Protect College Sports Act retains opportunities for Georgia athletes like me
College sports have had a profound impact on my life. As a Division I swimmer entering my senior year at Georgia Tech, I have had the opportunity to train and compete at the highest collegiate level while receiving an outstanding education.
I have participated in every level of institutional governance, worked with student-athletes and administrators across the country, and grown as an athlete, leader and member of my community.
While I am grateful for my experience, I know that I have been fortunate at every step of my career.
The instability of college athletics over the past several years has severely undermined the opportunities available to many student athletes, and I believe the Protect College Sports Act (S. 4668) is a critical step toward restoring the unique role that college athletics has played in my life and the lives of so many others.
How the ‘arms race’ in revenue sports affects Olympic sports
In March 2025, my team’s roster size was reduced significantly in anticipation of the financial impact of revenue sharing and the impending House v. NCAA settlement. Only 16 of us remained on the men’s team, making us now one of the smallest teams in the nation.
Most of my teammates who lost their roster spots opted against transferring, ending swim careers that had lasted over a decade to avoid the uncertainty of the transfer portal. They committed to swim in college, expecting the opportunity to compete for four years. Instead, many unknowingly swam the final race of their careers without an opportunity to say goodbye to the sport.
While the decision to remove so many student athletes from our roster felt deeply unfair at the time, I now understand our administrators had little choice. Similar decisions have affected student athletes in all sports at universities across the country as institutions are trying to survive an increasingly unstable landscape.
The unrelenting arms race in revenue sports like football and basketball has forced every school to reallocate resources to stay competitive, often at the expense of Olympic sports like swimming.
In the current world of college sports, these decisions are easily justified as most nonrevenue teams rely almost entirely on funding from football and basketball programs. Individual student athletes are sacrificed not because anyone wants to eliminate opportunities, but because institutions are being forced to make impossible business decisions.
While I strongly support each institution’s right to allocate funding as they choose, I also believe many of these painful decisions are avoidable. I have never met a college coach, administrator, or conference official who wants to take away a student athlete’s opportunity to compete. Instead, these decisions are the product of a competition without rules, where local judges and differing state laws can produce significant advantages for select schools and student athletes.
Every conference and institution recognize the need for uniform regulation, but no one wants to be the first to consent to be governed. This uneven and unhealthy competition will continue in the absence of immediate legislative intervention. The Protect College Sports Act is the best way to level the playing field.
Uniform rules would replace uncertainty in college sports today
Given my team’s experience in the wake of the House settlement, I believe the most important provisions of the Protect College Sports Act are those requiring high-revenue Division I programs to maintain 2024-25 roster and scholarship levels for Olympic and women’s sports.
These protections would help prevent unnecessary roster reductions, preserve opportunities for thousands of student-athletes, and maintain the developmental pipeline that has made collegiate athletics the foundation of American Olympic success. While it may be too late for many of my teammates, these provisions would go a long way toward preventing future upheaval.
Beyond maintaining access to opportunity, the bill would also support student athletes by codifying existing protections and expanding upon current benefits. Its NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) provisions would create a more consistent and enforceable system that protects legitimate earning opportunities for student athletes and reduces the unchecked financial competition that has destabilized college athletics.
Uniform transfer and eligibility rules would also replace the uncertainty that has defined college athletics in recent years with a fair, predictable standard for every student athlete. Expanded health and safety protections, greater oversight of agents and a stronger student athlete voice in institutional governance would further strengthen the collegiate model. These provisions would have an immediate impact, and with the 2026-2027 academic year fast approaching, it is urgent for Congress to act.
The Protect College Sports Act may not solve all of the problems facing college sports today. No single piece of legislation can. But it does represent the most meaningful step Congress can take to restore stability and protect opportunities
Henry Gibbs is a rising senior and captain on the men’s swim and dive team at Georgia Tech, president of the GT Student-Athlete Advisory Board, and representative for Georgia Tech on the ACC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
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