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This college football season, broadcasts have featured ads pushing Congress to pass the Protect College Sports Act, a federal bill aimed at regulating college sports. The bill, backed by President Donald Trump, is slated for a full Senate vote this month.
The ads are part of a $10 million push from Saving College Sports, the organization run by Texas Tech billionaire booster and university board chairman Cody Campbell.
One ad spot features former Alabama coach Nick Saban, while the other stars Colorado coach Deion Sanders. But despite the hefty cost of political advertising, neither Saban nor Sanders were compensated for appearing in the commercials, a source familiar with the matter told FOS. Both appeared in the ads for free.
“College sports are built on tradition,” said Saban, sitting in what appeared to be a home office. “The pride in our schools. The rivalries we pass down. And the way they develop the character of tomorrow’s leaders. That tradition is worth defending.”
After the ad spot appeared on TV last week, Saban used his spotlight on ESPN’s College GameDay to reiterate his message.
The television lobbying isn’t all Saban has done, however. He appeared in a Senate hearing to promote the bill—at the time, taking an opposing position to his former school and former conference. He also participated in Trump’s Saving College Sports roundtable in February alongside Campbell, and Trump’s subsequent presidential committees on the subject. (The committees, led by Campbell and New York Yankees president Randy Levine, also included university and conference officials, as well as current college athletes.)
The bill has been through several iterations since it was introduced with bipartisan backing in May, but at its core, it would grant the NCAA an antitrust exemption to allow the organization to enforce eligibility and NIL rules. It would also allow something Campbell has long pushed for: Conferences pooling their broadcast rights in media negotiations.
Sanders hasn’t been as outwardly vocal as Saban in Washington. But his endorsement of the bill will now reach millions of viewers on game day through his 30-second ad spot filmed on Colorado’s campus.
“The biggest crowds. The brightest lights. Now that’s prime-time,” Sanders, donned in Buffs gear and his signature sunglasses, proclaimed at the beginning of the commercial. “And as a coach and father, I’m helping the next generation find their spotlight. That’s why I support the Protect College Sports Act.”
Spokespeople for Sanders and Saban did not respond to comment requests.
