The Senate passes the Protect College Sports Act, but the bill's future is unclear

WASHINGTON — The Protect College Sports Act , a bill aiming to rein in what its supporters call a "Wild West" era of college athletics , cleared its most significant hurdle yet on Monday when the Senate passed it by a bipartisan vote of 77-22.

Politics As Congress debates college sports, athletes-turned-senators have a seat at the table The bill would grant the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption in order to restore its five-year eligibility rule and transfer limits. The legislation would also codify the regulation of name, image and likeness deals that have transformed college athletics in recent years by allowing athletes to be paid — some of them as much as millions of dollars per season.