By Lauren Burke
“It is a shame that organizations like the NCAA, who last year touted $1.4 billion in revenue — a $91 million increase from the prior year — have for so long been able to benefit from college athletes’ hard work and sacrifice while the athletes themselves are often exploited and mistreated,” a blunt Dec. 3 statement by the Congressional Black Caucus, in part, asserted.
After days of animated back-and-forth on legislation that would hand even more power to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) over rules for student athletes and “name, image, and likeness’ money, the Congressional Black Caucus has come out in loud opposition to the college sports-related legislation.
The SCORE Act, which stands for “Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements Act,” has now been removed from the U.S. House schedule after being scheduled for a vote by the entire U.S. House on December 3 and then again on December 4th. The removal of the bill from the voting schedule is a sign that the legislation may not have enough support to pass. Several Republicans, including Texas firebrand Rep. Chip Roy stated their opposition to the SCORE Act on December 3.
On December 3, the Congressional Black Caucus, led by Congresswoman Yvette Clarke of New York, issued a strong statement against the legislation. Black Press USA has learned that only two members of the Congressional Black Caucus were planning to vote in favor of the controversial legislation. They are Reps. Shomari Figures and Janelle Bynum (D-OR). A third CBC member may also be in support of the legislation.
“We cannot lose sight of the human impact here. At the center of this issue are the college athletes, many of whom are Black students and who may not come from sizable financial means. College athletes too often report struggling with injuries, food insecurity, poverty, and homelessness. It is wholly unfair that universities and coaches are lining their pockets while leaving so little, if anything, for the college athletes who make those profits possible,” the December 3 statement by the Congressional Black Caucus wrote in part.
The SCORE Act grants the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) legal immunity against lawsuits regarding any legal actions athletes might bring.
“We don’t have college athletics. It’s a joke. We’ve destroyed college athletics. We have minor league sports masquerading as collegiate,” Republican Chip Roy stated this week at a Rules Committee hearing on the bill.
Republicans in support of the SCORE Act argued this week that the legislation would “protect” college athletes. Florida Republican Rep. Gus Bilirakis is the lead sponsor of the SCORE Act.
