Congress shouldn’t be expected or asked to clean up the NCAA’s mess
Zachary Faria
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Congress and the NCAA are two of the most broken, least reliable organizations in the country. Nothing could ruin college sports quicker than both of them teaming up.
This is what was floated by senators and NCAA President Charlie Baker, the former Massachusetts Republican governor, during a Tuesday hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Baker and the NCAA want Congress to step in and regulate on their behalf, which should always be a red flag. Worse still, several senators were receptive to the idea.
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The biggest thing the NCAA wants congressional action on is name, image, and likeness. With each state having its own NIL rules and regulations, the NCAA wants a one-size-fits-all federal standard. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) were among those who were interested, with Graham blaming NIL for “chaos” in college football and Manchin implying he would prefer if college athletes couldn’t make NIL money in the first place.
Of course, this problem Baker wants federal action on is the NCAA’s fault in the first place. Depriving athletes of the ability to profit off of their own name and likeness in a multimillion-dollar industry was the NCAA’s choice. The NCAA fought desperately to keep the status quo, where coaches, athletic directors, and NCAA leaders could rake in millions while athletes could be banned for accepting a few hundred dollars for some autographs. The NCAA dug this hole. It can find its way out.
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Many of the other smaller problems are ones the NCAA should be able to handle without legislative interference, such as guaranteed scholarships for athletes in case of injury. Others are obviously selfish, with the NCAA wanting protection from being sued over its rules. But other than guaranteeing equal participation for female athletes by banning men from competing in women’s sports, most of the major concerns raised by the NCAA or by Congress are more likely to ruin college sports than save them from the NCAA’s terrible management.
The last thing college sports need is a major intrusion by Congress into every element of the sport because the NCAA has failed to be responsible stewards of the industry. The NCAA has been a major problem over the past several decades, and inviting members of Congress to throw their own rules and regulations around NIL or the transfer portal would only make things worse.