A new analysis from the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation highlights a growing financial divide in college sports. The report, released by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the committee, details how rising media rights payments have increased the revenue gap between traditional power conferences—now dominated by the SEC and Big Ten—and other schools.
According to the committee’s findings, schools in power conferences now receive nearly 12 times more from conference revenue distributions than those in lower-tier FBS conferences. The gap has grown significantly over time: what was a $6 million difference per school per year in 2002 has reached over $43 million by 2023, marking a 584% increase since 2002 and more than doubling since 2014.
The report notes that this disparity affects competitive balance and threatens Olympic and non-revenue sports. Since May 2024, at least 41 Division I programs in sports such as track and field and volleyball have been cut, impacting around 1,000 athletes.
“Today, a Power 2 school won’t just gain an edge over other conferences by spending more on coaches and facilities, they can afford to recruit the most talented student athletes, including athletes who have been coached up by other schools,” states the report. “And the more they win, the more media revenues they rack up. The result is the ‘haves’ continue to get more and more, leaving the small to midsize schools ever further behind. Without change, there won’t be anymore ‘any given Saturday’ gridiron dreams or March Madness Cinderella stories.”
The analysis also finds that power conferences are increasingly dominating NCAA men’s basketball tournament at-large bids. In 2025, SEC and Big Ten teams secured more at-large bids than all other conferences combined.
Senator Cantwell shared these findings with members of the Commerce Committee ahead of an expected House vote on the SCORE Act next week. She criticized current legislative efforts for failing to address disparities: “[I]t does not serve the diverse academic institutions in each of our states, or the passionate fans that root for their favorite teams, to lock in a distorted systems that effectively allows a few powerhouse schools to start every game with a few points already on the board…”
The committee’s review also identifies which schools may lose out as TV deals shift toward rewarding higher viewership with greater revenue shares.
Last month, Senator Cantwell wrote to leaders of over 350 Division I universities warning that proposed legislation could reinforce existing inequities and further consolidate power among top conferences. She sought input from university officials on how best to address these challenges across college athletics.
The SCORE Act was passed by two House committees on July 23 after being drafted primarily with input from NCAA and power conference leaders rather than universities or athletes most affected by its provisions. On July 15, Senator Cantwell joined Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-WA-05) in sending a letter opposing the bill.
The full report titled “The Growing College Sport Funding Gap: How massive media revenue disparities are hurting athletes and smaller schools” is available online.
