Student Athlete Fairness Act

Summary#

This bill, the Student Athlete Fairness and Enforcement Act, sets rules for college student athletes, colleges, conferences, athlete agents, broadcasters, and NIL collectives. It says student athletes may market and be paid for their name, image, and likeness (NIL) and limits how institutions and others may restrict that activity. The bill requires reporting of endorsement contracts and institutional athletic revenues. It adds written contract and privacy rules for endorsements, requires athlete agents to register with a State and caps agent fees for endorsements at 5 percent, and creates a private right of action for violations. The bill protects medical decision-making by medical staff, requires certain medical and catastrophic coverage during and after eligibility, and requires independent health and safety officers. It protects scholarships from routine reduction or withdrawal, sets limits on academic influence by athletic departments, and allows a student athlete two transfers without losing or delaying eligibility. The bill amends immigration rules to add an F visa category for student athletes who plan to earn NIL compensation and allows employment authorization for those activities. It authorizes jersey or uniform sponsorship patches under specified conditions. The bill expands the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 to cover collective sale of college media rights, creates a Committee to negotiate and distribute those rights and revenue, requires local market broadcast options for football and basketball, and requires use of streaming rights for other sports or reversion of rights. The Federal Trade Commission enforces many provisions, States may enforce them, and the bill includes whistleblower protections and an Office of the Athlete Ombuds for athlete support.

What it means for you#

• Student athletes: You may market and receive compensation for your name, image, and likeness. Endorsement contracts must be written, limited to your eligibility period, and kept private unless you consent or disclosure is required by law. You must report covered endorsement deals to your school. You get protections for scholarships and may transfer schools twice without losing eligibility. You also get certain medical coverages during play and for 5 years after your last competition. Medical staff have sole authority over return-to-play decisions. International student athletes who enter NIL agreements may qualify for a specific F visa category and work authorization for NIL activities.
• Athlete agents and NIL collectives: Agents must register with a State before representing athletes for endorsements and cannot charge more than 5 percent for endorsement deals. NIL collectives must file basic information with athletic associations and may be limited in the types of endorsement deals they can make.
• Institutions, conferences, and athletic associations: You must not restrict compliant NIL activity, must report financial and NIL information, maintain athlete safety standards, fund specified health coverage, and follow scholarship and transfer rules. You may allow a single jersey or uniform patch if you meet roster and scholarship conditions. If you participate in joint media deals, new rules govern how rights are sold, distributed, and made available locally.
• Broadcasters and distributors: Joint sale of college media rights is exempted from some antitrust laws under expanded Sports Broadcasting Act rules. Agreements must include local outlet options for football and basketball, and streaming rights for other sports must be used within a year or revert to the originator.

Expenses#

The bill includes a provision that "there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary" to carry out the Act. The text does not include estimated costs or specific funding amounts for required health coverage, reporting, or administrative activities. No publicly available information on estimated federal or nonfederal costs is included in the bill text provided.

Proponents' View#

The bill states it is meant to protect student athletes' NIL rights, provide safety and medical protections, preserve scholarships and academic freedom, support additional revenue for all sports (including women’s and non-revenue sports), and discourage raising tuition or fees to pay for athletics. It includes measures to improve transparency, limit agent fees, and create structures (an ombuds office and a media-rights Committee) to help distribute media revenue and support athletes.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.