At the start of each academic year, we review our work as an academic think tank educating members of the U.S. Congress, state legislators, and higher education policymakers about critical issues in intercollegiate athletics. This past year has been one of chaos in college sports, with more to come in 2026-27. Helping Our Members and Followers Understand S.4668 Over the next four weeks we will deliver a series of briefings that focus on understanding S.4668, the Protect College Sports Act of 2026, which has recently passed the Senate and will be considered by the House of Representatives following the November elections. While the bill would effectively address some issues, S.4668 is a complex 180-page bill that contains too many flaws to fix and a not-so-hidden agenda to give the Power Four conferences more significant competitive and recruiting advantages they neither need nor deserve. What the Bill Does Specifically, the bill would deliver a powerful and overly broad antitrust exemption and pre-empt state laws -- the proverbial "keys to the kingdom." These legal "get out of jail free" cards would not only protect the NCAA and the Power Four from legitimate athlete lawsuits but also allow the NCAA to continue its control-over-athletes rules system that created the House v. NCAA settlement chaos they now want Congress to fix. Why Congress Should Oppose the Bill The upcoming Drake briefings will explain why the bill:
- does not protect college sports, Olympic sports, or women's sports - contrary to its deceiving title and the NCAA's multimillion dollar advertising and lobbying campaigns that advance this false narrative,
- benefits only the richest 10 to 15 institutions among the NCAA's 363 Division I members,
- relegates non-revenue sports to 2024-25 funding levels and invites a continuation of the current inequality in which 93 percent of all athletic programs do not meet Title IX gender equity requirements,
- creates an economically unsustainable professional sports program model that harms all non-Power Four athletic programs,
- fails to adequately address abuse of athletes or provide the medical and health benefits or due-process enforcement guarantees necessary to guarantee a safe educational environment, and
- installs a cash-transaction/athletes-chasing-the-money culture antithetical to higher education's educational purpose and positive team developmental experiences.
A Plan for Moving Forward As important, we will offer a sensible plan for moving forward to solve the eligibility, transfer, agent, and enforcement chaos created by the NCAA's governance failures and providing real protection for non-revenue sports, while not bowing to the wishes of the Power Four. We Ask You To Support Our Efforts Our members and donors to our 501(C)(4) nonprofiit advocacy organization enable our work with Congress. Our membership runs from September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2027 - the traditional academic year. Your membership fee ($10 students, $35 faculty/staff, $50 general public) DOES NOT KEEP THE LIGHTS ON! We have no physical office space and no employees (we are 100 percent volunteers).
What Your Support Pays For Your financial support is needed and important because it does pay for:
- our Zoom communications platform which is used for 90% of our individual and small group meetings with Congressional staff members, other policy makers, and our national network of experts specializing in sports law, the economics of sport, sex and race equity, gambling, sports media, sports governance, medical and mental health, athletes' rights, etc.
- our Constant Contact database and mass communications platform delivering a weekly report to legislative staff on college athletics issues related to specific bills under consideration and monthly reports to our members.
- our TheDrakeGroup.com website hosting and maintenance fees where we maintain public access databases on topics varying from NIL laws in every state to current sports-related bills before Congress.
- reasonable hourly fees for student researchers and accounting services that our volunteers can't manage on our own.
- non-profit corporate fees in the state where we are registered
Fiscally Responsible Non-Profit. If we need to visit D.C. for meetings, we pay our own way. We don't pay lobbyists or buy television or print advertising to influence Congressional voting or public support for our positions. In short, we run an efficient and responsible non-profit organization. Because we interact with Congress, your donation is not tax-deductible.
Trusted Non-Partisan Voice in Congress. We work with both sides of the aisle, providing factual information on how athletics programs operate, and encouraging members of Congress to make good laws when necessary to ensure the integrity of college athletics.
All memberships and contributions are appreciated.
Gratefully, Donna Donna A. Lopiano, Ph.D. Chair, Development Committee
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