NCAA D-I Commissioners Plead With Congress for Help in Saving College Sports

NCAA commissioners from the Big Ten, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and the Southeastern Conference are pleading with congressional leaders to help save college sports. 

According to CNN, the commissioners are warning both parties that a Supreme Court decision two years ago that paved the way for companies to pay student athletes has led to a complicated series of state laws that have undermined collegiate sports and could ultimately lead to the collapse of sports programs across the United States.

“The risk is permanent damage to an enterprise that has meant an awful lot to our country, and to those that have benefited from the experiences,” James Phillips, the ACC commissioner, told CNN's “Inside Politics Sunday.”

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said he foresees dire consequences if congress doesn't act soon. 

“The risk is we see states further build walls around their recruiting grounds, thinking that that somehow provides a competitive advantage,” Sankey said. “The risk is that more and more young people sign agreements that they don’t understand. The risk is we move further and further from the academic nature of college sports.”

The commissioners said that differing rules across states have created an atmosphere where players transfer to other schools based on where they can get the largest NIL payday. They also said that some states allow boosters to take advantage of rules that allow them to help universities essentially recruit players by offering lucrative paydays. 

“You’ve got a system where it becomes very transactional, in terms of how student athletes are moving and you see it on the field,” said Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti. “You’ll see tremendous player movement, but there’s also another side of it, which is a lot of student athletes just don’t end up some place. And that’s a problem. Because the grass isn’t always greener, there isn’t always a deal that comes through.”

Lawmakers have proposed a number of a solutions, but the path to getting a bill passed is a long and arduous one. 

“I’m confident that there’s a bipartisan path and the urgency to get something done is there,” said senator Cory Booker, a former college football player. “I think everybody who has a football or basketball player in their state is interested in getting it done.”

Republicans are resistant to enacting federal laws in most cases, preferring instead to let states decide their own laws. 

Asked if there has been any resistance to the push for a national standard, Sankey, the SEC commissioner, said, “Sure. Questions about that – like, why, why is this necessary? Now our federal government does have a role in interstate commerce, that’s the reality. There’s interstate activity, this is a national activity.”