Our world of college sports is changing rapidly, and those changes are happening without input from the people most affected: us, the college athletes. One of our biggest, and most timely, concerns is the proposed SCORE Act, largely influenced by college athletics leaders, without any input from college athletes. As it gains momentum, we, the athlete members of Athletes.org (AO), through our Executive Committee (made up entirely of college athletes), are raising our voices to say: this bill, as it’s written, is a serious, and grave, step in the wrong direction.
The SCORE Act threatens to roll back the progress athletes have fought for over the past century, would limit financial opportunities for every college athlete, and would also completely strip certain rights from athletes. Namely, limiting earning potential by unfairly monitoring and subjectively restricting our ability to generate money outside of our relationship with our schools, limiting how much schools can pay us, limiting our ability to transfer, and prohibiting college athletes from being considered employees and being protected by employment laws – without our input or say. No other entity or group of individuals in the college sports – or pro sports – industry is limited in this capacity without their agreement. This bill would only strengthen institutional power while silencing college athlete voices. No one who cares about the rights of college athletes should allow this to happen.
We are at a crucial moment in history for college athletics, with financial incentives across the industry for leaders and athletes alike. All we are asking is that our best interests are taken into consideration and that our voices are listened to about our finances and our health. Rules are necessary, but they need to be developed and agreed upon by us, not mandated in a bill, such as the SCORE Act, without the athletes’ input. This type of top down leadership approach is what created this chaos in college athletics in the first place.
Even the most prominent players associations in the country have spoken out against the SCORE Act. In a joint statement from these associations, they stressed that they do not want the NCAA, a so-called habitual antitrust violator, to gain an antitrust exemption and are against the SCORE Act. These associations, and our chosen association, Athletes.org (AO), are looking out for our best interests – unlike this bill.
So, What’s Wrong With the SCORE Act?
- Who it Protects: The bill primarily supports, reflects and protects the interests of those who have created the problems in college athletics: the leaders of the conferences, institutions and the NCAA.
- Limits Athlete Opportunity: The bill makes it harder for athletes to make money, transfer schools, or explore options in a fair market. That’s not protecting us, it’s protecting the system that profits off of us.
- Strips Athlete Rights: The bill prohibits college athletes from being considered employees, unfairly removing the right to be protected by employment laws that every other person in the United States enjoys.
- No Athlete Representation: We’re the ones who have to live by these rules, but we weren’t invited to the table to help shape them. That’s not right. The athletes that have been invited to speak on this bill are hand selected by the NCAA or other college athletics leaders and do not share our viewpoint.
- Maintains and Legitimizes Unfair Agreements: Many media outlets have reported on the excessive unfair agreements schools are essentially forcing us to sign; the SCORE act gives them even more latitude to write their own rules and subject us to their will. Leaving many of us with little to no bargaining power.
- No Structural Change: The NCAA still calls the shots under this bill. There’s no real co-governance or autonomy for athletes. This bill, in essence, codifies our being at the mercy of organizations that have not, and do not treat us equitably.
- It Misses the Big Picture: The same problems that have hurt athletes for decades: hypocritical enforcement structures limiting earning potential, lack of accountability for those profiting off of athletes and no real say from athletes on future governance; still exist. The bill doesn’t fix them, it enables more harm to be done.
- It Locks in a Broken System: By writing the terms of a recent legal settlement into law, the bill makes it even harder to change things in the future, especially through collective bargaining.
- Governmental Action: With this bill, Congress is stepping in to limit what athletes can earn and do without actually listening to our needs. The bill does not address the root issues in college athletics and is instead an attempt to restore power to those who have historically misused it: college athletics leaders.
What College Athletes Actually Want
- Fair, Clear Rules, Created Together: We want structure and consistency, but not at the cost of our rights and opportunities. A system that only benefits a few and that contains rules unilaterally imposed on us is not fair.
- Real Representation: We need the legal right to collectively bargain or negotiate the rules that affect us, to have a formal, recognized, players association that has the power to hold its counterparts accountable, and to be included in making the rules that impact our lives.
- Shared Power: Athletes should have real seats at the table: with voting power, oversight, and the ability to help shape the future of college sports.
The SCORE Act, as it stands, is a missed opportunity. It doesn’t move college athletics forward, it regresses it. We’re calling on Congress to work with us, not around us. We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re demanding basic respect, fairness and a real voice in the decisions that shape our futures and the futures of the next generations of athletes.
About the AO Executive Committee (AO EC):
Athletes.org Executive Council, the first, athlete-led leadership group representing thousands of Division I college athletes. As leadership working in tandem with the Board of Athlete Representatives, we’re here to lead AO as the players association for college athletes, bringing a single united voice to the table, advocating on key issues like NIL reform, athlete protections, transfer rules, and the right to negotiate collectively. This is a new era — and we’re stepping up to lead it.
The newly-announced AO Executive Committee members who will help guide AO’s efforts in protecting and advancing athlete interests:
- Justin Wodtly – Arizona State University, Football
- Chief Borders – University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Football
- Jada Brown – Vanderbilt University, Women’s Basketball
- Angelina Vasquez – University of Southern California (USC), Track and Field
Athletes.org (AO), “The Players Association for College Athletes,” is a voluntary membership organization whose membership includes more than 4,800 current and former college athletes. AO exists to educate, organize, and represent college athletes as their chosen players association in an attempt to ensure their seat at the table in the ever-changing landscape of college sports.
– ATHLETES.ORG –