‘College Athletes Bill of Rights’ Would Require Athlete Pay, Taxpayer Funded Enforcement Commission

A pair of Democrat senators are sponsoring a wide-ranging proposal that would require colleges to offer athletes a long list of benefits for playing college sports.

Senators Cory Booker (D, NJ) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, (C, CT) have introduced the College Athlete Bill of Rights. The law would force schools to include students in revenue sharing, give students lifetime scholarships, establish uniform health and safety rules, offer medical benefits, pay expenses, and levy fines on colleges that violate the rules.

The bill would also establish the Commission on College Athletics, a new nine-member board that would enforce the federal rules if passed. This commission would be paid for by a $50 million stipend courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer and would be allowed to hire staff and enforcers to regulate America’s college sports scene.

“This is one of the few industries in America that is allowed to exploit those who are responsible for generating most of the revenue,” Sen. Booker told ESPN. “I feel like the federal government has a role and responsibility that we’ve been shirking in terms of protecting athletes and ensuring their safety. I just really believe there is an urgency here that has not been met for decades and decades. We need to step up and do something about it.”

Booker added that he conferred with several current and former college athletes to determine what ideas they wanted to be included in such legislation. For his part, Senator Blumenthal claimed that he even heard from college presidents who supported the new rules.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that using this framework, we can build support for real substantive changes in how the NCAA operates,” Booker told the sports network.

The bill would also govern student-athletes engaging in endorsement deals and make money off their names and likenesses. Athletes would also be permitted to hire sports agents. The commission would also govern how students transfer to other schools, how drafts will be conducted, and a long list of other new powers conferred on the federal government and taken away from the colleges.

The Booker/Blumenthal bill is not the only bill dealing with college athletics winding its way through Congress, but Booker’s bill is the most comprehensive.

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