🏅From NIL Patchwork to Federal Playbook

Hey there,

Hey there, and welcome to the first installment of our deep dive into Congress’s newly unveiled college sports legislation – the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act.

If you thought the House v. NCAA settlement was the grand finale of college sports drama, think again. That $2.8 billion antitrust settlement have cracked open the door for athletes to get a piece of the pie, but it also sent lawmakers into a frenzy to rewrite the rules of the game. Now, Capitol Hill is suiting up to “stabilize” NIL and college athletics with a federal playbook of its own.

In this three-part series, we’re dissecting the SCORE Act section by section. This edition tackles how the bill attempts to tame the Wild West of NIL with a single national standard and new oversight on endorsement deals. We’ll also look at the mandated agent regulations, which are meant to protect athletes (or, depending on who you ask, protect schools from savvy agents).

Let’s talk college sports policy for the day. Sound good?

We’re happy to offer this story to our All-Access subscribers. Not part of the team yet? You can join today by clicking here.

— Cole and Collin

Ending the NIL “Wild West”

For the past two years, everyone has called NIL in the Wild West, which means essentially a patchwork of state laws, NCAA “guidelines” everyone ignores, and boosters flashing cash like there’s no sheriff in town.

The Power Five conference commissioners have practically begged Washington to step in, complaining that without one set of rules, “student-athletes and schools have been forced to navigate a fractured regulatory framework for too long.”

Enter the SCORE Act, one of two new legislative efforts aiming to corral this chaos with a uniform federal NIL standard.

Become a paying subscriber of NIL Wire All-Access to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.

Already a paying subscriber? Sign In.