Ten years ago, I wrote for Sports Business Journal that “the NCAA is most likely irrelevant to the future of college athletics” (SBJ, Jan. 11-17, 2016). I never imagined how prophetic those words would become. Today, Congress is trying to “save” college athletics, yet any solution it advances needs the blessing not of the NCAA, but of the SEC and Big Ten conferences.

In 2016, I bemoaned conference expansion and the impact on the student athlete. The Pacific Ocean had been extended to Colorado with the admission of the University of Colorado to the Pac-12. NIL and the transfer portal weren’t even on the radar. Today the Atlantic Ocean extends to the Pacific, with the addition of Stanford and Cal to the Atlantic Coast Conference. And college-pros earn multimillion-dollar contracts to wear their varsity colors of the moment.

Congress is on the wrong track if it thinks the Protect College Sports Act of 2026 will do anything of lasting benefit for college sports or its athletes. With Congress due back on Sept. 15, it’s probably too late to meaningfully alter this latest congressional fail.

Nevertheless, here are a few things........

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