In an effort to gain control of run-away NCAA athletic lawsuits , the Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act of 2026 (S.4668) on Monday. The Act, different from the TEAM USA Act that we discussed earlier this week (you’d be forgiven if you’re losing track of all of the Congressional meddling in collegiate athletics lately), passed by a bipartisan vote of 77–22. The purpose of the legislation is to clarify and standardize operating rules and grant the NCAA limited antitrust protection. Up until this point, nearly every decision by the NCAA to establish standard operating rules and enforcement was challenged in court. The bill advances to an uncertain future in the U.S. House of Representatives, which is on recess until after the November mid-term elections.

This is the first time NCAA antitrust legislation has been formally introduced by the US Congress.

Continue reading Senate Antitrust Legislation Aims to Reign in NCAA Lawsuits and Standardize Guidance →

The recently introduced TEAM USA Act, sponsored by Senator Jon Husted (R-Ohio) and Representative Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), looks to transform Division I athletics. The bill intends to cap international student-athletes at 20 percent of each varsity team’s roster for colleges that receive federal student aid. Teams with fewer than 10 athletes (think triathlon) would be limited to a single international player. If passed, which is highly unlikely, the rule would start in the 2029–30 academic year to give schools time to change their recruiting plans. Such legislation would have a huge impact on Denver athletics, especially hockey and skiing. However, other teams like tennis and golf would be impacted as well.

Continue reading Proposed Legislation Placing Roster Caps on Foreign Athletes Would Damage DU Athletics →

It’s now July 1st, and the University of Denver is a full-fledged member of the West Coast Conference (WCC). Dan Ritchie envisioned this exact union when Denver went DI in 1999. Instead of Mavericks, Bison, and Coyotes, the Pioneers will face Pilots, Redhawks, and Waves. Most road trips will include California and Washington State instead of the Dakotas, and the competition is bound to be stiffer, particularly in golf, tennis, volleyball, and, of course, basketball. DU men’s and women’s soccer appear to be ready to meet the challenge. As for hoops, both men’s and women’s basketball face a challenging climb against the hoops-centric conference.

Even DU swim and dive has a future out west. A recent announcement places the team in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF), joining five other new members in the conference – Denver is one of six athletic departments that accepted an invitation to the MPSF ahead of the upcoming academic year, joining Cal State Bakersfield (M/W), Seattle (M/W), UC San Diego Diego (M/W), UC Santa Barbara (M/W) and San Diego (W). 

No doubt, Denver will be able to broaden its recruiting pool with an attractive slate of opponents and locations. Furthermore, most of Denver’s conference games will be on ESPN+, giving the programs and the University greater visibility and reach.

While California provides the second most students to DU’s student body, the opportunity to grow that number in the WCC opens some interesting non-sports opportunities going forward for a university that is highly dependent on tuition revenue for its operations.

August 8th and 9th begin the non-conference portion of the schedule for men’s and women’s soccer, respectively. Conference play begins in late August.

This upcoming season promises to be exciting, interesting, and challenging. We will be there for all of it.

Top Photo: Pepperdine University’s campus in Malibu, not to be confused with South Dakota State’s, in Brookings.