As college football fans packed stadiums in Texas, a heated debate broke out among U.S. lawmakers over how to handle Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals in college sports. The spark? A TV ad pushing the SCORE Act, a bill aiming to set up federal rules for NIL deals.
The ad pointed viewers to the Pass the SCORE Act website and quickly stirred up conversation among Texas politicians and folks involved in college sports. While the SCORE Act is supposed to protect college athletes, it’s already run into criticism and demands for changes.
Understanding the SCORE Act
The SCORE Act is Congress’s current attempt to regulate NIL deals and look out for college athletes. The bill lays out a bunch of measures to try to give student-athletes a fair shake, including:
- Requiring agents to register with the NCAA
- Letting state attorneys general take civil action against agents
- Mandating schools provide academic support and career counseling
- Forcing schools to offer sexual violence prevention, medical care, and degree completion programs
- Allowing the NCAA to set rules for reporting NIL deals and banning certain types of pay
- Setting limits on how much universities can share revenue with athletes
- Making it clear student-athletes aren’t college employees
- Giving the NCAA an antitrust exemption
- Requiring every university to have at least 16 varsity teams
Support and Opposition
The SCORE Act’s drawn both cheers and jeers. Cody Campbell, who chairs the Board of Regents at Texas Tech, slammed the TV ad for spreading what he called false info.
His comments on social media caught the attention of Texas’s congressional delegation. Several Republican lawmakers promised to push for changes to the bill.
Concerns from Democrats
Democrats have their own worries about the SCORE Act. At a House Energy and Commerce committee hearing, they argued the bill hands too much control to the NCAA without enough checks.
Representative Lori Trahan from Massachusetts said college athletes need more rights and protections, which she doesn’t see in this proposal. There’s also concern that not classifying athletes as employees would block them from bargaining about their situations.
Republican Perspective
Republicans, meanwhile, mostly see the SCORE Act as a decent starting point. They say they’re open to working with Democrats to tweak it.
Representative Michael Baumgartner from Washington pointed out the bill might favor the richest schools and conferences, leaving smaller programs behind. Representative Wesley Hunt stressed the need for fairness for female athletes and warned the current bill could mean fewer scholarships and cuts to women’s sports.
The Path Forward
There’s no easy answer here, and the debate just keeps highlighting how tricky it is to regulate NIL deals in college sports. Sure, everyone agrees some kind of federal rules would help, but agreeing on the details? That’s another story.
Ever since the NCAA changed its rules in July 2021 to let college athletes profit from their NIL, states have been scrambling with their own laws. The SCORE Act is supposed to fix that mess with a federal approach.
Protecting Student-Athletes
Protecting student-athletes from being taken advantage of is at the heart of the SCORE Act. Colin Allred, a former NFL linebacker and now a Congressman from Texas, has put in work to get federal rules in place for these athletes.
He pointed out there’s no cap on what agents can take, which could leave athletes vulnerable. Allred says it’s crucial to make sure student-athletes get both financial benefits and a real education.
The debate swirling around the SCORE Act just won’t quit. People on all sides seem to agree that college sports need some kind of balance when it comes to regulating NIL deals.
Supporters say the Act is supposed to create a fairer system. But there’s some real concern it might just end up helping the richest programs, leaving a lot of student-athletes behind.
Lawmakers are still tweaking the proposal. It’s a tricky thing—how do you make sure athletes actually get fair pay and don’t get taken advantage of, while also helping them succeed both in class and on the field?
If you want to dive deeper into the SCORE Act and all the back-and-forth, you can check out the original article on KXAN.
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