College sports are currently experiencing the chaos they deserve. After decades of corrupt exploitation of athletes under the guise of amateurism, effective enforcement of the antitrust laws has turned things upside down.
Now, there’s an effort in Congress to throw college sports a lifeline.
Via Nick Schultz of On3.com, a bill introduced to the U.S. House of Representative on Monday would scrap the NCAA for an American College Sports Association.
Submitted by Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-WA), it’s called the Restore College Sports Act.
The ASCA would have a commissioner, appointed by the president. Terms would include sharing of NIL funds among student athletes, equal distribution of broadcast revenue, and the ability to transfer “freely” from one school to another.
Here’s one facet that is destined to draw a strenuous objection from the coaching profession: A coach’s maximum annual salary would be limited to “10 times the full cost of attendance at such institution.”
Frankly, that provision makes it seem like not a serious piece of legislation. But the underlying problem remains very serious for college sports.
They need a solution. They could get one from Congress. It would be far better to come up with their own answer than to leave it to the politicians.
Here’s the inescapable reality. The best — and perhaps only — effective answer involves unionizing the work force and securing the antitrust exemption that comes from a multi-employer bargaining unit.
That would allow the NCAA to operate like the NFL, with a salary cap and other rules for balancing player compensation with competitive equity.