• Loading stock data...
Sunday, September 7, 2025
Fox Analyst and Media Entrepreneur Greg Olsen to Speak at Tuned In Get your ticket now!

The NCAA Puts the Future of Amateurism In Congress’ Hands

  • The NCAA Transformation Committee punted on recommendations for NIL and athlete compensation reform.
  • Instead, it assembled a strategy geared at lobbying Congress to give it the authority it desires.
Jenna Watson/IndyStar

Last year, the NCAA ratified a new constitution and created a committee to “modernize” college sports while addressing threats to amateurism and the unregulated NIL world.

But after a year of deliberating, the Division I Transformation Committee has punted. The NCAA’s new strategy is lobbying Congress to make rules for it.

“The goal … is to educate and motivate congress to work with us to create a clear, fair, and stable legal framework through which these important issues can be adequately addressed,” SEC Commissioner and committee co-chair Greg Sankey told reporters on Tuesday. 

From routine spending on lobbyists to in-person meetings on Capitol Hill, the NCAA isn’t new to political posturing. But this year, the governing body will funnel more sources into it than ever.

  • The Constitution and Transformation committees mulled how the NCAA could regulate NIL and whether athlete compensation could be altered. But ultimately, neither made solid decisions.
  • Instead, the Transformation Committee designated a new group, called the “Board of Governors Subcommittee on Congressional Engagement,” as a liaison between the governing body and federal lawmakers.
  • The group will “lead the NCAA’s strategy for engaging, motivating and collaborating with Congress over the coming year,” according to the Transformation Committee’s report.
  • The NCAA has also hired Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, who has experience building bipartisan coalitions — a skill the NCAA said it valued.

Sankey said the strategy is motivated because “the NCAA lacks the legal authority to address some of these elements at present.” 

But the reality is less that the NCAA can’t make decisions on its own, but more that outside entities could impose decisions the NCAA doesn’t want.

The NLRB Is Going After The NCAA’s Amateurism Model

It will investigate whether USC, the Pac-12, and NCAA violated labor law.
December 15, 2022

This year, two outside entities could kill amateurism. An NLRB case and a private lawsuit called Johnson v. NCAA could unilaterally designate certain athlete employees — giving them the rights to everything from collective bargaining power and worker’s compensation to wages.

While in much earlier stages, a lawsuit called House v. NCAA could redefine NIL, forcing conferences and the NCAA to split media rights revenue with players for the first time.

So while NCAA lawyers battle these issues behind the scenes, the governing body is clearly hoping Congress will first usurp these issues. But between the multitude of proposed NCAA legislation that has been largely ignored and the current disarray in Congress, it’s unclear whether that strategy will yield any results.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin (10) and linebacker C.J. Hicks (11) shake hands while leaving the field following the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. Ohio State won 14-7

How Ohio State Rebuilt Its NIL Strategy in the Rev-Share Era

The Buckeyes are staying “aggressive” in the new NIL landscape.

NIL Go Corrects Its Data From $80M in Deals Cleared to $35M,..

It’s another bump in the rocky rollout of the new NIL clearinghouse.
Blue Jays
exclusive

MLBPA, DraftKings Agree to Settle NIL Suit

MLBPA said DraftKings and other sportsbooks improperly used players’ NIL.

Featured Today

Tennis

The US Open Is Groaning Under the Weight of Its Own Success

New York’s tennis major is more popular than ever.
Dec 21, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) gets ready to take the field prior to a game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
September 5, 2025

How Brazil Game Fits Into NFL’s Plans for World Domination

Friday night’s Chiefs-Chargers game in São Paulo is big by design.
Oct 13, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and wide receiver A.J. Brown (11) celebrate their touchdown pass during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field.
September 2, 2025

TV Ratings Just Changed Again. The NFL Will Be the Big Winner

Nielsen’s new viewership system will have a big impact on sports.
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrates with offensive lineman Donovan Jackson (74) after a touchdown catch against Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first quarter during the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on January 20, 2025.
August 30, 2025

The Most Expensive Roster Year in College Football History

The House settlement created revenue-sharing—and a big NIL loophole.
Arch Manning

NIL Go Says It Has Cleared $80 Million in NIL Deals So..

NIL collectives, however, say the majority of their deals are in limbo.
Aug 30, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores linebacker Langston Patterson (10) looks over the defense against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers during the first half at FirstBank Stadium.
September 3, 2025

Latest Class Action Eligibility Lawsuit Challenges NCAA’s ‘Redshirt’ Rule

It’s the latest lawsuit challenging the NCAA’s core eligibility requirements.
Workers set up the stages for the “Fox Big Noon Kickoff” sports show live telecast before Saturday’s Iowa State and Iowa football game at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa.
exclusive
September 3, 2025

Big 12 Embraces Dave Portnoy and Barstool Sports

The conference held a call with Portnoy to discuss coverage and collaboration.
Sponsored

Trailblazer Cal Calamia Is Racing for ‘Advocacy, Storytelling, and Performance’

The marathoner wants excellence—not just inclusion—to be the goal for non-binary athletes.
The cast of ESPN College GameDay begins their show prior to the NCAA football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Texas Longhorns at Ohio Stadium on Aug. 30, 2025. The show is the final one for Lee Corso.
September 2, 2025

College Students Have Already Won $550K in McAfee Kicking Contest This Season

In 2023, only one student made the kick the whole season.
Aug 30, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) drops back to pass against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first half at Ohio Stadium.
September 2, 2025

On This Year’s CFB Rosters, Even Backup QBs Make Six Figures

The going rate for backup quarterbacks is in the mid-six-figures.
Mike Gundy
September 2, 2025

OSU’s Gundy, Oregon’s Lanning Trade Barbs Over Alleged $30 Million Gap

Lanning ripped Gundy’s “excuse” and said “we spend to win.”
FSU
September 2, 2025

ACC Hits Florida State With First $50K Storming Fine Under New Rule

The ACC announced a new fine system in July.