMO

The proposed law also restricts SEC/B10 from expanding and contracting in an attempt to keep them regaining market power. 

this whole thing wreaks. Am I off base here?

You’re not off base - that’s basically the tension here, even if the details are more complicated.