College athletes may see payday under Trahan bill

by Christian M. Wade

College athletes could get paid for the fame and notoriety they gain by playing sports under a proposal in Congress that would do away with longstanding rules that forbid compensation for collegiate sports.

The legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Westford, would prevent colleges and universities from revoking scholarships because a student is paid for use of their name, image and likeness, or hires an agent.

That would open the door for athletes to get a slice of the hundreds of millions of dollars that colleges and other businesses get from using their talents.

Trahan, who played Division I volleyball at Georgetown University, said collegiate sports are awash with money, and talented athletes aren't being properly compensated as many of them struggle to afford expenses.

"Often times when we think about NIL (name, image and likeness) we think of big sports like basketball and football," Trahan said Wednesday during a live-streamed briefing. "But this is about opening up the door for everyone."

Trahan was joined by Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat who sponsored the Senate version of the bill. He said universities and colleges reap billions of dollars from their athletes and give little in return.

"Lots of adults are making money today off of college athletics, and colleges are marketing themselves off the successes of their college sports programs," Murphy said Wednesday. "Increasingly, athletes are being asked to spend more time away from the classroom to compete at very high levels, and they're not being treated in a fair way."

The measure is one of a number in Congress that would upend existing rules by the National Collegiate Athletic Association that ban athletes from receiving compensation beyond room, board and a free education.

In 2019, the NCAA's top governing board signaled in response to California's new "Fair Pay to Play" law that it might soften its stance on prohibiting athletes from being paid. The move represented a major shift for the organization, which historically has been steadfast in banning compensation of athletes.

The NCAA's comments touched off a race by states to adopt changes so that their colleges don’t lose top talent to the West Coast. The California law, allowing college athletes to cash in on endorsement deals, goes into effect in 2023.

Lawmakers in at least a dozen states have passed their own rules for student-athletes' compensation, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Last month, the NCAA was poised to vote sweeping changes to its rules on student-athletes but postponed the decision after the U.S. Justice Department notified the board that the changes could run afoul of federal antitrust laws.

The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear an antitrust case involving the NCAA in March that could give more legal clarity on the use of name, image and likeness in college sports.