Kentucky senator Rand Paul this week introduced the 'College Sports Integrity Act' that would exempt “athletic conferences, associations, and participating schools” at the college level from the nation’s current antitrust laws, according to a press release.
The senator said his bill would “restore free-market principles” to student-athletes competing in college sports governed by the NCAA.
Kentucky senator Rand Paul this week introduced the 'College Sports Integrity Act' that would exempt “athletic conferences, associations, and participating schools” at the college level from the nation’s current antitrust laws, according to a press release.
The senator said his bill would “restore free-market principles” to student-athletes competing in college sports governed by the NCAA.
“Antitrust laws have empowered judges — not students, not schools — to dictate the rules of college sports,” said in a release. “This bill puts decision-making back where it belongs: in the hands of the people directly involved. By removing these restrictions, the Collegiate Sports Integrity Act allows schools and student-athletes to voluntarily negotiate fair, flexible agreements that reflect their own values, not a federal mandate.”
Paul suggested his bill is about economic freedom for athletes.
“This is about economic liberty,” Paul said. “College athletes and schools should be free to come to the table and make their own deals, without unelected judges micromanaging every detail. Whether it’s compensation, eligibility, or academic standards, Washington shouldn’t be calling the plays.”
The legislation arrives in the wake of the NCAA's House settlement, which paves the way for schools to directly pay student-athletes.
“Rather than allowing a patchwork of court-imposed mandates, the bill reasserts the primacy of freedom of contract in higher education athletics,” Paul said in the release.
