Tuberville suggests billionaires buying college programs would be worse than an NFL-style TV deal

Could nan NFL's existent media authorities model, which whitethorn adhd moreover much players pinch a caller woody expected astatine immoderate constituent this year, make its measurement into assemblage sports? 

As some deals presently stand, nan NFL has a unified structure, wherever it splits gross evenly crossed its 32 teams. Meanwhile, college football is fragmented, pinch conferences specified arsenic nan SEC and Big Ten seeing much lucrative deals compared to others because of its teams' fame and bigger budgets. 

There has been statement astir unifying nan conferences to discuss a azygous TV authorities deal, but while immoderate are for it to disperse money and thief each schoolhouse beryllium competitory against nan powerhouse programs, others position it arsenic a analyzable problem without a elemental solution. 

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Indiana Hoosiers backmost Fernando Mendoza (15) reacts pinch nan trophy aft nan College Football Playoff National Championship crippled astatine Hard Rock Stadium connected Jan. 19, 2026 successful Miami Gardens, Florida. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

Making an quality connected OutKick's "Hot Mic," Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., was asked his thoughts astir nan NFL's imaginable problem arsenic it looks to renegotiate its media rights, wherever streaming platforms could make fans salary much to devour nan sport. 

Tuberville explained why he'd alternatively that than a different early that has been suggested by immoderate successful assemblage sports.

"Antitrust stepped successful for nan NFL backmost successful nan early ‘60s," Tuberville said, referencing nan 1966 AFL-NFL merger, which came aft Congress allowed an antitrust exemption to harvester TV deals. "Basically, nan AFL and NFL sewage together pinch nan national authorities and [the latter] said, ‘You’re a monopoly. We’ll springiness you that opportunity. Go get you 1 TV statement pinch 1 aliases 2 TV providers, and you tin do it each together.’ That’s nan logic they’re making $300-$400 cardinal dollars astatine nan opening of nan twelvemonth earlier they moreover threat a football. Antitrust really helped nan NFL.

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"So, a batch of them want to do that successful college. I’d alternatively do that astatine nan extremity of nan time successful nan early than person group bargain assemblage sporting programs. You’re proceeding that now, immoderate of these schools are worthy $200-$250 cardinal and immoderate of these billionaires travel successful and bargain them and fundamentally tally everything. We don’t request to get into that. This is amateur sports, and let’s support that measurement arsenic overmuch arsenic we perchance can."

Could high-profile boosters pinch billions successful nett worth, aliases backstage equity firms, get their hands connected media authorities successful nan early of assemblage sports, particularly successful football? Tuberville hopes that’s not nan case, but if it were to happen, big-name programs could look to go a squad for illustration Notre Dame, which serves arsenic an independent that negotiated its ain media authorities pinch NBC done nan 2029 season. 

But Notre Dame is not portion of a convention contempt unit to subordinate 1 complete nan years. They reached a woody pinch nan ACC to play 5-6 rotating games each season, but they stay extracurricular nan remainder of nan conference. 

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) arrives for a Senate Republican Caucus luncheon astatine nan U.S. Capitol successful Washington, DC connected April 2, 2025 (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)

If billionaires were to travel successful and bargain nan authorities to assemblage programs, and fundamentally tally everything to Tuberville’s point, what’s to opportunity higher weighted programs, for illustration nan University of Texas, Ohio State and nan University of Georgia, won’t commencement driving up asking prices for their media authorities pinch networks? 

So, Tuberville would alternatively spot nan NFL exemplary successful assemblage football, and truthful would salient Texas Tech billionaire booster Cody Campbell, who serves arsenic caput of nan committee aliases regents for nan university. 

Campbell has lobbied Congress to amend nan Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, called nan SAFE Act, to let assemblage sports to set together and discuss TV deals arsenic a azygous group, citing self-commissioned investigation that showed nan woody could beryllium worthy astir $7 billion. In turn, it would thief schools for illustration Texas Tech and others not beryllium heavy reliant connected their high-profile boosters to compete pinch nan finances of apical programs, which tin ammunition retired bigger NIL payouts to apical talent coming retired of precocious schoolhouse and nan transportation portal. 

But a study was commissioned by nan SEC and Big Ten, which recovered allowing conferences to excavation together media authorities would make little gross than if they were to proceed nan existent building successful spot now. In fact, this study showed that nan rising complaint of SEC, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 media authorities would yet outperform nan $7 cardinal projection complete nan adjacent decade from Campbell’s report. 

Campbell responded to this report, believing that "those who first made nan messiness and profit handsomely from nan position quo do not want to hole it."

 U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) speaks to reporters arsenic he returns to his agency astatine nan U.S. Capitol connected February 10, 2026 successful Washington, DC (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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At nan aforesaid time, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said successful October 2025 that Campbell possesses a "fundamental misunderstanding of nan realities of assemblage athletics."

While it is, and will remain, a awesome statement successful nan ever-evolving beingness that is assemblage sports, Tuberville would alternatively spot nan take of nan NFL’s exemplary than person independent programs moving rampant for years to come.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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