Senators Call for Delay of SCORE Act, Citing Concerns Over Power Grab and Damage to College Athletics System

Senator Maria Cantwell and Representative Michael Baumgartner have voiced concerns over the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act, calling for its delay in its current form. They argue that the bill would entrench the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) authority, perpetuate the current power structure in college athletics, and leave small and mid-sized institutions behind. The lawmakers stress that the bill, as written, would cause more chaos and damage to the college athletics system, urging its withdrawal from the mark-up process until its defects are addressed.

Key Takeaways:

• The SCORE Act would entrench the NCAA's authority, allowing the organization to dictate rules that favor wealthier conferences and schools.
• The bill's formula for determining revenue shared with college athletes would make it difficult for small and mid-sized schools to compete with larger institutions.
• The SCORE Act ignores important national policies regarding college sports, including the growth of women's sports and the importance of college athletics to the Olympic pipeline.
• The lawmakers identified six areas that need to be improved in the bill, including providing policies to increase revenue for small and mid-sized schools, giving college athletes a voice in policy-making, and ensuring health and safety protections.
• College sports are important to student athletes, schools, alumni, fans, and communities across the United States, and Congress needs to get it right to fix the college sports landscape for generations to come.

Statistics:

• The bill's formula for determining revenue shared with college athletes would make it difficult for small and mid-sized schools to compete with larger institutions, with only 22% of the average sports revenue of the 70 highest-revenue schools estimated to be $20.5 million.
• Fewer than 10% of schools are expected to be able to pay out the full recommended amount, exacerbating the loss of talent from small schools and turning them into "feeder" schools for larger programs.
• The House v. NCAA settlement regarding women's athletics may jeopardize gains in revenue for women's sports, leading to less money flowing to women's sports.
• The SCORE Act would inevitably lead to the loss of men's and women's Olympic sports as schools are implicitly forced to devote resources to the college football arms race.

Sources:

• U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
• Letter from Senator Maria Cantwell and Representative Michael Baumgartner to subcommittee Chairman Gus Bilirakis and Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky [1]
• H.R. 4312, the "Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements" (SCORE) Act