This proposed law could shape the future of college sports
The most sweeping college sports legislation in years—the SCORE Act—could upend NIL rules, athlete rights, and the NCAA’s legal standing. Here's what it means and why the debate is heating up.
Move over, Belichick: There’s a new most-important bill in college sports.
The Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act, the most comprehensive bill connected to college athletics in decades, is set to be put up for a vote in the US House of Representatives, after two House committees gave it the thumbs-up along party lines yesterday (Republicans for, Democrats against).
The measure, which still has to pass the Rules Committee but could make it to the full floor as soon as September, would standardize name, image, and likeness (NIL) rules across states in the wake of the House v. NCAA settlement, among other things.
The NCAA and power conferences are pretty stoked
The institution-friendly SCORE Act would grant the NCAA antitrust protections, while also stipulating that athletes not be classified as employees, stripping their ability to collectively bargain.
Some of the bill’s other provisions include:
- Athletes would be able to profit off their NIL, but a college sports governing body would be able to set certain rules and restrictions surrounding these deals.
- The NCAA, College Sports Commission, and conferences would be protected against challenges to compensation rules, eligibility rules, and transfer rules. However, some athletes’ rights protections remain, such as a minimum for the cap on revenue-sharing compensation and a guarantee players can transfer at least once without penalty.
- If a school has coaches on their payroll who earn more than $250k/year, they have to offer certain medical benefits and sponsor a minimum of 16 sports.
- Increased regulations around sports agents and their relationships with athletes.
But…Pushback is mounting, with hangups mostly around the antitrust exemption and eliminating the ability for collective bargaining. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) dubbed the SCORE Act the “national championship of all heists,” while players’ associations of several pro sports leagues released a joint statement voicing opposition to the bill.
SCOREboard: The measure is likely to pass the Republican-controlled House, but would require the approval of seven Democratic senators to clear the Senate—a bar analysts say it’s unlikely to meet in its current form.
Elsewhere…Questions downstream from the House v. NCAA settlement—like where do NIL collectives fit in?—continue to be answered as court proceedings play out.
