OPINION:
College sports appear to be booming, but behind the scenes, name, image and likeness rights are causing chaos and threatening academic opportunities for student-athletes.
That’s why this year must be the year Congress finally passes comprehensive legislation establishing fair NIL standards across all college sports.
The current system, in which every state has or doesn’t have its own NIL law, is failing. What was intended to empower athletes has instead produced a patchwork system where laws differ from state to state, threatening the competitive balance that college sports needs.
Worse yet, it has put the long-term stability of all college athletics, particularly women’s sports and nonrevenue programs, at risk.
The Winter Olympics provides a compelling case study. The vast majority of U.S. Olympians are developed through college sports programs, especially in sports where Olympic competition is the pinnacle of success.
As NIL uncertainty increases financial pressure on athletic departments, these very programs that fuel Olympic success are the most vulnerable to cuts.
Thankfully, the bipartisan Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements Act offers much-needed reforms. This bill provides enforceable clarity around permissible NIL activity while protecting athletes from third-party exploitation. It also includes key provisions that require schools to maintain at least 16 varsity athletic programs and invest heavily in athletes’ well-being and mental health.
The SCORE Act also reinforces education as the organizing principle of college athletics, an element needed as financial incentives grow without guardrails. The bill recognizes that student-athletes should thrive just as much in the classroom as in sports.
It also makes clear that student-athletes cannot be treated as employees. The employment model threatens to ruin coach-player relationships and bring new administrative headaches to athletic directors. Without this prohibition, athletes could also fall under federal and state labor laws that bring obligations such as wages, unemployment insurance and collective bargaining rights.
Federal NIL reform is not about choosing between athletes’ rights and institutional stability. If done correctly, it advances both. The SCORE Act recognizes that student-athletes deserve transparency, protection and NIL rights without sacrificing academic integrity or competitive fairness.
The SCORE Act is Congress’ historic chance to bring clarity, fairness and stability to college athletics. Congress should take it.
STEVE WARD
Pleasant Hill, California
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