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What exactly happened in Washington last week?
For a few hours, it looked like the Protect College Sports Act might actually find a way across the finish line before the Senate left town for its August recess.
It didn’t.
Trey Wallace of OutKick joins me on today’s Show Pony Live after living the story in real time. Trey was up into the early morning hours working his sources and trying to figure out whether lawmakers could pull off a last-minute deal to get the bill to a vote.
He takes us behind the scenes of a wild night: what he was hearing from sources, why the legislation ultimately stalled, what may have been added to the bill at the last minute, and whether there is actually a path to passage when Congress returns in September.
And September could be enormously important.
Trey gives his prediction for what happens next with the Protect College Sports Act — and what passage, failure or further delay could mean for the future of college athletics.
But our conversation goes beyond Washington.
We also dig into another enormous battle developing behind the scenes: the future size of the College Football Playoff and the role television networks could play in deciding it.
There are billions of dollars at stake.
We discuss why ESPN may have little incentive to dramatically expand the playoff while it controls the current media rights, and why FOX could benefit from a much larger postseason — potentially as many as 24 teams — that could eventually put those rights back on the open market.
That creates a fascinating question:
Are the conferences really deciding the future of the College Football Playoff — or are their television partners increasingly helping shape what that future looks like?
Trey is one of the most plugged-in reporters covering the intersection of college sports, politics and the rapidly changing business of the industry. This conversation provides a window into just how complicated the next few months could become.
On today’s Show Pony Live:
Trey’s late-night reporting as the Protect College Sports Act hung in the balance
Why the Senate ultimately left Washington without voting on it
What could happen when lawmakers return in September
What the bill would actually mean for college sports
Why the fight over CFP expansion isn’t simply about football
ESPN’s incentive to protect its current playoff position
Why FOX could benefit from expansion and another opportunity to bid on CFP rights
Whether a 24-team College Football Playoff is becoming a legitimate possibility
The structure of college sports is being decided right now — in conference offices, television boardrooms, courtrooms and the halls of Congress.
Trey Wallace helps us make sense of all of it.
Show Pony Live — presented by AR’s Hot Honey.
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