This last Tuesday, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the White House showed their support for a bill that would regulate college sports. The bill has been the topic of discourse as it would provide more power to the NCAA and its associated schools.
The Student Compensation and Opportunity Through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act is expected to be voted on by the House by the end of this week. The bill would allow the NCAA to set a cap on how much a school can spend on NIL deals, as well as set parameters for how athletes can be transferred between schools.
Generally, the bill has been widely supported by Republicans and protested by Democrats. It is uncertain whether the bill will actually pass, as it would require at least seven Democrats to vote in favor of the bill.
United States representative and chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee, Gus Bilirakis, gave the following statement regarding the bill: “It is long past time that we take action to ensure that we have sustainable future for college sports, especially for women’s sports and the Olympic sports,” he continues, “That creates predictability and certainty for all student-athletes. We must act now to protect and preserve the uniquely American institution of college sports we have all come to know and love.”
Representative Lori Trahan, a former division volleyball player, has announced plans to develop a competing bill to SCORE. She has given the following statement regarding the situation: “Despite years of intense lobbying from the most powerful institutions in college athletics, Congress is increasingly divided on how to address the challenges threatening the industry,” she continues, “Too many proposals pushed by entrenched power brokers focus on regaining control at the expense of the athletes who drive college sports, rather than on creating a sustainable system, particularly for women’s and Olympic sports and smaller schools.”
