The college sports debate comes to Capitol Hill, athletes not invited

Over the past year, eight pieces of federal legislation have been proposed, from Sen. Roger Wicker’s (R-Miss.) Collegiate Athlete Compensation Rights Act, to Sen. Jerry Moran’s (R-Kan.) Amateur Athletes Protection and Compensation Act, to Sen. Chris Murphy’s (D-Conn.) College Athlete Economic Freedom Act. None has passed, while leaders continue to wrangle in various committee hearings over how best to protect the “institution.” Similar hearings with similar witness lists have been held in various committees: the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; the Senate Judiciary Committee; and the Senate Subcommittee on Manufacturing, Trade and Consumer Protection. The differences boil down to this: Lawmakers disagree to what extent the NCAA should be granted cover, such as antitrust exemption, to ward off lawsuits by, you know, athletes.