Introduced in Senate
A bill to protect the exclusive broadcast window of the Army-Navy college football game.
SEC. 1. SHORT TITLETrack this section →
This Act may be cited as the Protect America's Game Act.
SEC. 2. PROTECTION OF ARMY-NAVY GAMETrack this section →
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: 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..