🏅Is the SCORE Act good for student-athletes?

Hey there,

Last edition we started talking about the SCORE Act — Washington lawmakers’ first shot at regulating the college sports world post-House Settlement. There’s a ton to look at in this bill though, which is why we’re breaking it down into pieces.

Today we’re looking on the bright side of things at the good stuff it promises student-athletes. With all the concessions written into the bill, the athletes themselves should get something back… right? This edition we’ll look at precisely that.

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— Cole and Collin

What Would Athletes get from the SCORE Act?

As I mentioned in the intro, last edition we talked about Congress giving the NCAA some of what it wants (uniform rules, more control over the NIL marketplace). Now we’re shifting to how the bill promises to help athletes themselves.

In short, that means expanded educational opportunities, mandated health coverage, and a little more security for the people actually playing the games. The NCAA’s defenders often insist they have athletes’ best interests at heart – the SCORE Act tries to put some money where their mouth is by writing a few key athlete protections into federal law.

Before we get started, we need to be clear that many of these measures aren’t brand-new ideas. They echo reforms that the NCAA could have implemented on its own long ago (and that some conferences have, in bits and pieces). But having Congress spell them out would make these benefits non-negotiable and uniform across all big-time schools, rather than optional perks that vary by institution.

So, what exactly are we talking about? Section 5 of the SCORE Act lays out a grab bag of requirements for universities – covering everything from how long an athletic scholarship lasts to who foots the bill for surgery when a running back blows out his knee. Strap in, because there’s a lot to cover here.

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