Govwatch

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5561 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 5561

  To protect the exclusive broadcast window of the Army-Navy college 
                             football game.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 24, 2026

  Mr. Sheehy (for himself and Mr. Sullivan) introduced the following 
    bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the 
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To protect the exclusive broadcast window of the Army-Navy college 
                             football game.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Protect America's Game Act''.

SEC. 2. PROTECTION OF ARMY-NAVY GAME.

    The Act of September 30, 1961 (commonly known as the ``Sports 
Broadcasting Act of 1961'') (15 U.S.C. 1291 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 7. PROTECTION OF ARMY-NAVY GAME.

    ``(a) Exemption of Certain College Sports Agreements From Antitrust 
Laws.--The antitrust laws, as defined in the first sentence of section 
1 of this Act, shall not apply to any joint agreement, by or among 
institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) engaging in or 
conducting organized intercollegiate sports, or conferences that have 
such institutions as members, to form and operate an entity that sells 
or otherwise transfers to a third party all or any part of the rights 
of the institutions or conferences in the sponsored telecasting of the 
intercollegiate athletic competitions engaged in or conducted by the 
institutions or conferences.
    ``(b) Prohibition on Broadcasts That Overlap With Army-Navy Game.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subsection (a) shall not apply to any 
        joint agreement described in that subsection that permits any 
        person to sponsor, telecast, or authorize the telecast of any 
        postseason intercollegiate football contest involving an 
        institution participating in the Football Bowl Subdivision 
        during the protected Army-Navy Game broadcast window.
            ``(2) Definition.--For purposes of this subsection, the 
        term `protected Army-Navy Game broadcast window' means the 
        period beginning 1 hour before scheduled kickoff and ending 30 
        minutes after the official conclusion of the telecast of the 
        annual football game between the United States Military Academy 
        and the United States Naval Academy occurring on the second 
        Saturday in December in any year.''.
                                 <all>
Protect America's Game Act

Full Text
