കോളേജ് കായിക രംഗത്തെ പുതിയ നിയമം: എസിസി ടീമുകൾക്ക് ആശങ്ക, നിയന്ത്രണങ്ങളിൽ ഇളവ് തേടി ഫ്ലോറിഡ സ്റ്റേറ്റും സംഘവും

The Protect College Sports Act passed the Senate on Monday and now awaits the House of Representatives, but the schools most likely to leave the ACC for the Big Ten or SEC don't like the bill as written.

And there's one item in particular they'd like to see changed: They want to make such moves easier and more likely.

Florida State, Miami, Clemson and North Carolina sent a letter, dated Tuesday and obtained by The Athletic, requesting changes to Section 205, which caps conference size at 20 teams and forces schools changing leagues to spend three years as an independent. Tomahawk Nation first reported the story.

"The three-year independence requirement would impose a significant additional consequence on an institution seeking to change conferences, particularly when conferences and their members have already negotiated the financial terms surrounding an exit," stated a portion of the letter, which was addressed to House Speaker Mike Johnson, majority whip Tom Emmer and majority leader Steve Scalise. "Similarly, a conference membership cap of 20 could unnecessarily constrain future conference configurations and limit important market considerations in potential national media level negotiations."

The letter requests increasing the conference limit from 20 to 22 schools and eliminating the three-year independence requirement, which would be a significant financial deterrent for an institution seeking to make such a move. The letter is signed by Florida State President Richard McCullough, Miami President and CEO Joe Echevarria, North Carolina Chancellor Lee Roberts and Clemson President Benjamin Ayers.

The independence requirement would take effect for the first six years after the bill takes effect. The bill initially required five years of independence and capped any league reporting more than $700 million annually in revenue at 19 teams (the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC).

Florida Sen. Ashley Moody, who previously aided Florida State's litigation against the ACC as the state's attorney general, fought against both measures. By Monday's passage, the limits were changed to three years and 20 teams.

If the bipartisan bill becomes a law, it would give the NCAA a limited antitrust exemption to establish new rules on athlete eligibility, transfers and compensation. One of its proponents' primary stated goals is to restrain conference realignment and ward off the potential formation of a super league.

This is one point of contention as the bill heads for a House vote, which would not happen until after midterm elections Nov. 3.