A few days ago a committee of the United States House of Representatives gave an important. Senators approved a bill that will have the sole purpose of preventing college athletes from being employees of schools, conferences or any national government association.
This news has focused much of the attention in the Senate on a prospect of federal legislation related to sports. However, the agreement was not easy. Currently, those who control the Senate are the Democrats, so Senators Cory Booker and Richard Blumenthal, belonging to that sector, have developed a series of negotiations with Ted Cruz, Republican senator, for more comprehensive legislation that can address sports. academic.
Recently the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) together with the Power Five, the association’s best conferences, approved an agreement for three antitrust lawsuits for athlete compensation. This agreement provides for $2.8 billion in damages and future revenue-sharing payments to athletes. This resolution does not address the employment status of athletes.
In an interview with ‘USA TODAY’, Blumenthal noted: “The agreement makes the legislation even more urgent (…) I have essentially proposed an athletes’ bill of rights that provides every guarantee that employment status would be sufficient without the need to turn athletes into employees.”
HALF A MILLION STUDENT-ATHLETES
Senator Ted Cruz was quick to speak out following the announcement: “I believe this agreement demonstrates the urgent need for Congress to act and provide more than half a million student-athletes across the country a path to continue using athletics to obtain an education” and develop life skills for their future.”
Who also issued statements was Cory Booker: “What I think we really need to do in Congress, as a reflection of the bipartisan bill we have on this side, is to look at college sports holistically and do everything we can to provide, as You know, some justice and rationality to a sport that is in a bit of a crisis right now (…). I am worried about men and women, years after playing sports, having earned millions of dollars for the school, they still have to spend money in their pocket for their own health and safety.”
