Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) reported this week he has introduced a bill to regulate name, image and likeness in college sports.
“College sports are a great cultural unifier, but they are in peril-not just for fans-but for thousands of student-athletes whose games won’t air on national television,” Cruz said.
NIL was introduced in college sports in 2021, and Cruz, despite saying that athletes are “entitled to profit from their own labor and success” and that the NCAA is “far from perfect,” wrote that “congressional action will be necessary” in order to “preserve college athletics as we know it.”
“Now, additional litigation and draft state laws are hampering the ability of the NCAA to enforce even modest rules, set recruiting standards, promote fair competition, or crack down on bad actors looking to take advantage of student-athletes. Many school administrators agree that these developments, coupled with the evolution of athlete compensation, will lead to the premature end of big-time college football and basketball at dozens of schools. More troubling, however, could be the fallout at all levels of colleges and universities: the elimination of non-revenue sports. ”
From Fox News:
The Texas senator said he spoke with athletes, stakeholders for schools in the state and other associations. However, he feels that since each state has its own legislature, athletes could be at a competitive disadvantage. "A national solution for a national market is needed," Cruz wrote.
