Texas Tech booster and billionaire Cody Campbell has launched a high-profile ad campaign aimed at persuading Congress to modernize the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961. His goal is to pave the way for a national college sports television package, a move he argues could bring in far more revenue than the current system and help fund women’s and Olympic programs that are increasingly at risk.
Campbell’s message is being pushed through prominent game-day platforms, with ads airing during major college football broadcasts on ESPN and Fox, and across a broad slate of Saturday games. The campaign is organized under his self-funded nonprofit, Saving College Sports, which has already spent six figures lobbying lawmakers. The ads also direct readers to a petition and Campbell’s SavingCollegeSports.com site.
The push comes as Campbell leverages his network, including ties to the America First Policy Institute, to advocate for legislative change. While no bill has been introduced yet, the campaign is designed to raise the issue’s profile during a weekend of heavy football viewership.
What’s at stake is a shift in how college sports media rights are sold. The current framework allows professional leagues to bundle their rights and sell them collectively, which has helped generate substantial revenue but has also contributed to the shifting landscape of conference realignment and mounting financial pressure on athletic departments. A successful amendment to the act could overturn a 1984 Supreme Court ruling that found the NCAA had an illegal monopoly over TV rights, potentially placing more control in the hands of schools and conferences and enabling a national package.
Campbell argues that a national package could exceed the combined value of existing conference deals and provide the funding needed to preserve and expand athletic programs that are often under pressure. He emphasizes that dramatic financial strain is forcing cuts and threatening women’s sports and Olympic pathways, and that modernizing the act would help stabilize funding across all sports at all schools.
While the ads signal a clear push to bring this issue into the political spotlight, their fate remains uncertain. The legislative path for changing the Sports Broadcasting Act has not begun, and it is unclear how quickly or broadly support might coalesce in Congress.
Summary
– Cody Campbell is funding a nationwide advertising campaign to urge Congress to modernize the Sports Broadcasting Act to allow a national college sports TV package.
– The move could shift rights control to schools and conferences and potentially unlock more funding for women’s and Olympic sports.
– No legislation has been introduced yet, and the campaign’s political prospects remain uncertain.
Additional notes
– If enacted, a national TV package could alter how revenue is distributed among conferences, schools, and non-reath programs, with potential knock-on effects for scheduling, media markets, and competitive balance.
– The campaign highlights a broader debate about the sustainability of college athletic programs and whether a centralized national package is the best path to protect broader athletic opportunities.
– Readers may want to watch for any future legislative proposals or hearings, as well as any responses from athletic departments, student-athletes, and other stakeholders who would be affected by a major shift in TV rights.