the issue
College athletics transformed radically earlier this month, as a multibillion-dollar settlement allowing schools to pay athletes directly went into effect.
It’s the latest chapter in a fight that’s been bubbling for years. In 2021, the NCAA adopted a policy allowing athletes to benefit from name, image, and likeness deals, otherwise known as NIL. That change meant college athletes can make millions of dollars without leaving for the pros.
The issue has drawn attention in Congress, too, where some lawmakers want to set federal standards for student athletes’ compensation.
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the bond
A bipartisan House bill called the SCORES Act would create national parameters around NIL agreements, while also shielding the NCAA from lawsuits related to the deals.
The bill is backed by House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., and Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., who chairs the subcommittee that voted along party lines to advance the bill to the full committee last Tuesday. It also has Democratic backing from Reps. Shomari Figures, D-Ala., and Janelle Bynum, D-Ore.
“The overall goal here is to bring stability to college athletics,” Figures told Semafor in an interview. “We’ve seen the landscape change drastically over the past several years … and there’s a need to create a more stable and national framework for everyone involved.”
The proposal has attracted criticism from Democrats who argue it doesn’t offer adequate protections to student athletes, however, while giving too much power to the NCAA.
The bill “shuts down [athletes’] ability to seek additional protection in the courts and state legislatures,” said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., the top Democrat on the Energy and Commerce Committee, during Tuesday’s subcommittee meeting.
But critics like Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., have signaled a willingness to work on the legislation to find bipartisan compromise. Trahan said Tuesday that she opposes the bill right now, but that “doesn’t mean that we can’t find common ground.”
“This bill is obviously not perfect — no piece of legislation is — but we want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to make this bill as strong as it can be going forward,” Figures told Semafor. “I’m pretty confident that other Democrats will join it.”
A spokesperson for Bilirakis said he “remains committed to working with all stakeholders to move this legislation forward.” The GOP congressman is also having early conversations with senators in both parties about a companion bill, the spokesperson said.
The legislation would also require colleges to provide academic, career, and medical support for student athletes — including by paying out-of-pocket expenses for sports-related injuries for at least three years after athletes graduate or leave the school.
Bynum, who likened the current NIL marketplace to the “Wild Wild West,” said in a statement that the bill “takes important steps towards adding guardrails that guarantee that all student athletes can earn fair compensation, access a complete and quality education, and develop the skills they need to succeed in life after sports.”
The View From the NCAA
The NCAA reacted warmly to the legislation.
“This bill reflects many student-athletes’ priorities, and the NCAA is committed to working with Congress to build a bipartisan path forward that ensures the long-term success of college sports and the ongoing opportunities they provide to young people,” NCAA senior vice president of external affairs Tim Buckley said in a statement.
The organization’s student-athlete advisory committees also penned a letter backing the bill.
Notable
- President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order establishing national standards for student athletes’ compensation, CBS News reported.