When Judge Claudia Wilken ended the five-year dispute between the House and NCAA on June 6, the world of collegiate athletics ushered in a new era marked by compensation and controversy.
The settlement officially allowed athletes to accept direct revenue-sharing payments from their universities. It also included a $2.8 billion payout to former Division I student-athletes who were previously not allowed to earn compensation from name, image and likeness licensing deals.
Though this chapter is officially closed, the popular consensus was the long saga might never reach the finish line. That belief has resurfaced with a new effort to limit the amount of money college athletes can be paid.
First reported by CBS News Senior White House and Political Correspondent Ed O’Keefe, President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order that will establish a national standard for the NCAA and NIL.
If President Trump’s planned order is finalized, it could establish a requirement for federal authorities to state whether athletes would be considered employees of their respective schools, according to reports from ESPN. The acquired draft of the order also asks the Secretary of Labor and the National Labor Relations Board to “determine and implement the appropriate measures with respect to clarifying the status of collegiate athletes.”
According to the potential executive order, the employment status of college athletes should “maximize the educational benefits and opportunities” that universities can provide through athletics. While the order would not be able to grant some antitrust protections to govern NIL, it could establish the rumored commission to ensure fairness and stability.
Such an order appears to be an attempt to limit schools from becoming powerhouses in college athletics based solely on how much money the school has. Regardless of the arguments floating around on the matter, a limit on NIL spending is required to maintain balance. Power Five programs across the country are losing recruiting battles because they are unable to keep up with other programs’ spending. That will quickly erode the hopes of all but a few teams of reaching the apex of college sports.
The NIL battle on Capitol Hill has been a lengthy debate with seemingly no end in sight. After the House v. NCAA five-year battle, collegiate athletics was placed on a new track. The final destination continues to be pushed further away, however.
At the moment, the rules and regulations that will comprise President Trump’s new order are to be determined. Until then, the speculation will continue to spread as the future of college athletics continues to hang in the balance.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: President Trump aiming to establish national standard for NIL in college athletics
Reporting by Dylan Flippo, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
